3 ms·
> Reverse racism or reverse discrimination is the concept that affirmative action and similar color-conscious programs for redressing racial inequality are a fo
by camgunz 6y ago
> Reverse racism or reverse discrimination is the concept that affirmative action and similar color-conscious programs for redressing racial inequality are a form of anti-white racism. The concept is often associated with conservative social movements and the belief that social and economic gains by black people in the United States and elsewhere cause disadvantages for white people.
> Belief in reverse racism is widespread in the United States; however, there is little to no empirical evidence that white Americans suffer systemic discrimination. Racial and ethnic minorities generally lack the power to damage the interests of whites, who remain the dominant group in the U.S. Claims of reverse racism tend to ignore such disparities in the exercise of power and authority, which scholars argue constitute an essential component of racism.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism
- brailsafe 6y agoI'm honestly surprised there is a Wikipedia article on this, but I suppose if you can dream it, you can put it up there. My point stands, because regardless of how accurate your quoted text is (seems to me like it's just a term invented by zealots to shutdown an argument without participation), it's irrelevant in this thread. It's invalid to say this other thing (reverse racism) is false, therefore racism can't manifest in other ways than you're saying.
- camgunz 6y agoSorry let me dig in a little more here. It's pretty common to naively think that racism in the US is treating anyone of any race differently based on their race. Conservatives trot this out all the time whenever anyone treats white Americans differently. However, they're wrong, and they've never been right. Racism in the US is a pervasive caste system that places white Americans at the top, Black Americans at the bottom, and others somewhere in-between. This is why "reverse racism" is nonsensical and why white Americans don't experience racism. I understand why people want to hew to the simple definition, but sadly it doesn't really help anyone. Well, it helps people who don't want to fix racism but, that seems like a mark against it. And, for what it's worth, the Wikipedia article is super well-cited [1]. There's a lot of good info in there; it's definitely not some liberal hack job. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism#References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism#References
- subjectsigma 6y agoI'm white, and have been in situations where I was singled out and harassed for being white, both in real life and online. I fully understand that I have never experienced systemic racism because I am part of the racial majority. But it was still hurtful. What word should I use to describe these experiences if not 'racism'? (This is anecdotal, but: Every progressive 'anti-racist' who I describe these situations to either quickly changes the subject, calls me 'fragile', or tries to argue that these experiences weren't all that bad. Not a single one, in my experience, will just level with me and say, "Wow, that sucks, I'm sorry someone said that to you." I don't think trying to explain over people how they should feel and dismissing their concerns is a core tenant of anti-racism but it sure feels like it.)
- camgunz 6y agoI don't think you're fragile, and I would never minimize the harassment you experienced. I am sorry any of that happened to you. You're right that it's not systemic racism but, it's still the case that no one deserves that. And I'm also sorry you haven't found sympathy in the anti-racist community. It's pretty easy to be deep in the trenches, snarky, and suspicious, and it seems like you're running into all of that.
- subjectsigma 6y agoThat was a surprisingly kind response. Thank you :)