What can I do? I am only one person. What can I do to end racism, especially systemic racism?
Good question that no one has asked me since I posted Editorial: Whiny White Supremacists and Their Need for a Country, Culture, Celebration of THEM! But, I’ve got an answer, anywho, but this time without so much snarky, sarcasticky, profaney goodness because sometimes that shit just mucks up your message.
Because I am autistic and trained in mental health and widely read in psychology and its applications to every day life, I rely a lot on introspection and personal experience, especially in how we raise our consciousnesses concerning racism and changing our behaviors. So, expect the rest of this to be personal — about me and asking it of you as well. Feel free to respond in the comments or to email me. I’m happy to work through what ever comes up for you. I will not be trolled, though.
You are not alone. There are several places to go look for ideas. Let me list some links:
- Jane Elliot of the famous Blue Eyes-Brown Eyes study has a lot of terrific work on confronting white people in their privilege. She’s pretty amazing to watch in action.
- Tim Wise the well known author, speaker, and anti-racist. I found his FAQ to be particularly helpful.
- The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond is a group devoted to undoing racism.
- Salon has an interesting article in which they solicit advice from eleven people on what white people can do, 11 Things White People can do to be Real Anti-Racist Allies.
Cultivate introspection and self-awareness around the issues of race. Be a good observer of yourself and your inner reactions, especially those that you attempt to suppress. One of my first experiences was realizing how uncomfortable I could be around black people, especially when I was in a black neighborhood. Some of it was “justified.” I remember the boy shouting at me, Bring the bicycle over here white boy. The boy who spit on me as I rode up behind a trolley. The man-child who hauled out a flip knife and was flipping it open and closed as a friend and I cleared up after a rally in a park asking about what a couple of white people were doing in a black neighborhood after dark. There was a degree of threat some more real than others in each of those situations.
But, I also recognized the discomfort I felt in my early mental health career when I had to work with black people, especially young black people, especially young black men. I began to question myself because I knew it was wrong. It was a struggle to confront the fear that I felt just from being in the presence of a young black man and the more “ghetto” or “hip hop” or “rap” he looked, the worse it was.
Anyway, the more I worked at it, the more I realized that the problem was mine. But, the key here was the stimulus material. I had to be around black people to feel the fear and discomfort before I could start to resolve it. Maybe you do, too. I don’t know.
Realize how damaging and corrosive discrimination is to those on the receiving end of it. The first time I watched the PBS Frontline episode, A Class Divided, and saw the pain and hurt on those children’s faces, I knew that anyone who had experienced what those children had would be feeling that but worse. People of color experience discrimination everyday. Here’s a short excerpt from the show. See if you have the same reaction.
Here’s an example of her work with groups of white people on identifying racism.
As a white person, you have to ask yourself, what came up while watching those clips. And, if you’re being honest, you might identify some defensiveness or denial or not-me-ism or some such. We all have internalized racist attitudes and ideas because we came up in and live in a racist society. We can’t get rid of systemic racism without first ending those racist attitudes in ourselves, and we can’t do that if we don’t have an emotionally meaningful encounter with them. Luckily, it can be done privately and by yourself. I think, many white people fear the embarrassment and condemnation from owning up to their issues around race.
You will also start to become aware of how you’ve benefited from being white in your personal life. Every time a police officer murders an unarmed black person, there’s always a spat of jokes on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media about how a white person was stopped by police and wasn’t shot. That’s a prime example of white privilege. You got a mortgage and you weren’t redlined, white privilege. You walked through a parking lot and no one shouted nigger at you, white privilege. You see the way this works. It’s like white privilege occupies the negative space in our lives. It isn’t that we get a leg up, it is that we are not oppressed.
One of the most curious aspects of white privilege is our assumption that we should be able to appropriate anyone and everyone’s culture, and maybe in a perfect world we would. But, our world is stained by the racism that benefits us whites and oppresses non-whites. We, as a group, should forego cultural appropriation out of respect for the oppressed. We already have everything, we don’t need to be wearing dashikis or kimonos… and can we end the embarrassment of country rap? Can we all agree right now to just walk away and pretend like it never happened?
We sure as shit do not need to be using the term nigger. We should just put that motherfucker down and leave it alone. It ain’t for us and you just look ridiculous, just ask Bill Maher.
Be prepared to react in an effective and positive way when you’re in public. If you witness someone being harassed because of their skin color, ethnicity, gender, or religion, talk to them. Ignore the harasser. Talk to the person being harassed. Be positive. A reader wrote in the comments some time ago about an experience she had in a Walmart or other similar store when a man started harassing a Muslim woman wearing a hijab. All she did was start talking to the woman. She began by complementing her hijab. It was brave, non-confrontational, and effective.
Talk to other white people about racism, prejudice, implicit bias, and white privilege. One of my early formative experiences was in writing to the New York Times Ethicist reacting to a question about putting on a blackface performance for a nonagenarian’s birthday party. The reason you don’t do those things is explained by prejudiced norm theory — people inclined to bigotry are more likely to act in bigoted ways and feel understood and accepted.
Remember that minority influence tells us that a member of the in-group advocating a minority opinion is much more powerful in changing the views of the majority than a member of the minority saying the same things. Your gentle understanding in your discussion with a peer will go a much longer way to promoting change than silence, lecturing, mass emails, or just about anything else.
Notice what isn’t here: talking to people of color about what they want. They want the racism to end. Great you’ve recognized the systemic racism and oppression of minority groups that is inherent in the system; don’t expect a medal or certificate of achievement. I have had some very rewarding discussions with people of color on social media, though. I think the medium helps because it allows for some distance and some discretion of when you respond. Also, things are not likely to go twisting out of control and if they do, you can always be unfriended.
It truly is incumbent upon white people to end racism. We started it, and only we can end it.
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Categories: Racism
The Psy of Life 
(Imagine that I’m a white American). Why should I care about lesser cultures when it was my white culture that sailed across the Atlantic and built this country? When I go to Africa I notice the mud huts and the violent tribal politics, and I conclude their culture is backward. When I go to Japan I notice the ordered, intelligent, homogeneous society and centuries of artistic achievements, I conclude that theirs is a culture equal or more refined than mine.
What you call racist, I call a value judgement.
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Howdy Cracker!
You can be as racist as you want. But, your ignorance of what white people achieved and other people have not. Also, you should notice that Japan and the Japanese are not white.
Huzzah!
Jack
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But you haven’t actually given me a reason to acknowledge black people, other than labelling me and hoping that changes something? Yes the Japanese are not white, but colour is irrelevant when comparing cultures – nobody “sees a colour”, they see a culture that they don’t relate to, don’t rate as equal or simply don’t like.
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Howdy Cracker!
No you are right. I have not given nor am I going to give you a reason to acknowledge black people. The depth of your ignorance that you so flagrantly flaunt tells me that you are not interested in learning. I believe, Cracker, you have labelled yourself.
Everyone sees color. It is the thing that is most obvious about a person. To pretend otherwise is to not deal with reality. It is what we do because of the our perceptions of the color another’s skin that is important. If culture is your thing, then you should go out and try to learn about other cultures. Once you’ve done that, then you’re qualified to discuss here on my blog. Until then, you just wallow in stubborn willful stupidity.
Good Day,
Jack
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I always end up concluding that people who don’t have an answer to something but prefer to berate the questioner for daring to ask, tend not to actually have an answer. That’s OK, I didn’t have a good answer either, that’s why I asked.
I put my point about colour in quotation marks, but you decided to take it literally anyway and again not really address it.
I’ve been to a few countries in Africa thanks, but nothing gave me a reason to see them as anything but a depressingly long way behind other cultures. I don’t personally buy into the pretence that just because someone is a minority, that other cultures must automatically declare equality for fear of being called racist. Surely there must come a point where cannibals are not invited over for tea.
This was actually part of my attempt to understand the Liberal mindset on race, but sadly you and your little friend appear to be overly emotional and very hostile towards people outside of your bubble?
I can’t see this being very educational for anyone. Thankfully not all Liberals are quite as angry as you two, but this elitist condescension does seem to be commonplace and a bit of a barrier.
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Dude, you call yourself a fucking cracker and talk about having visited Africa and seeing people live in mud and stick huts. But you want to have a serious discussion about race and racism. Read the article you’ve responded to first, change your racist handle, and write with some respect about other groups and culture, and then we’ll have a discussion.
And spare me the sanctimonious belly-aching about trying to have an honest discussion. First, see above. There ain’t honest discussion in your presentation of yourself. And second, check out the site, this is blog is all about snark as in snarky, sarcasticky, and profaney. Go down to the street to the gullible liberal blog where they may treat self-described but confused crackers who have visited all the mud and stick huts in Africa with a little more compassion.
But I’ll throw you a tidbit if you’ve read this far: people are human. That’s were we start and we end.
Huzzah!
Jack
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It is obvious that your self centered perspective precludes you having a clue about who went where first , and who did what when; You are not able to really see the world in true reality. I do feel sorry for you because you are missing so very much in this world, because of you egocentricity.
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” It isn’t that we get a leg up, it is that we are not oppressed.”
yes indeed!! As a Catholic Child in Vermont I had a taste of ” exclusion ” … I went to Cathollic school which was right near the local Public school. There was good amount of harassment from the Public school kids, especially when it was time to go home .( and sometimes aggravated by some of the teachers!) The public school kids got to be bused home…. we Catholics paid the same taxes , but did not have the same treatment with busing ,,,,,we walked.. we got Lots of name calling and and some times cussing ,,, we were admonished by our parents and the school to not return the ill treatment.. ( that didn’t always work) . but it sure as hell gave us an understanding of what it is like to be second class citizens. It stuck with me all my life and made me the Liberal that I am today… also was a Black studies major for two years while attending college . soooooo I can’t tell you how much I appreciated the ” show ” with the kids…. and that great teacher.
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reblogged by the way on OC
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Thank you for the reblog, Suze! It is greatly appreciated
Huzzah!
Jack
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I have seen the videos and read most of the articles/interviews you linked to before today. The easiest thing a white can do in attempting to understand their own racism and white privilege is to simply educate themselves. if they don’t know what to read or study, ASK. Ask a person of color what they would want you to read. Believe me, you will get a handful of books to read.
Confront racism when it happens and say “No, that is unacceptable!”. You don’t need to even say why. The vast majority of people making “jokes” or “acting racist” damn well know what they are doing. confrontation makes everyone around them aware and validates the feelings of the person or people being treated badly. After a while, it is easy to confront in a calm and firm manner.
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You are my hero, Suze! When I grow up, I wanna be just like you! Confronting people is a difficult thing, but, with practice, it can be done calmly and firmly.
We should swap book lists some times.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Howdy Suze!
I think the racist and sexist jokes are tinged with the forbidden and charged with the defiance of social norms that they violate and that is part of their allure. Having been in the Coast Guard as women entered the service in greater numbers, and having hung out with the male teachers at several schools convincing me of the naughty attraction.
It’s funny, though, that when you disrupt that naughty behavior how quickly it dries up. It doesn’t necessarily go away, it is just less visible. But, it is also funny how people who wouldn’t’ve spoken up will feel emboldened and supported. Those who are ambivalent will slide away from it, too. It will isolate the hard corp.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Thank you, sir! It is much appreciated.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Very good post. Enjoy your Sunday.
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Thank you so much… um… Mr. Militant? Mr. Negro? I hope I pulled that joke off. It means a lot coming from you. I appreciate it!
Huzzah!
Jack
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I get that a lot, humor is very much appreciated. Be Well & Stay Safe.
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