Today we begin with the 4th truth: Reverse racism is racism. Let’s get into it!
Reverse Racism
Reverse racism is defined as “situations where white people believe they negatively stereotyped or discriminated against because of their whiteness-or treated less favorably than people of color. ” More simply put, white people are saying people are being racist and prejudiced towards them, and they don’t like it.
Now, Merriam-Webster defines Britannica as “the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another.” So, technically, this does fall into the category of racism. However, there are several factors that could also disprove this. But first, as always, let’s see what our candidates have to say regarding this.
Reverse Racism and Politics
Forget reverse racism even, let’s talk about racism in general. However, I have to note, I found very title information regarding this topic. The most I’ve found is from Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Vivek Ramaswamy, so that’s the most we’ll have to work with for today.
These three candidates are all people of color. Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley are both South Asian- Indians more specifically- and Tim Scott is African-American. All three of them have been discussing their identities along this campaign, “trying to appeal to a voting base that is less diverse than the country as a whole.” Discussions of race and immigration are almost unavoidable, especially when it comes to hem. How can your future president or future presidential candidate make the best decisions on race and immigration in your favor when the candidates themselves have come from immigration or are of a different race? The concern is very understandable. But let’s see what they have to say.
Tim Scott believes that progress in America is palpable and can be measured in generations. He says that “family stories of discrimination and racism are relics of the past and do not reflect a form of prejudice still embedded in American society.” Nikki Haley falls along similar lines.
Vivek Ramaswamy believes himself to be a ‘non-white nationalist.’ He, unlike the others, actually agrees that America is hypocritical. But he also believes that “Americans must learn to recalibrate and get ‘comfortable with that discomfort, so we can be stronger on the other side of it.’”
My Perspective
I have some semi-strong opinions on this matter. It’s primarily due to the fact that I’m a ‘minority’ and that my lineage and people have had to suffer 89 years of colonization from the British where they were left stripped and, devoid of everything.
In America, everyone is diverse, and I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about this country. You get such an amazing assortment of people with different backgrounds, cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, and ideals to just bring a new perspective into life. I love interacting with my friends, many of which have a different race and culture than mine, and getting to talk to them about their favorite traditions, foods, and activities in general. But more importantly, I love how despite all these differences with us, we all have the same similarities. I love how I get to enjoy talking about Korean boy bands with my friends who are Columbian and Vietnamese, literature and fantasy with my Filipino and African-American friends, Orchestra with Asians and Latinas and Caucasians, and just so much more. The way we can easily connect and laugh and push each other to work harder or to go the brinks of insanity and hysteria (in a good way) is amazing, and I really cherish that. But I can’t ignore the fact that most of us are still seen as a minority to others.
We are first judged based on our appearance rather than personality. One look at my skin color can immediately set a prior bias or perception in someone’s mind, causing them to act differently towards me compared to others. And it’s uncomfortable. It’s not necessarily racism, but more of the tendency to change one’s behavior towards me based on my race. It’s the way they react towards me. I haven’t necessarily experienced the degrees to which one could call it racism, but given where I am right now, I have experienced some prejudice or just behavioral change towards me based on race. This doesn’t just apply to me, but others as well. I can see people act differently to other P.O.C’s as well, and I can see the frustration they also get when they experience things like this as well.
Now about reverse racism. Technically, it is also racism. Any kind of systemic oppression towards a racial group is racism. However, reverse racism isn’t based on systemic oppression. It’s based on prejudice and discrimination. This is something rooted from systemic racism and racial hierarchies where there are injustices and power imbalances. Years and years of ingrained ideals and thinking passed down and present have caused for there to be discrimination and negative appeals towards people of color. There’s a lack of diverse representation in political, social, and economic influences due to this. (While it’s different today, it’s more of a recent product that’s slowly growing.) Given this, it’s always been white people at the top of these hierarchies. Colonization by the Europeans and slavery have made this evident.
I find it laughable how white people can call derogatory names with a reference to their whiteness as racist, when they’ve been doing that for years and years with no care to how the other felt. They willingly and knowingly stepped over them, believing their race was most superior, and when they experiences the bare minimum of these insults they feel threatened and even a victim. It’s really unbelievable. The hypocrisy in this is unbelievable.
While racism towards any race, including white people, is wrong and needs to be stopped immediately, the fact that derogatory names towards white people is called discrimination is false. I mean, yeah it’s wrong to do so, but just get your complaint right, you’re not discriminated against.
We’ll pick up at part 6 next week on the next topic: An open border is no border.