Racism As You Like It
Racism á la carte
1. Old fashioned racism
Rejection of the Islamic or Mexican or Black or _____ (despotic, barbarian, orthodox, corrupt, oriental) other on behalf of authentic (Western, civilized, democratic, Christian) values.
2. Politically correct racism
The mult-culturalist perception that the “other” is the terrain of ethnic horrors, intolerance, of primitive irrational war-passions opposed to the post-nation-state liberal-democratic process of solving conflicts through rational negotiation, compromise and mutual respect. Racism here is attributed to the other while we are the neutral benevolent observer.
3. Reverse racism
Celebrating the exotic authenticity of the other who in contrast to the inhibited, anemic white folk, still exhibits a prodigious lust for life.
Reading The Courage of Hopelessness by Slavoj Zizek, I came upon some words that caused me to pause and reflect upon the dilemma of sublimated, reflexive racism. I have encountered racist attitudes in a number of conversations about the current state of polarization in our country. My mind spins, and I feel vertigo when I think about the policy of the Border Patrol to separate children from the parents crossing the border to seek asylum in our country. Some of my friends support that policy as appropriate, necessary law enforcement. I on the other hand understand the practice, and their endorsement of the policy as raw racism. I have no doubt that my friends would reject the racist label. All of them know individuals of color, whom they have treated with common decency. They don’t feel like racists.
I am no one’s judge and jury. If one’s racist attitudes do not rise to consciousness — all external judgments in that vein simply evoke a defense mechanism; and one is even less likely to exercise self reflection.
There is more than one form of racism, of privileging those sharing one’s ethnicity, and class over outsider-immigrants. There is more than one way to consider “others” as inferior, deserving of less consideration, meriting less of societies “common goods”: education, health care, opportunity.
One does not need a membership card in the Klan to practice racism. Old fashioned racism is “reasonable” enough to the racist minded. “They” are inferior and anyone can see it! Food, music, the-way-they-live, they are not like us therefore they are suited to slavery. Don’t you see how happy they are?! Moreover as they are by law, property, there’s no problem with enforcing the fugitive slave laws. That’s old fashioned racism served hot, and eaten with finger likk’en satisfaction. There is not a dimes worth of difference between the white supremacist of today and the slave holder of the 1800s.
Not comfortable with that raw option, why not eat a bit lower down the menu?
Politically correct racism asserts that “they” are subject to primitive irrational violence, and are unsuited to life in a democratic representative society. Their views are contrary to democracy, our way of doing things. Notice how they treat their women, and boy does that make me uncomfortable. We simply must keep them where they belong. There is no way that we can trust those that already live here.
We are quite intent on the peculiarity of Islamic culture, and easily drop all persons of Islamic faith that we hear of — into that bucket. Never mind the misogyny, and the inequality that remains in our own dominant culture.
If we are sophisticated, acquainted with the vocabulary and grammar of social and psychological analysis perhaps we will decide that there is a superior dimension to the ways of an ethnic minority — therefore they should be protected, and barred from too much contact with the dominant culture which we represent. This is a reverse racism, that attributes otherness to someone else; they are exotic in ways that we cannot understand which is not common with us. This view is likely shared by those with the good fortune of education. Reverse racism is yet another barrier to building bridges and engaging in the work of life together in a world that is frankly multi-cultural.
So, what is to be done?
The way to fight ethnic hatred effectively is not though its immediate counterpart, ethnic tolerance; on the contrary, what we need is even more hatred, but a proper political hatred, the hatred directed at the common political enemy.
….. another approach is needed, and we should bring into focus the nihilism proper to our own societies.
— excerpt The Courage of Hopelessness by Slavoj Zizek p. 174
2 thoughts on “Racism As You Like It”
An interesting analysis. I’d like to go in a slightly different direction with your subject. My sense is that one way or another we are all racists. In this case the term “racist” refers to an uncertainty or fear of those who do not fit within the tribal orthodoxy. And so, within this definition I believe there are three types of racism or prejudicial assumptions.
1. Overt Racism – This is a no holds barred hatred of anyone who does not fit within the tribal motif. For the KKK, the demographic of the vilified is anyone who is not of caucasian extraction. And the members of organizations such as the Klan, are unabashedly outspoken in their feelings. No subtlety, just outright hatred manifesting itself in violence and cruelty.
2. Undercover Racism – This form is probably to most widespread and nefarious form. Those who are undercover racists would never admit to blatantly hating someone based on the color of their skin, religious belief, sexual orientation or philosophical approach to life, but they would do everything they could, aside from speaking out about their fear, to keep the status quo in place. These are the bulk of the Trump supporters. They love him to say he’s the least racist person anyone has ever met because it follows the precept of denial. The racism springs from the same place it does in the Overt Racist, yet is garnished with a side of acceptability since it is not filled with the same language as is used by the Overt Racist.
3. Unintentional Racism – Since we are ALL hardwired to be suspicious of strangers and of those who do not fit within the context of the tribe, we all make unfounded assumptions about people who look different. We might ask ourselves what that person is doing in this neighborhood, depending on the diversity within that specific neighborhood. For those who realize that we all suffer from this malady, the goal is to remain mindful and vigilant about our own predisposition to make these assumptions. In my own behavior, I may see an African-American person in my neighborhood (that happens to be a mixture of Caucasian and Hispanic) and immediately wonder why they are there. I then catch myself engaging in that thought process, and give myself a mental slap in the face. This bring me back to the reality that this person has just as much right to be walking down the street as does anyone else. As noted above, I truly believe we all suffer from this. Many of my more liberal friends will deny any such reaction, but that denial springs more from not fitting within their personal narrative than anything else. We can’t negate this internal assumptive process unless we all realize that it is universal.
Even if one grows up in a highly diverse neighborhood, there will always be people who do not fit the standard profile of members of the neighborhood tribe. It may not even be based on skin tone at all, but perhaps the way someone dresses, or an unfamiliar accent in their voice. We all find ways of categorizing those around us and sorting out the ones who do not fit. This is not a bad thing since it was a part of tribal survival eons ago, but now we must use the rational portions of our minds to deal with these prejudicial thoughts and become mindfully aware, allowing them to dissipate through an understanding of their source. This is not easy, but it is the only way to overcome the divide we see disrupting life on every level.
Anyway, just my two cents on race.
Well expressed. The take-away is that there is always work to be done, a critical observation of the stream-of-consciousness thoughts and feelings that come and go. Habitual ways of thinking can change over time…..