DISCLAIMER: Opinions stated in this article are of the author’s, not Her Campus Chapel Hill.
Macklemore first came onto my radar as an activist for black rights last fall during Ferguson protests and marches. He and other celebrities participated in these events, and he’s made no effort to keep his views on racism and police brutality secret. In his most recent single, “White Privilege II,” he discusses his confusion and awkwardness as a white rapper talking about racism. Race is definitely a topic many don’t know how to discuss, what is and is not okay to say (or how much that matters), and this song is one easy tool to start a conversation. It is a collection of his thoughts, intended for critique and sparking discussion.
So, let’s talk about a few common questions regarding race and racism.
What is racism?
Racism, sociologically defined, is the system of white advantage at the expense of people of color in the USA. Defined by Merriam-Webster, racism is the “belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” So, why do sociologists not use that dictionary definition as their truth? If we consider sociology’s definition, we might think that the dictionary definition is different because of who is writing the dictionary—rich, white men. Why acknowledge your privilege in the definition of racism if it could mean losing it, or why acknowledge something you may not consider to be true?
Wait, why can only white people “benefit” from racism?
That’s the group of people who created the system in this country, and according to Frye’s The Politics of Reality, the group who created the system cannot be oppressed by it. Now, oppression and being hurt are different things, as oppression is systemic, but we’ll get into that later. To say white people benefit from racism and have privilege isn’t to say they have no problems. For example, a white person with a lower socioeconomic status is oppressed in the system of classism, where the rich benefit at the expense of the poor. They may feel like they don’t have privilege because they are poor, but they do still benefit from the system of racism purely on the fact that they are white. Peggy McIntosh describes white privilege here in her text titled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.”
Racism, prejudice, and discrimination— what’s the difference?
This is how I was taught it in courses taken at UNC: Prejudice is an attitude, discrimination is the action, and racism is the system. Here’s a helpful diagram to illustrate what that means.
“So racism is a two-way street then? Anyone can be prejudiced and discriminate and be racist.”
Anyone can be prejudiced and discriminate, yes, but does everyone have the power to be racist? No. That’s because different groups have different powers in this structure. Referencing Frye again, she defines oppression as a system created by a group to benefit themselves, at the expense of another group/groups. So, while everyone can suffer and feel pain, not everyone can be oppressed.
Here’s an example. A white medical student from UNC is in a poor area that is predominantly black on one afternoon. He goes to a diner and once he is in the front of the line to order, the black server looks at him and then takes the order of the black man behind the student first. Is she a racist because she took the black man’s order even though the white student was first in line?
The answer is no, but the server expressed prejudice and minor discrimination. Her actions are a product of the system. She’s probably dealt with discrimination, prejudice, and racism for most of her life, and this was an opportunity for her to feel a false sense of power over someone who is white. The student still has more power than her in this situation, since he could complain to her supervisor and get her fired. He’d lose five minutes of his time because of her action but because of his action (complaining), she’d lose her job.
How does racism work at a “systemic” level? What does that mean?
This means that systems making up our current society are founded on racism, which makes sense if we consider the fact that we hold to systems created in the 1700s. An educational video called The Unequal Opportunities Race illustrates this idea well.
It is also demonstrated in the disparity between the treatment of people of color and white individuals. Regarding police activities in Greensboro, NC, the New York Times found this:
“(Officers) used their discretion to search black drivers or their cars more than twice as often as white motorists — even though they found drugs and weapons significantly more often when the driver was white.
“Officers were more likely to stop black drivers for no discernible reason. And they were more likely to use force if the driver was black, even when they did not encounter physical resistance…. And more than four times as many blacks as whites are arrested on the sole charge of resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer…”
“National surveys show that blacks and whites use marijuana at virtually the same rate, but black residents here are charged with the sole offense of possession of minor amounts of marijuana five times as often as white residents are.”
At the national level, the Washington Post reported the following:
“Black drivers are 31 percent more likely to be pulled over than whites; they are more than twice as likely to be subject to police searches as white drivers; and they are nearly twice as likely to not be given any reason for the traffic stop, period.”
How am I supposed to talk to anyone about racism without offending them or pushing too many buttons?
LISTEN. Listen to any and all perspectives, because we each have our own lived experiences. There are people who believe racism isn’t an issue and there are people who believe it is deeply embedded into current society. Don’t go into a conversation thinking, “That person is so wrong,” regardless of what side of this topic you are on. It is important to remember that people have come to their opinions through what they have experienced and witnessed. So, discuss each other’s perspectives and give merit to everyone’s experiences. It can be hard to talk about race with people without getting heated, but discussions are the only way to learn more about racism and its place in today’s society.
These conversations can also help you discover more ways to aid minority friends in the fight toward racial equality. This could include rallies, protests, petitions, etc. Your friends might have daily struggles due to race that you didn’t even know about and wouldn’t have known about if the topic of race had not been brought up.
More questions? Leave them below and let’s talk about it! Everyone will come to the topic with their own experience and perspectives, but if we can listen to each other and learn about one another, we can help make everyone live together on a more equal and happy level.
Sources:
http://www.skyvalleychronicle.com/999/news/img201411251205581369453057.jpg