The fourth instillation of Race and Prejudice in America Today – A Series.
Some 45 years after the Civil Rights era ended, there is still a white backlash against blacks in America. The white majority in the United States is extremely powerful and is an extraordinarily resourceful group. I know I’m only stating the obvious, but it’s true. Well, kinda… It depends on whom you ask. A lot of white citizens in America believe that they are racially oppressed and that they have become a minority group. [1] I know, right? I know how that sounds… but it’s true.
This group feels that they have lost their privilege, and that Ethnic and Whiteness Studies college courses help promote racism towards them. [1] It’s as if they are being exposed for being who they are and they don’t like what they see, and they would rather be damned than to have people of color, who in the past have worshipped them as gods and goddesses (sarcasm noted) refuse to continue to make blood sacrifices for their benefit. They fear they will lose the economic, political, and social resources they have set up for themselves, as well as the reality that they will have to actually share these resources with non-white, people of color. [2] In short, they feel oppressed.
These white people actually acknowledge that they are privileged, and that they are afraid of losing what they have. What’s scary about this is that when white people get concerned, people listen, so much so, that their concern about losing their advantage overshadows any disadvantage voiced by people of color. When whites voice their opinion, they get lauded with compassion. When black voice their opinions, they’re playing the race card. See how that works? I know how that sounds… but it’s true.
Take the case of Abigail Fischer, for instance. Here’s the story of a 23-year old white woman who is challenging the usage of race in college admissions. Fischer was denied entry into the University of Texas at Austin, a school especially dear to her because her father and sister were alumni. In her press conference (because that’s how big a deal this is), she said [3]:
There were people in my class with lower grades who weren't in all the activities I was in, who were being accepted into UT, and the only other difference between us was the color of our skin. I was taught from the time I was a little girl that any kind of discrimination was wrong.
On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with this. However, upon further review, this case makes absolutely no sense. None at all. Her grades and SAT scores did not catapult her into the top 10% of applicants, and while it’s true that 47 applicants with lower scores than hers were admitted, it wasn’t due to race. First of all, there were 168 black and Hispanic applicants who were denied admission whose scores were just as good as Fischer’s, and some were better. But they weren’t invited to put their names on the lawsuit docket. And then there’s the fact that out of the 47 applicants who were accepted, only 5 were black. The other 42 were white. And yet she is being represented, pro bono, by a nonprofit legal organization to defend her in this matter. And her case has made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, because her legal team’s view is that in this colorblind society, Fischer is a victim of racial discrimination, and so they are going to challenge affirmative action in college admissions. [3] I know how that sounds… but it’s true.
Speaking of affirmative action…that’s a sore spot for whites. They argue that it creates an unfair opportunity for unqualified blacks. [4] The idea behind this argument is that every time a black person or other person of color gets a job, promotion, etc., a more qualified white person does not. That’s a racist ideology from the start. Think about it. Is it assumed that whites automatically out-qualify blacks? I don’t think so. If 13 black people and 78 white people apply for a job, based on numbers, whites have a 6 to 1 chance of advantage. Whites make up 77.9% of the U.S. population, while blacks make up 13.1%. [5] If there were no affirmative action, blacks wouldn’t stand a chance. They barely have a chance now. After all, they have to contend with white women, who are considered a minority group. Women make up 51% of the U.S. population [6] and out this group, 65.2% are non-Hispanic white women. [7] That’s 33% of the entire U.S population. In other words, for every single black person in America, there are 2.5 white women. And yet, as clichéd as it is, it is white women who have benefitted the most from affirmative action. [8] The strange dichotomy of this is that white women, who are considered a minority group, are still part of the white majority, and the paychecks they bring home help to maintain the socioeconomic advantage whites hold over blacks. See how that works? I know how that sounds… but it’s true.
And whenever a handful of blacks find success and gain access to a fraction of the benefits of the white world, that white world falls into chaos and disarray, because of course, blacks more than likely couldn’t have earn it through merit and hard work. It had to be because of some form of hand out, for which they feel they are entitled to (sarcasm noted). And whenever they can prove, through sheer factual numbers, that they were being systematically kept out of that white world, blacks are generally accused of playing the race card. I know how that sounds… but it’s true. For the sake of clarity [9]:
Play the race card – definition: to introduce the subject of race into a public discussion, especially to gain a strategic advantage
This term,
playing the race card, like the term
reverse racism, is a backlash defense white people use for being called out and recognized as racists (I’m only talking about those white people who use this defense. I must remind the reader that not all white people are racist. As with the other articles in this series, I’m speaking to the title. I know how that sounds… but it’s true).
The description of racial discrimination [10]:
[T]he term "racial discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.
And reverse racism is defined as [11]:
Reverse racism (noun). a perceived discrimination against a dominant group or political majority.
Sigh. Okay, let’s break this down. If racial discrimination – the factor that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) uses to determine racism used in the public and professional arena [12] – means denying recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin; and reverse racism – the calling card of mainstream media outlets (especially “news” shows and talk radio when addressing race in America) – means the perception of discrimination against the dominant group in America, how can one correlate to the other? In other words, if white people, the dominant group in America, hold the brunt of all the nation’s political, economic, social, and cultural power, the only way blacks can deny them recognition, enjoyment or exercise, equal footing, human rights and fundamental freedoms is to acquire some god-like, extraterrestrial assistance that would provide them the power needed to perform such a colossal, mountainous task. And that’s not happening.
Blacks don’t hold even a fraction of the power– politically, socioeconomically, or culturally – that whites hold, in any part of this country. But when white people say something is so, then it is. And when they don’t want to share, then they don’t. And when they become afraid of losing something, people of color need to fear for their livelihoods. With that kind of power, what good is a race card? White backlash created reverse racism, which in and of itself is ironic, to say the least. It’s oxymoronic. I know how that sounds… but it’s true.
References:
1. Blake, John (2011). Are whites racially oppressed? CNN U.S., CNN.com, March 4, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/...
2. Jensen, Robert (2006). Why White People Are Afraid, News and Politics, AlterNet.org, June 6, 2006. Retrieved from: http://www.alternet.org/...
3. Hannah-Jones, Nikole (2013). What Abigail Fisher's Case Against Affirmative Action Is Really About, Huffington Post. March 18, 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
4. News One Staff (2012). Why Black People No Longer Need Affirmative Action, newsone.com, February 22, 2012. Retrieved from: http://newsone.com/...
5. United States Census Bureau (2013). State & County QuickFacts, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved from: http://quickfacts.census.gov/...
6. Wikipedia (2013). Demographics of the United States, Wikipedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/...
7. Maternal and Child Health Bureau (2011). U.S. Female Population, Women’s Health USA 2011. Retrieved from: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/...
8. Kohn, Sally (2013). Affirmative Action Has Helped White Women More Than Anyone, Society, Time.com, June 17, 2013. Retrieved from: http://ideas.time.com/...
9. The Collins English Dictionary (2013). Play the race card. Collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved from: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/...
10. The Collins English Dictionary (2013). Reverse racism. Collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved from: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/...
11. United Nations (1966). Racial discrimination, Part1, Article 1, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, March 7, 1966. Retrieved from: http://www.hri.org/...
12. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.). Filing A Charge of Discrimination, eeoc.gov. Retrieved from: http://www.eeoc.gov/...