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Reverse Racism Isn’t Real
It’s important to acknowledge it doesn’t exist
For some people, reverse racism is an unfeigned issue in society. They believe racism can be flipped around and made subject to the people who do not have to worry about their skin color making them susceptible to discrimination.
Essentially, they hold the belief that the roles can somehow be reversed and the oppressor can become the oppressed. It is important, however, to acknowledge that this isn’t true — racism doesn’t work like that.
Yes, racism does involve someone feeling superior to another race, but that is just the tip of the enormous iceberg that follows the complexity of racism.
It starts by recognizing the definition of racism from an institutional perspective: Racism is a historically rooted system of power hierarchies based on race — upheld by institutions, society, and culture — established to benefit White people and oppress BIPOC.
The effect of racism on marginalized groups includes police brutality, racial wealth gaps, redlining, microaggressions, slavery, and colonialism.
Have any of these examples of racial oppression affected the rights of White people? No. We must understand that Black prejudice does not affect the rights of White people.
If reverse racism were an issue, it would mean that we live in a world where all racial groups have equal, institutional, social, and systemic power. We don’t.
For centuries, White people have held the most power. It has allowed them to oppress BIPOC. Racism has imposed limits on people of color, from landing positions in the workplace to wrongful housing discrimination to police brutality.
It is quite common for people to confuse racism with racial prejudice, but these ideologies are greatly different in meaning and their effect on society.
Here are some examples of racial prejudice:
- Calling someone a Karen.
- Saying White people can’t dance.
- Saying White people can’t season food well.
Yes, these opinions can hurt feelings, but are they racist? No, because the oppressed cannot oppress the oppressor.
Bearing that in mind, does calling someone a Karen and saying a White person can’t dance affect the rate at which they go to jail? Do these statements make them subject to police brutality? Do they affect jobs and housing?
No.
If reverse racism were an issue, it would mean that we live in a world where all racial groups have equal, institutional, social, and systemic power. We don’t.
Racism was made to benefit White people. Yes, BIPOC can be racially discriminatory, but not racist — we do not hold the power of White superiority in any respect.
