Most of us are familiar with the idea of “reverse racism.” This concept is evident in the Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas, where Abigail Fisher claimed that her rejection from the University of Texas at Austin was a result of the university discriminating against her because she was white.
As civil rights groups and people of color continue to fight for racial equality, there is this idea that there is a growing racism toward white people in the United States.
Things like affirmative action, Beyonce’s song, Formation and the smash-hit musical Hamilton’s casting call for minority actors have been deemed as racist against white people.
These recent controversies raise the question: Can white people experience racism? The honest answer is that they cannot. White people can experience prejudice, but they cannot experience racism.
For example, if a person of color refuses to be friends with a white person simply because, they are white, this is an example of prejudice.
This is not an example of racism because outside of this situation, white people are still favored and still have an advantage over people of color on a larger social scale. Prejudice against white people — or anyone for that matter — is still wrong, but it’s fair to say that white people don’t experience racism because racism is a power structure that benefits white people and leaves people of color at a disadvantage.
I think it’s ridiculous when people say that Beyonce’s use of the line “Becky with the good hair” and Colin Kaepernick sitting down during the national anthem are racist acts. It is frustrating when affirmative action, casting calls specifically for minorities, or any other programs that aim to provide more opportunities for people of color are deemed racist toward white people. These things are hardly racist, and I would argue that they aren’t even acts of prejudice.
People of color should be able to express pride in their heritage, protest in support of the rights of their people, and have more academic and professional opportunities open to them without it being labeled as an attack on white people.
As I said before, prejudice is never acceptable, but I think that white people who feel victimized by progress need to understand that people of color are doing what they can to be seen as equal in a system that is strongly biased against them.
Because as far as racism goes, white people will never be on the receiving end. Instead of feeling threatened by the efforts made to create an equal playing field for people of all races, white people need to relinquish their positions of power and do what they can to fight against the systemic oppression of people of color.
In the end, it’ll benefit them, too.