4 ms·

> Lets take a yellow cab driver in Manhattan not wanting to pick up a black passenger. If you ask them, they’ll assume its because the black passenger lives in

> Lets take a yellow cab driver in Manhattan not wanting to pick up a black passenger. If you ask them, they’ll assume its because the black passenger lives in Brooklyn or some other not-Manhattan place and that the driver wont get a good tip and wont be able to get fares at the destination, making it less economical. This isn’t an example of institutional racism, just regular racism. Institutional racism would be something like legacy preferences for college admittance. Most universities and colleges either explicitly or implicitly banned or discouraged black students from attending for many decades. So, a disproportionate number of legacy students are white because a disproportionate number of past generations allowed to attend were white. Giving preference to legacy students disadvantages black students, not because anyone is being explicitly racist, but because the system is set up in a way that ends up disadvantaging them. No is looking at a black applicant and saying they don’t want them or a white applicant and saying lets pick this person, but the pattern of passing down preferential admittance to the children, grandchildren, etc. of whites who were able to attend because they were white is institutional. Legacy students are just acting in their own self-interest by using the preference system. The school is acting in self-interest by promoting the legacy system as a benefit to attending that will benefit your future children.

vmception 6y ago
> This isn’t an example of institutional racism Never said it was Both of our examples highlight the exact same thing that all it takes is the current players acting in their own self interest to keep perpetuating an extremely unfair and totally rigged system. this is the most productive aspect to highlight than semantical distinctions that will dilute how much anybody cares.
- 542354234235 6y ago
  > semantical distinctions I would disagree that it is nothing more than semantics. Your example is someone seeing a black person and applying negative stereotypes to them. That is easily recognized as racist. My example does not require anyone to even know the race of anyone involved. Explicit racism is obvious to anyone around it and is low hanging fruit. Institutional racism can often only be identified through actual study of complex interconnected systems and their history. > This isn’t an example of institutional racism > Never said it was You responded to a comment saying “it's similar to something like institutional racism. There probably are very few people who are openly and unashamedly racist at the highest levels of power (although sadly not zero) - but all it takes is the current players acting in their own self interest to keep perpetuating an extremely unfair and totally rigged system”, clearly saying they are not talking about explicit racism, but people acting in self interest not related to race or racial stereotypes. Then you respond with an example of someone that is explicitly racist. That is not what was being talked about and is not a relevant example of what the commenter you are responding to was saying. Discriminating against others, racial or otherwise, for economic self interest is racist and bad. But the point of institutional racism is it can happen without any individual discriminating against anyone based on race.

vmception 6y ago

> This isn’t an example of institutional racism Never said it was Both of our examples highlight the exact same thing that all it takes is the current players acting in their own self interest to keep perpetuating an extremely unfair and totally rigged system. this is the most productive aspect to highlight than semantical distinctions that will dilute how much anybody cares.

542354234235 6y ago
> semantical distinctions I would disagree that it is nothing more than semantics. Your example is someone seeing a black person and applying negative stereotypes to them. That is easily recognized as racist. My example does not require anyone to even know the race of anyone involved. Explicit racism is obvious to anyone around it and is low hanging fruit. Institutional racism can often only be identified through actual study of complex interconnected systems and their history. > This isn’t an example of institutional racism > Never said it was You responded to a comment saying “it's similar to something like institutional racism. There probably are very few people who are openly and unashamedly racist at the highest levels of power (although sadly not zero) - but all it takes is the current players acting in their own self interest to keep perpetuating an extremely unfair and totally rigged system”, clearly saying they are not talking about explicit racism, but people acting in self interest not related to race or racial stereotypes. Then you respond with an example of someone that is explicitly racist. That is not what was being talked about and is not a relevant example of what the commenter you are responding to was saying. Discriminating against others, racial or otherwise, for economic self interest is racist and bad. But the point of institutional racism is it can happen without any individual discriminating against anyone based on race.