All this talk of “race,” “racism,” people being “racist,” and the rise in hate groups makes me think we need to step back and make sure we’re all on the same page with what we mean when we use these terms. One of the factors that I think has made the conversations on race most tangled is the failure, or perhaps unwillingness, to understand racism at multiple levels. We’re too quick to label some action or person as racist and “condemn” it or “disown” the person rather than fully analyze the situation. It is such an emotionally charged topic that it makes sense that dwelling on the complexities might be avoided (especially, when we want so badly to believe that race doesn’t matter anymore). However, it is that sort of analysis which will arm us with the ability to have true dialogue. Otherwise, we are left talking around each other while assuming we are actually communicating directly.
We don’t have to agree, necessarily, on the definitions to have these conversations, but we do need to understand how each party is defining their terms. So, let’s start with race. Biologically, we know that there is more genetic variation within groups, we call races, rather than across these groups. Penguins and fruit flies have more genetic variation between each other than we do as humans. So, all that scientific evidence from early 20th century which claimed racial deficiencies on the basis of skull size, etc. has been found false- social opinion posing as objective research. Therefore, that leaves us with the reality that race is a social construct, which we have created and reified through laws and social dynamics.
Building on that definition, racism is a system of advantage based on racial classifications, which benefits one group over others. Another way to think of it is prejudice plus power. For example, I might have bias, or prejudice, towards red-headed individuals. But unless I (as a non-red-head) hold the power to dictate outcomes for red-heads, we don’t have an ism. If our society had a classification system that separated individuals based on hair color, and over and over non-red-heads were in power and made sure through laws and personal decisions that red-heads did not have access to positions of power, education, and basic services, we might say that it was a system of advantage based on hair color that systematically benefited non-red-heads over red-heads. Getting closer to home, it can be argued that while women can be hatemongers towards men that only men can be sexist. Men have had the power to systematically disadvantage women (i.e. withholding the right to own property, vote, etc.) but not vice versa. So, it’s all based on who has the power in an institution and what they do with that power.
Getting back to my original concern about lack of understanding of the various levels of racism- it occurs on three levels. There is institutional, cultural and individual racism. I would argue that institutional is the most insidious type; however, we’ll start with individual racism since we are most familiar with it and most adept at pointing it out.
Individual racism includes actions such as telling racially derogatory jokes, choosing not to speak to/hire/support/etc. someone because of their racial group membership, or engaging in hate crimes. We can easily think of more examples of individual racism. It’s what most easily comes to mind when the word is brought up- the KKK and cross burning is one of the most common examples I hear when introducing these distinctions. Since Obama has emerged as the presumptive democratic candidate, White supremacy groups have touted an increase in interest and activity. While this is of concern and does suggest that individual racism is still a relevant construct, it’s important not to lose sight of the ways in which other acts, which aren’t so extreme- also constitute individual racism.
Cultural racism involves the larger society (e.g., whose values are promoted or denigrated, who is omitted or distorted in the media?). An easy way to grasp this concept is to consider religious values. The post office, schools, etc. are closed during Christmas and usually over Easter. As a Christian, this set-up is really convenient for me. Society caters to the fact that I might want to travel to be with family, or be off of work to commemorate the holiday. However, the same cannot be said for Yom Kippur, Ramadan or Divali. Some might say, “Well, we can’t have all of those holidays off!” I’m not advocating what we should do about this cultural racism; I’m simply trying to raise our awareness of it as one ways in which we enact this thing called racism. Another example might be the way in which you see people of color in limited roles in primetime television (e.g. narrow portrayals of Indian Americans or Latinos).
Institutional racism occurs on another level where decisions made by the system (e.g., government, corporation) enact systematic advantage. Education is a prime example. There was a time when, regardless of whether an individual wanted to integrate or not, separate but equal education was supported by law. Of course, there is an intersection of these levels. Individuals as a group are the ones who ultimately pass the legislation which govern the institutions. This example is where you can see why it’s important to understand the various levels to understand how they interact and subsequently how to better combat them. Housing, healthcare and the judicial system are other institutions where you can see historical examples of institutional racism. The outcomes of these various institutions differ by an individual’s race. It’s not biological differences that dictate these outcomes (see above). It’s the way in which we as a society limit access that then creates discrepancies which over time look natural. For example post WWII, we had a wonderful opportunity as a country to integrate housing. However, the FHA chose redlining, and we continue to see the ramifications today- both in segregated housing and economic outcomes. For example, the same house in the suburbs might be worth three times the same house in a formerly redlined district. When those parents take the equity out of their home to send their child to college, one set has access to a great deal more money compared to the other. This difference is not a matter of one set of parents being lazy and not taking care of their child. It is linked to institutional decisions that were made on the basis of race. The difference in housing prices is just one example of how institutional laws trickle down to affect a whole host of issues.
I share these examples to say that we need to understand the difference between these levels of racism. The rise in White supremacy groups is fueled by individual racism and most recently the personal fear that Obama will win the presidency. The controversy over LeBron James’ Vogue cover was not about the magazine being racist. It was an issue of cultural racism given the historical ways in which Black men- in relation to White women in particular- have been portrayed. The issue of the achievement gap has a number of causes but unequal resources (e.g., teachers with advanced degrees, books, computers, etc.) rank top on the list of ways our government has enacted institutional racism and disproportionately provided access to some but not others.
These distinctions can be expanded to help examine other types of isms in our society (e.g., classism, sexism, heterosexism). Unfortunately, they are linked and if you understand one ism well you can understand another. I do think that having a more complex understanding other these systems can help us not feel so overwhelmed, not knowing where to start when something happens in our town, office or country related to race. Knowledge really is power- to be able to analyze an incident for yourself rather than relying on someone else to label it for you. You can have a better handle on things while the media continues to get tangled up in messy definitions.
4 comments:
I agree about the various levels of racism that you defined as institutional, cultural and individual racism as ways to interpret various events. Although, it would seem that many encounters with racism fall within an intersection of those various levels, and when most individual occurrences fall within that subjection over time they will most likely fail to see the racism in the individual compartments previously defined.
When, the minority member is discriminated against in a public arena by the majority member, not only is that act a “individual” encounter of racism, but can fall into cultural when by virtue of the accosting individual being a majority may lead the victim to believe that many if not *all* majority member share the same sentiments as that single accosting member, and when that majority member makes up the institutional framework of their society, racism transcends into something ominous that seems pointless in deconstructing.
Racism no matter how marred by definition always feels like a “strategic” attack to eliminate my worth, presence, and station in society. And, isn’t that bound too “overwhelm” anyone?
You are definitely correct that these levels are not discrete. They intersect, overlap and are intricately linked. I would also agree with it being overwhelming, but I disagree that it can seem pointless to deconstruct. It saddens me when I see young people affected by racism yet are unaware of the dynamics- like being a fish in poisoned water clueless of the toxins. I don't doubt it needs to be dismantled.
I understand the necessity of deconstructing racism, and i do feel it's important. However, i'm left wondering how I can use this information in a way that gives someone a means of handling the possible psychological consequences of racism.
Because, i'm left feeling that whether or not you understand the various forms of racism or not, you still end up feeling helpless unless you have a constructive means of reacting to a racist event.
I would love to hear are what mechanisms/methods have proven affective in helping people deal with an "act" of racism, once things have been untangled?
Research would suggest that the awareness of the levels can be protective. It can buffer negative effects, because for example if you experience an event and are able to recognize it as institutional racism- or even individual- you are better able to deal with it. 1) you are able to appraise it as something about the other person, or the institution, not you personally- so you don't internalize it. 2) you have freed up cognitive resources rather than being caught up in ambiguities. I'm running out the door, so I might have time to write more later. But in a nut shell, having a place to "put" racism seems to be psychologically beneficial when faced with discrimination.
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