RESTORING WHAT? DEFINING RACISM

RESTORING WHAT? DEFINING RACISM
RYAN “BUGS” WILLIAMS-VIRDEN
AUGUST 31ST 2010

There has been plenty of uproar and discussion regarding race this weekend, mainly as a result of Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally where he intended to “reclaim the Civil Rights Movement” from the liberals that have distorted it. Typically I would have attacked Beck with all sorts of claims of racism and attempted to back them up as best I could. Undoubtedly there would have been those that agreed with me, and there also would have been those that just as passionately distanced themselves from the claims of racism. Even if they disagreed with the rally and thought Beck was an idiot they would have been reluctant if not all together unwilling to see race playing a factor. As I was coming to this realization something else also hit me, the essay that needed to be wrote was not about race and racism as it pertained to Glenn Beck and his rally, but rather what exactly racism is and how we can develop a sort of working definition. Then move on to Beck. However, before we get to that lets address some things that will hopefully keep the lines of communication and consideration open. I am not pretending to be the authority on race, I do not have the answers all I have are some ideas to consider, and finally I am not attempting to label anyone a racist but will point out where I see collusion with racism and consequences of beliefs and policies I believe serve to further racism. So with that being said lets continue.

POWER AND PRIVILEGE

For many, racism is something of a relic. Yes, it may still exist today but for all intense purposes it is all bark and no bite; especially after the election of Barak Obama; only manifesting itself in the bigoted views of individuals that hold no true power. Our institutions are largely free from racism and overall we have a minimal if not negligible race issue. Sadly nothing could be further from the truth. So how is it such a significant number of people can have such polar views of something that would seem to be easy to spot? The answer seems to simple- we don’t know what racism is.

Yes, racism is lynchings, segregated restaurants and schools, it is shackles and chains, it is “The Bell Curve”, and it is the Ku Klux Klan. It is also the belief that people of color are inherently lazy, stupid, and violent, prone to having multiple babies out of wedlock and sapping the state dry of its resources. It is the achievement gap, which in my city, Minneapolis a city touted as a beckon of liberalism, is among the worst in the country. It is the manifestation of internalized beliefs surrounding people of color in ways that are both overt and covert. There is a truth here that we must collectively come to realize. We have to accept the fact that racism requires power and privilege and this is exclusively the property of whites in this country. If not the President of the United States, the pinnacle of power and respect in this country would not be subject to depictions of him as an African witch doctor, or the White House lawn being a field of Watermelons-- both of which were displayed proudly during protests by those that would later make up the Tea Party. This country is not a meritocracy people do not possess what they deserve, there are plenty of poor who deserve much much more, and there are plenty of rich folks that deserve none of the comforts they now enjoy. These disparities are a direct result of the oppression that is racism and the subsequent privilege awarded to all whites via white supremacy. If we can not acknowledge this fact and be conscience of how this dynamic effects our interactions on a daily basis with those that happen to have more or less melanin than we will never be able to be truly post racial.

COLLUSION

A significant part of understanding racism and a logical consequence of understanding racism as being largely a systematic rather than individual demon is white people being conscience of their collusion with systems of oppression. This is where talking heads such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh come into play. It is impossible to support either of these two or others that espouse similar worldviews and analysis without supporting racism; simply because the consequences of the beliefs, worldviews, and eventual policies supported by these people have a very real effect for people of color. For example when Glenn Beck says that he is “reclaiming the Civil Rights Movement” and invokes the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. while at the same time claiming that social justice and economic justice are euphemisms for Nazism he is directly disrespecting, distorting, challenging, and bastardizing the message and memory of the great Civil Rights leader, or how bout invoking MLK while calling the first black president a racist? This is motivated by racism and a shallow pathetic attempt to galvanize whites. When Rush Limbaugh says that universal health care is simply reparations this is racism. Both men are demonstrating a deep seeded anxiety toward people of color realizing equality. Where might this anxiety come from—maybe it stems from not wanting to lose the privilege they both enjoy so much. Maybe that is why they wax nostalgic about the times of the four fathers-- you know that time when women were invisible and the stolen Africans they were employing oh wait I mean forcing to work their fields were only 3/5ths of human beings. It is impossible to look at such things through a race conscious lens, and with any sort of decency make the above- mentioned claims- -simply impossible. This however does not stop some from trying, and what these arguments will rest on boils down to essentially two things 1st) neither one of these two openly uses epithets (sorry Dr. Laura) nor endorses a return to slavery or Jim Crow. This claim is surely debatable. And 2nd) they say they are not motivated by racism so we should believe them. Here again we see the mis-education around race manifesting itself. Internalized beliefs about the worth of people of color and how they should be treated counts as racism. As a matter of fact if these two and the others like them were not harboring racial resentment and fear then why wouldn’t they come out in support of reparations? Both say they are pro worker, business and free market; there is no better way than to show commitment to these ideals then by advocating for the paying of lost wages? Unless of course that requires coming off your own comfort, right? Well then surely these two patriots and lovers of our great freedom fighters will gladly advocate for France to return to Haiti the bogus penalty imposed on them for winning their freedom. No one could imagine tolerating England requiring such a penalty be paid from us. Oh wrong again, I guess freedom fighters only come in a pinkish hue.

Simply put if white people want equality as so many claim they do then they must be ready to give up some of their comfort and privilege. This includes reevaluating your loyalties and sensibilities, be conscience of what you’re feeling, where it might be coming from, and why you might be feeling it. Do so fully and honestly. Learn the history of our country from the perspective other than WASP and see how patriotic you feel, or what you think it means to “restore honor”.