Redefining "Racist"

I am white and I am ignorantly racist from time to time. Dear reader, you may have assumed these two statements from the title of this article; however, let me expand your portrait of me into something a bit more three-dimensional.

For one, I support the Black Lives Matter movement. I support it because I fervently believe that all races are inherently equal and that there is a broad social injustice into which those with black skin in our country are born. Although this is one of my beliefs, it does not detract from my ability to act in a racist manner. The Oxford English dictionary defines racism as “prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people based on their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” In this way, racism and being racist are connected with each individual’s place in society.

I am white in a predominantly white American society, so my subconscious bias favors the familiarity of whiteness. I unconsciously gravitate toward white people and get uncomfortable in situations where being white is not the norm. Jennifer L. Eberhardt, Ph.D., of Stanford University found that, “even people who profess to be racially unbiased may associate apes and African Americans, with images of one bringing to mind the other.” Eberhardt’s research is just a small example of the data that shows how white people have an unconscious tendency to think of Black people as “other.” This racial prejudice needs to be addressed to make steps toward racial equality.

This is why, when I was watching the presidential debate on Thursday, Oct. 22, I was infuriated by President Trump claiming, “I am the least racist person in this room.” No one who is white in a predominantly white country should claim they are not racist, even if it’s in the general sweep of saying they are the “least racist.” To me, this shows a dangerous avoidance of racial issues and a glaring misconception of the word “racist.” If we want to make steps toward racial justice, we have to make “racist” a call to change behavior instead of a condemnation, and we must move toward anti-racist activism.

The first idea that must be cleared up about the term “racist” is that racist does not equal white supremacist, even though all white supremacists are racist. White supremacists are people who are actively prejudiced against minorities in their mindsets and behavior because they think their biases are morally correct. We need to call out racist actions within all communities. White supremacists are obviously racist, but people who are not white supremacists can still perpetuate racist behavior due to ignorance.

In 1998, scientists from Harvard, University of Washington and the University of Virginia started an organization called Project Implicit to “educate the public about hidden biases” we all have in our social cognition. The project is an online questionnaire and psychology quiz that tests varying types of social bias. Currently, the test about African American and European American preference shows that 68% of people who have taken the quiz have a bias for white faces. Even though this project is only an online test, implicit bias is alive in the real world.

It might seem contradictory to use “racist” in a way that does not condemn people. After all, the stigma is there because being seen as a racist is socially unacceptable in our country. Although this stigma is there, it does not do much to change white behavior. Social psychologist Leon Festinger came up with the idea of cognitive dissonance which, according to the Psychology of Social Behaviors website, is the “feeling of discomfort caused by information that is discrepant from your customary, typically positive, self-concept.” Festinger claims that when this happens, like when someone is called a racist, they attempt to justify their actions. This leads to the continuation of that behavior. In the subject of racial equality, this psychological pattern is very dangerous.

Instead, we need to seek to be anti-racist. Being anti-racist means that we are aware of our bias and try to overcome it. Ibram X. Kendi, director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, wrote in an article for The Atlantic titled “The American Nightmare” that Americans, “struggle to be anti-racist, to see the racism in racial disparities.” A way to help this process is to use the word racist to show where these disparities exist. If the term is used to enlighten people, it can change our behavior and help us become more anti-racist.

Although the white population in our country needs to become more anti-racist, Black people and other marginalized groups can hold prejudice as well. Racism by any group is not productive on our journey toward racial equality; however, the racist sentiments of Black and minority groups are not as harmful since these groups are not capable of the same level of harm within the institutionalized power structure dominated by white Americans. Either way, Black people are in more danger from racism than white people.

We need to be allies for minorities in their struggle for racial justice. We need to be aware of our behaviors, change our behaviors and prompt that cycle within all of our communities. Language is a powerful way to change communities and by adjusting our language to include “racist” as a warning word instead of a divider, we may quicken our steps toward racial equality.