 The Baltimore riots have sparked a lot of controversy. People have rushed to take sides. It's the cops versus the rioters or black versus white. The peaceful protests versus the violent protests. During these debates, lots of words get thrown around. Lots of murky and ambiguous words. Racism is arguably the most popular term and it's not exactly clear what the word means anymore. I've read several articles condemning anyone who writes about the Baltimore riots without personal experience living there and or being black. If you are white-skinned and live out of state, the argument goes, you should keep your mouth shut. A recent viral article summarized this position nicely, quote, As white people, we are not victims of racial oppression and as such, we get zero say in how people who are oppressed respond to their oppression, end quote. It's a bold statement of true. People often add to the extent that you don't acknowledge race by overlooking the ethnic background that somebody comes from, then that's racism. Colorblindness is not commendable. It's simply blindness to one aspect of somebody's life. The non-racist position is supposedly to recognize individuals acting in accordance with their class identity. Now, to me, this takes the definition of the word racism and it turns it on its head. It takes some linguistic shenanigans to end up arguing that being colorblind is actually being racist. In my opinion, the exact opposite is true. Colorblindness and racism are mutually exclusive. In fact, I'd say it's not only inaccurate to claim that, quote, we get zero say in how oppressed people respond to their oppression, I'd say that idea is dangerous and it's probably an expression of actual racism. Now, on its face, the claim seems dubious. Surely at some point, people of all ethnicities would be justified in criticizing how oppressed people respond to their oppression. If Baltimore rioters started breaking into homes, taking hostages, slitting throats, gassing neighborhoods, building bombs, at some point, even the staunchest leftist would have to say, enough. It only takes a little bit of imagination to realize that proportionality is necessary for acceptable behavior. It seems obvious to say that being oppressed does not necessarily give you a carte blanche to act as violently as you desire, especially when the victims of such aggression are peaceful, unrelated civilians. Oftentimes, the Baltimore rioters have looted their own neighbors, who are also facing the same oppression. So what the rioters' sympathizers are really saying is, I think this particular degree of violence is still acceptable behavior. And to this, I strongly disagree, mainly for one reason. The oppressor has been misidentified. To many liberals and rioters, white people have been oppressing black people for centuries. But that's not true. It's specific individuals with white skin who have been oppressing specific individuals with black skin. And oftentimes, it's white individuals within police departments and governments. Notice that doesn't mean this is white people as some monolithic entity. It doesn't mean white-skinned neighbors. It means a very small group of people with power who have abused their power, and it disproportionately affects people with black skin. This distinction is paramount. Individuals of all races have reason to be outraged by the conduct of police departments, but minorities especially. So if people feel the need to physically resist their oppression, then it must be directed at the appropriate source. It's literally nonsensical to think, because I've been oppressed by Bob, I will retaliate by violently attacking the next person I see. But this is precisely what people are saying when they claim we should not judge how oppressed people react to their oppression. Rioters breaking into CVS and stealing bags of chips is nonsensical. It's moronic. It should be condemned by people of all races. It's not justified. It's not reasonable, and it's not an acceptable response to anything. Burning down property and then puncturing the fire hoses that are trying to fight the flames that you've started is cruel and criminal. Anybody of any skin color who uses oppression as an excuse for selfish barbarism should be condemned by all civilized people. But here's the real racism in my opinion. Holding black-skinned people to a lower standard because they are black. Condescending to certain individuals because you expect less of them entirely due to their race. I am not sure what could be a clearer case of racism. It is literally the predetermined expectation of inferior behavior. This is true for all ethnic groups. When large groups of white people violently riot, they should be shunned. The same is true for all races. I am not disqualified from condemning senseless violence just because I have white skin and I refuse to hold my black neighbors to a lower standard because of their skin. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that race doesn't exist. I'm not saying that all people are treated equally. I'm not saying that black people's lives aren't affected by their skin color. I am not overlooking that many people are immediately judged by their skin color. Ignorant and uninformed racism is still real and it's still undoubtedly structured into our system of government. In fact, I think a far higher proportion of racists are cops than almost any other demographic. Instead, I am viewing this circumstance from a radical individualist approach. I view every human being as a peer, my equal with different genetic characteristics. I fully realize that different genetic roles of the dice result in a radically different human experience. My experience as a white-skinned male is going to be radically different than that of a black-skinned female. But that doesn't mean we're aliens to each other In fact, we have a common enemy who currently oppresses you more than he oppresses me, our political system, including the police, the courts, and the lawmakers. When an innocent black man is killed by the cops, it is exactly as tragic as when an innocent white man is killed by the cops. Our common enemy might target black people more often right now, but that could change in the future. No demographic is safe. It could be Jews, Italians, libertarians, tall skinny guys. In South Africa, for example, their political system is explicitly targeting white-skinned people. It is an equal injustice. The only way we will get to a post-racial society is if we start viewing humans as individuals. While you can recognize somebody's background and ethnicity, it should be understood as only a fact of history and coincidence. I am sorry that my black neighbors get treated differently for their genetics, but I'm not suddenly going to lower my expectations of civility for them. I'm not going to expect less from Japanese humans because the U.S. government put them in concentration camps during World War II. So you might come from a different background, but I'm not going to disrespect you by overlooking irrational behavior. Instead, I can acknowledge that your experience is different for mine, but I still respect you enough to treat you as a peer. So let's be clear about it. Freddie Gray was not an isolated case. Police brutality happens all the time. It's an epidemic. It's cross-cultural, though it disproportionately affects minorities. And we should all be outraged, but not at white people or black people in the abstract. We should be outraged at the entire political system, and it should be seen as the greatest vehicle for oppression. We should also condemn arbitrary, aimless violence regardless of the skin color of the individuals involved. Black-skinned individuals should criticize white-skinned hooligans. White-skinned people should criticize black hooligans, and hopefully black and white-skinned people can unite behind criticizing all violent expressions of anger which are targeted at the wrong people. Aimlessly destroying properties solves no problems, but it creates many. To support content like this for $1, to read this article or to learn about my books, check out stevedashpatterson.com.