So you think you might be a racist, huh? Of course you don't! No one wakes up in the morning and decides to attack a house of worship or to beat up a kid based on their skin color, yet it continues to happen each and every day in the so-called Land of the Free. Why do you think this is so? I'll tell you why. It's because an illness is sweeping the nation: racism. Racism comes in many shapes and forms. From blatantly attacking people or just simply moving your purse a little closer when DeSean sits next to you on a park bench. See? That's racism. Now when I mentioned DeSean in the last statement, did you imagine a young blonde boy? Of course not! You assumed I meant a person of color based on the stereotypical name. Do you know what that is? Yup! Racism. A mild case, but racism nonetheless. Well, if you want treatment for the new strand of this socially contagious disease, I suggest you learn a thing or two about folks on the other side of your oppressive remarks.
1. Stereotypes
People of color have to deal with stereotyping and microaggressions each and every day of their lives. From minor infractions such as uneducated assumptions of another's culture to blatant categorization of a person based on their skin tone. Too many times have loaded compliments such as the most infamous, "You are really pretty for a [blank] girl!" Now I can't remember the last time I heard a white women complimented even remotely similarly. When you attack a group, even if you are complimenting an individual, you are still attacking an entire demographic.
2. Cultural Appropriation
Do not wear our symbols, clothes and hairstyles because it's trendy. Do not ask to touch our hair, we are not animals at a petting zoo. Do not adjust your speech to fit what you think is our vocabulary. That includes affectionately called DeSean the N-word, with or without the hard R. Do not vacation in a foreign land absorbing a culture and butchering their native tongue for a week only to spend the next 51 complaining about illegal immigrants.
3. Innocent Bystanders
Author, humanitarian, human rights activist and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, "Whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” This is when hate is at its loudest, in the silence brought about by the bystanders who say nothing. If you are a bystander to hate you, are a racist.
Racism is not subjective or something to be interpreted. It is factual with overwhelming evidence to show what it actually is. Now repeat after me “Unless you are a victim of racism, you do not get to dictate what it is.” As for anyone who is neutral or a bystander when it comes to racism, you are part of the problem. This is a trend that has transcended real life into social media and back again. Your silence is a thumbs up to the racists. This illness is not always a conscious hate towards people of colour, it is a series of systems placed in society to put people of colour at a disadvantage. It is a wage gap, a stereotype, a presumption question, slander and, theft of another's culture. If you support any of these things or are oblivious to these systems, you are racist. That might be a terrifying revelation for some but just as no one is born racist, no one has to live as a racist.
Are you a closet-racist? Find the much-needed treatment you deserve in next week's conclusion
