Reverse Racism: Word Distracts from the Big White Elephant of Systemic Racism

[alfathree]

This guy has got  it!

[flipgood89]

@ITHEREONETHATHASNT Lol....yeah, corporations and college campuses are just teeming with underqualified Black people, huh? Poor whites cant catch a break in this country! From day one, you guys have gotten the short end of the stick. I really feel ur pain and your whining...BTW, you said u shouldnt have to pay for the sins of your Great, great, great....Grandfather". Hmm, civil rights bill for Black people was passed in the mid-60s. The facts of history are at odds with ur whining.

[ITHEREONETHATHASNT]

@flipgood89 HAHA I was born in 1990 moron. So yeah i dont feel I should be paying for those sins. Plus im irish/american after the civil war we were paid less then african americans and discriminated against just as much. And Yes college campuses and board are filled with underqualified african americans because of affirmative action it does a disservice to both me and the hard working african americans who get viewed as charity cases. Agree to disagree my friend have a nice day.

[flipgood89]

@ITHEREONETHATHASNT ...'64 wasnt the sins of ur  great, great, great, great, great grandfather, dummy....'64 was my parents lifetime and yours. In '64 Blacks had to fight for basic human rights. And here in California, Affirmative Action has been outlawed since '96, so fuck you and ur charity case talk. Perhaps if you weren't spending ur energy being such a hateful, ignorant racist, you could get some basic facts right for a change. Ur passed up on jobs because u are dumb. Dont blame blacks..

[platinumgrade]

@ITHEREONETHATHASNT prove to me, with statistics, that its easier for an equally qualified minority man to get a job. because most statistics still prove otherwise, EVEN with affirmative action.

[ITHEREONETHATHASNT]

There are no such statistics because any researcher trying to prove that point would be ostracized from scientific community. You bring up affirmative action and you and i know that the result is black people getting jobs ahead of whites. You can claim this is OK but I KNOW it is racism clear as day. You can justify it how ever you want but the fact remains it is racist. You do not cure racism with racism! The stats that prove otherwise SHOW me! I have a felling the NAACP is the publisher! FU!

[dutytocareforothers]

Where are the white Protestant riots if they are being so oppressed?

[dutytocareforothers]

Many white people hate the idea of equality: they call equality "reverse racism". When they see that hegemony is starting to be shared with people of diversity then start to get paranoid and angry. How pitiful.

[dwi79]

good vid

[skillitt1]

Thanks: As a anglo/ indigenous christian , I am now and as other across the globe a minority! You sir do not look at facts. We have been the minority for 1000s of years! Now where is my affirmative action clause? My land back stolen from people like you bleeders, Slavery is what you purport! Dont worry , take your prozac & drink your fluoride & poison vaccines, A Fema death camp has a place just for you!

[dutytocareforothers]

@skillitt1 80% of the population is Christian: how the hell are you a minority? Most people are white Anglo or mixed white. Again, how the hell are you a minority? Are you living in Miami or Memphis? I'm not understanding your sniveling.

[gigglefeather801]

This whole ''reverse racism'' bullshit is just making me discouraged with America more and more everyday. Blacks get basic human/civil rights and them a mere 40ish years later whites are acting like everything all of a sudden should be peachy effin keen for everyone in America? For a race of people who legally got permission to even take a dump in the same bathroom as the majority, to expect that a mere 40 ish years later, blacks are supposed to be have gotten on their feet?

sorry. try again.

[gigglefeather801]

@gigglefeather801 I am 22, and my parents were alive and young in a day where racism was no secret. I live in the deep south, and face it white people, you can use any argument you want about America being nice and equal and love-y dove-y, but outside of your dreamworld, racism pervades, but quietly. And thanks to the reverse racism card (which whites seem to be throwing around twice as much as blacks), when racism does occur, people will just say it was all in the imagination

[gigglefeather801]

@gigglefeather801 And finally, as a person who has lived in the deep south all my life, the amount of times I have seen racism happen to a black person in public, i have never once heard the black person cry ''racism''. albeit they have gotten upset, but never have i once seen this overused ''race card''. Hell I don't even use it and I have been the object of plenty of racism. and dont get me wrong-my fiance is blonde and has blue eyes, and my best friend is white, so don't get crazy on me.

[dutytocareforothers]

@gigglefeather801 White Anglo people are very paranoid about their race going extinct: they actually think white Christians are the minority. lol. If they were in Miami or Memphis..........it's possible.....

[dutytocareforothers]

@gigglefeather801 Whites have no clue about about two social systems: social stratification and hegemony. Blacks and Latinos are not the "ruling clique" in the United States and they are not at the top of the caste system.

[dutytocareforothers]

@gigglefeather801 I don't see whites sitting at the back of the bus, I don't see whites in shackles or chains, I don't see blacks and Latinos taking over the white house and the justice system, I don't see blacks and Latinos taking over local governments in every major city, I don't see blacks and Latinos taking over the media, etc. This reverse racism is a major delusion amongst paranoid whites. I'd understand if it was Miami or Memphis .......but still it's not the most common.

[liverpoolfcxx9]

Aren't we all just people? All affirmative action does is further point out racial differences. If race isn't a factor shouldn't we not aid any specific group with quotas. We are all equal, admitance into college should be based soley upon performance.

[dutytocareforothers]

@liverpoolfcxx9 Affirmative action is not mandated by the government: it is optional by the corporation. Get your facts straight buddy.

[liverpoolfcxx9]

@dutytocareforothers i never said it was mandated but the point is it is an unfair practice that is still common. It should be based on economic class not ethnicity

[thephieffect]

@jackfire55 There would have been two or more people who were equally qualified for the position in the first place for affirmative action to benefit the applicant of color. Proponents of AA don't make such a fundamental error, and you're attacking a strawman by claiming that they do.

AA takes human rights away from whites? Don't people of color deserve jobs, too? And what about White women, who have actually benefited the most out of any group since AA was enacted by employers?

[jackfire55]

@thephieffect O REALLY! I take it u have not heard of the Reverse Discrimination Ruling. Just look it up on youtube. And look up Black Panthers, Obama & White Civil Rights! on youtube. Why do u think the usa is going to hell. Affirmative action. The best person for the job is not the one getting the job. The black person is get the job just cuz he is black. If a black person is just as good as a white person. Give the job to the black. I am fine with that. But the BS that is going on now

[dutytocareforothers]

@jackfire55 Affirmative action is done at the discretion of the employer: they are supposed to hire a qualified and skilled person of color. Don't you understand the rules of affirmative action? If the employer screws up and makes a bad hire don't blame the black or the Latino: blame the HR manager for poor training and poor hiring. It's the HR manager who is at blame. Get it now?

[dutytocareforothers]

@thephieffect It's true white women have benefited more than any other groups: it goes to show that they'd still much prefer to have WHITE than Blacks, Hispanics, or Asians.

[MultiSmartass1]

Fine points here.

The idea of "reverse racism" is a rheorical fantasy.

Reverse Racism implies that blacks, latinos and whites have always been within striking distance of each other as regards housing, income, education and employment and that has never been the case. There has always been a divide in this country in which race factors in heavily.

Whites have always controllled the social, political and economic centers of this country and it hasn't changed with Obama in office.

[dutytocareforothers]

@MultiSmartass1 White Protestant hegemony is a powerful force that is being challenged by civil rights policies and laws and activists.

[MultiSmartass1]

@dutytocareforothers WP Hegemony is simply part of the power structure of America.

The country was set as a politic body (as oppposed to body politic) that of course would be run by and for the benefit of white males.

Religion wasn't a huge issue in terms of rulership in terms of so-called founding fathers, if anything they wanted to avoid state-backed churches and religious litmus tests for rulers.

The rights of non-whites have always threatened the overall power structure of the US.

[crowberry321]

affirmitive action is fighting fire with fire, i have no influence nor responsibility for the decisions of my racist ancestors Yet im suffering the consequenses by living in the world that puts a crutch on minority races. The right thing to do is end all race related policies, -Period- the remedy procedure creates a trickling pendulum or wave of racism instead of ending it completely. Ever notice when an argument starts, the more you try to remedy (argue) the worse the problem gets!

[thephieffect]

@crowberry321 You also benefit from the racism of your ancestors. The White narrative is the "normal" American narrative; your ancestors made it that way, and that's why you turn on TV and watch movies and see people of your own race. Despite being in this country as long as or having as vital an impact on American history as White people, the faces of American media are generally not that of a person of color.

[MultiSmartass1]

@thephieffect Very true.

When it comes to the media, white=money

Black=poor

Latino=poor

[thephieffect]

@crowberry321 (2) People of color wake up every morning realizing that they're not White; White people, in general, do not have this kind of racial consciousness, because American society is tailored to them, which makes Whitness almost invisible, a given.

[thephieffect]

@crowberry321 (3) You misunderstand the way AA is supposed to work. AA only comes into play when two people of different races but similar or equal credentials are competing. AA gives the person of color a head up because of the difficulties in society that people of color have that White people do not have to face.

[thephieffect]

@crowberry321 (4) Ending all race-related policies doesn't make an even-playing field; it cements an unequal one by ignoring the very quality that defines the inequality. Race is a vital part of a person's identity, and ignoring race in the contexts of "more important critera" like socioeconomic class is like leaving vowels out of words -- you can kind of make out what the words say, but the vowels are undoubtedly important to the structures of the words.

[TheDaddyDank]

@crowberry321 How do you even know that you're "ancestors" had anything to DO wiht "racism"? This is something that is put onto us by "people of color", its just racism against white people.

[crowberry321]

@TheDaddyDank well its beside the point, my point was it is unjust reasoning to think that because we couldve had ancestors that were prejudice to think that we owe people who are descendents of those people that were supressed

[TheDaddyDank]

@crowberry321 I agree with that, I was simply pointing out a very common misunderstanding in the U.S. The assumption is made that we are descended from slave owners and racist simply because our skin is white. Yet they know very little about our backgrounds and ancestry, and most white people have no relationship to such racism.

[dutytocareforothers]

@TheDaddyDank We assume you are racist if you put us in situations that are unfair, if you harass, if you ignore or shun us at social gatherings, if you encourage segregation in the workplace, if you refuse to hire when the resume and background is good, if you make dirty looks at us when we walk past, if you block communication but make it open-ended for others, accusations, etc. It's the actions of individual white people that leads to accusations of racism. It's not because of your skin.

[Dositheus]

Bullshit... How about we just call everyone Human Being... and if you need something, you wait in line to get help... Affirmative Action is Bullshit. It's like a ticket to cut in line... It doesn't solve 'Systemic' racism but actually creates it by defining each 'Race' separately. True Equality is that All Human Beings are equal and that no special favor be shown other that economic hardship.

[Dositheus]

Bullshit... How about we just call everyone Human Being... and if you need something, you wait in line to get help... Affirmative Action is Bullshit. It's like a ticket to cut in line... It doesn't solve 'Systemic' racism but actually creates it by defining each 'Race' separately. True Equality is that All Human Beings are equal and that no special favor be shown other that economic hardship.

[Dositheus]

Bullshit... How about we just call everyone Human Being... and if you need something, you wait in line to get help... Affirmative Action is Bullshit. It's like a ticket to cut in line... It doesn't solve 'Systemic' racism but actually creates it by defining each 'Race' separately. True Equality is that All Human Beings are equal and that no special favor be shown other that economic hardship.

[Dositheus]

Bullshit... How about we just call everyone Human Being... and if you need something, you wait in line to get help... Affirmative Action is Bullshit. It's like a ticket to cut in line... It doesn't solve 'Systemic' racism but actually creates it by defining each 'Race' separately. True Equality is that All Human Beings are equal and that no special favor be shown other that economic hardship.

[phillyfireman]

Your an idiot !!! Racim is Racism and people have been discriminating against whites for decades. Many of your conclusions that have helped to bring you to your

position are faulty.

[thephieffect]

@phillyfireman People may have been discriminating against White people "for decades," but look at the power structure of the United States. White people have a ton of power in media, the news, the government... etc. Their opinion affects public opinion in ways that the opinion of people of color, because they are in the minority, cannot.

[thephieffect]

@phillyfireman (2) Their decisions also can take effect in ways that people of color cannot counter because of the power White people hold is so much more than that of people of color. This is why systemic racism against people of color is the one to worry about -- it comes about from society due to its majority, who either perpetrate it or tacitly approve it.

So yes, while bigotry and prejudice from either side is bad, who *really* has the power to enact it?

[thephieffect]

@phillyfireman (3) Many White people like to think that people of color are on an equal playing field with White people and that now people of color are trying to overtake and oppress White people. People of color are in the minority in America. What right do White people to tell minorities that they're on an equal playing field? Those that benefit from systems of inequality probably aren't going to be the first people to call it out.

[Dositheus]

@thephieffect The Truth is people suffered terribly coming to America, they worked hard to create what you have today. Sorry but the majority of them were white. Too bad that you do not have an equal playing field, Earn it. I hate this whiny crap, I've heard that nonsense since I was high school. My school 98% black and thats all I heard "White man got me down" crap! When I lived a block over from them. It's crap that minorities do not have to score as high as whites on the civil service exam.

[thephieffect]

@Dositheus What does it take to earn an equal playing field? Why should people of color in particular have to pass through this hoop of "earning" equality while White people do not? Why is it fair to people of color to make them face this obstacle simply because they have different colored skin and have not been in this country quite as long as White people have?

I could have sworn that "all men were created equal," and all deserved an equal playing field from *the start.*

[MultiSmartass1]

@thephieffect What good is an equal playing field if the team you're playing against is undefeated and has all the best players whereas you have mediocre players and haven't won a game?

That is the reality for many people of color in this society which is why you see a lot of low wages jobs held by blacks and latinos and some Asians in this society.

This is a racist society so if you are nonwhite, you'd better be right.

Whites don't have to prove themselves.

[thephieffect]

@Dositheus (2) Although I don't know anything about the civil service examinations, has it occurred to you that the White people who complain that minorities do not have to score as high as they do may not have been qualified for or offered the job anyway? People often fail to look to themselves and their own group in cases like these; they really like to scapegoat.

Besides, Asian-Americans have it the worst; we have to score higher than *everyone* to get colleges to even consider us.

[MultiSmartass1]

@thephieffect Let's face it: This society was set-up with white people in mind and people of color are largely the unwanted guests at the party.

They used to be party crashers but now, they are at the party but everybody ignores them.

If you are black, latino, asian , you'd better be a fucking genius or at least really skilled to get some of these jobs.

I have been a freelancer for 15 years and you'd better believe I need to be good to keep working.

[mykole84]

systemic racism is worse than individual racism. individual racism affects both blacks and whites while systemic racism mainly affects blacks things like affirmative action dont even come close to evening the playing fields for blacks. the system is also dividing us. if the system treated whites the way it did blacks there would be rioting.

[TimeandVirtue]

Reverse Racism is real. WAKE THE FUCK UP. I hate it when people say it does not exist when clearly it does! It is called "reverse" because in an attempt to stamp out racism it has GONE TOO FAR. Instead of fixing the issues between whites and non-whites, it DISCRIMINATES against white people. It crosses the line. Unbelievable how white people have been brainwashed to accept this!

[CanadianQueer]

@TimeandVirtue This kind of attitude is exactly what this video is trying to point out as wrong. Racism is systemic, whereas prejudice is preference. AA has been in place for 20 or so years. Some say it is "reverse racism" against white people. And yet, AA hasn't created a system of inequality for white people. Black men still earn around 40 cents to every white man's dollar, and white people still hold the majority of positions of power. So as it stands, "reverse racism" doesn't exist.

[TimeandVirtue]

@CanadianQueer I love these studies like "women earn 75c for every dollar men do" and "black men earn 40 cents for every dollar white men earn" because all these studies are based on flawed data. Please do explain to me how gender/race can be the only difference that explains this wage gap. Do you honestly believe payroll officers have a box next to a persons name with "man" "white" ticked so they are paid higher? the whole notion is ridiculous. Stop trying to con me with white guilt!

[CanadianQueer]

@TimeandVirtue The wage gap doesn't work the way that you described it. It is too complex to fully cover in a youtube text box, but here are some brief points:

-The wage gap is based on hours worked, level of education, field of work, and time spent in the work force. It does not necessarily mean that a female cashier working at mcdonald's will earn 75 cents for every dollar the male cashier standing next to her earns, right off the bat.

[TimeandVirtue]

@CanadianQueer so then what does it mean exactly? how can somebody conclude that gender/race are the key factors that determine why some people are not getting paid the same rates as others? these "statistics" are nothing more than a convenient way to demonize white people for the underachievement of women and black people in the work field.

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue What CanadianQueer means is that factors that make each individual's experience unique is accounted for and re-calibrated to a specific standard for comparison. It's the same as making all the denominators of fractions in a set the same so you can figure out which ones are the biggest from the numerators. There are also tools to calculate the significance of a finding, and in these studies, race (and class and gender) are the only factors heavily contributing to a wage gap.

[TimeandVirtue]

@thephieffect Sorry, but i will not concede to white guilt. the reason women and blacks dont earn as much is because they are less capable of achieving success. just have a look at history. these "tools" are just propoganda to demonize white ppl and make them feel bad for their tendency to be more successful than minorities. since wite ppl are waking up, you best try anther method to garner sympathy. white power 4ever!

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue Have a look at history? The history is that European, read: White, civilizations were woefully *behind* non-White civilizations in terms of scientific achievement, medicine, technology and innovation, trade... etc. until almost 1650, when its industrial revolution began. European traders spent decades trying to trade with the Chinese and Japanese, only to find that neither cared for the things the traders brought from Europe.

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue (2) On the flip side, Europe wanted so many things from the East in general, including but not limited to, its medicine, technologies (like the boat rudder), silk, chinaware, paper, noodles, compasses... etc. Europe was also behind Africa, which boasted the Egyptian and Songhai empires, and the Middle East, which had Mesopotamia (the cradle of civilization) and the Ottoman Empire.

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue (3) White people have no inherent "tendency to be more successful than minorities," especially since they are the minorities in the world. And do you know what White people with their newfound global influence after the industrial revolution? The Opium Wars. Slavery based on made-up racial classifications. Subjugation and colonization of every other part of the world.

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue (4) White people had no inherent tendency to succeed -- they ruthlessly and cruelly solidified their dominance once they had a leg up on the rest of the world. That's why they're so powerful in the world, at the moment, and the benefits from such actions for White people is what systemic racism is.

[TimeandVirtue]

@thephieffect had a nonwhite race done these things you would not cal them "ruthless or cruel". you do know there have been MANY MANY nonwhite people that have done much worse things right? ever wondered why its in ur head tat white people are to blame for everything? conveinient excuse for the underperforming of nonwhites in contemporary socitey!

[raventakayama]

@TimeandVirtue Actually whites are overly demonized by minorities due to the unequal demonization of the black community, by the media, law enforcement and the legal system. Its a natural reaction from oppressed people and has gone on for thousands of years just look at ancient Rome and the propaganda of its time. Due to social inequalities in Rome the masses could label the rich as deviants whether it was true or not and their form of media and communication ran with it. Its all human nature.

[dutytocareforothers]

@TimeandVirtue Whose to say that nonwhites are underperforming? They are underperforming to your standards right? Not everyone has to do what you want.

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue (5) Feel free to be proud of being White. I'm not stopping you. But White people are *not* the center of the universe, and in a country where "all men are created equal," you don't get to codify undue preference for your own race into policy, especially when your race has had a leg up on every other race for decades.

[thephieffect]

@TimeandVirtue (5) I don't aim to belittle the achievements of White civilizations, but to claim that they are inherently better than the rest of the world is absurd, especially in a country where "all men are created equal."

It's not equal until people of color have the same privileges that White people have by virtue of the color of their skin. This means that White people will have to give up some of their privileges, which is a very scary thing for them, indeed.

[Michael7477]

ffdddddddddddd

[harveysuperboy]

Amen..

[64bitguy]

Wait, how does reverse-racism assume whites are entitled. It seems like reverse-racism just makes the point that it is possible for a minority to be racist as well.

[earthsprite]

It's the word "reverse" that is the problem. There is no reverse. Racism is racism.

[bvoss600]

@earthsprite Agreed. One way or another, if it is occurring, then it's just a form of discrimination based on race. Hence, racism.

[platinumgrade]

@64bitguy Think about it. Why would it only be called reverse racism when it is directed towards whites? Why don't we call it reverse racism towards any other race? That's the point.

[luvs2teach00]

Jeff Session looks like a little white chihuahua!!!

[DaMexicanZFighter]

y r there so much hate among men we r 1 race HUMAN, we shed blood, we cry, we all hav souls, we all were created by GOD

[wtftofu]

i hope that eventually the US will be more open to the diversity it contains because even though we may seem open minded and tolerant of other races, its surprising to see how close minded and prejudiced and racist most of the US actually is.

[soulstop]

To say that Affirmative Action is the positive "slant" on Reverse Racism isn't quite right with me. Reverse Racism is still racism, and while it does NOT equate to systemic racism, in effect, you are saying that Affirmative Action is fighting systemic racism with more racism. Which isn't really the case. And while I don't think Affirmative Action is the perfectly equitable solution to undoing systemic racism, the truth is, there is no perfect solution.

[kimoballer]

Good, concise video explaining the concept. Perfect for educational purposes in higher education, perhaps even high school.

Let's just remember not to make this comment page a Republican-bashing party. All political parties have contributed their share to systemic racism. Sad but true.

[tikifeet]

Thank you very much for this video. Watching Jeff Sessions and Lindsey Graham (those two in particular) question and preach "reverse-racism" to Judge Sotomayor made me physically ill. When Graham said something close to, "I just want to make sure you know the way things are," it was clearly reaffirming the way he thought the system to be -- it was beyond prejudice. Thank you for making this very clear distinction.

[mipp0]

Oh thank God...

Now only if we could slap Buchanan around with this and put him into a coma.

[mad8london247]

Thank you for this.

Have been using the same arguments with casting Caucasian actors for East Asian roles.

Hollywood racism against minorities.

racebending. com

[neobeetle]

Well......there you go!

Awesome!

[munyamunos]

Its saddening how so much veiled racism has been going on during Sotomayor' confirmation hearings. Republicans must hang their heads in shame!!!!

[sista005]

Interesting that there are no comments on this..

[boringstoreez]

Well, it's only been up for an hour. What do you think about it?