If I ruled the world, we would spend more time dissecting and discussing the unusual yet endlessly intriguing) relationship between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham on the show Hannibal, but unfortunately my fantasies have very little sway on reality, which means we instead spend more time dissecting and discussing the nuances of racism. I’m not saying that racism is a subject that shouldn’t be brought up, just that it’s a subject with so many roots and layers, you could spend five lifetimes talking about it and still be no closer to figuring out a solution that works for everyone.
In regard to turning the barrel of racism around and firing it at the majority, is it a weapon that can be wielded by everyone, or just members of a certain race?
Firing Blanks Before we dive into the Matrix of Reverse Racism, I want to preface by saying these are my opinions/thoughts/observations and mine alone; not OUT FRONT’s, and not every member of the black community. Alright, onward.
I believe that reverse racism does not exist. I most certainly believe that any person of any race can be prejudiced, but racism is to prejudice what the sun is to the moon. They both exist in space and they’re both round, but they’re different sizes, different hues, have different gravitational effects and so on. To me, being prejudiced means having certain assumptions, opinions, and ideas and believing stereotypes about an individual without having prior engagement with that individual or anyone like him or her.
Over the centuries, racism has grown from a murky pond filled with the belief that one race is superior to another into a tumultuous, swollen ocean of an institution designed to make one race of people feel as if they are a collective genetic failure while making another race (often the majority) seem as if they are proof that God exists and they have His favor.
Break It Down Like a Fraction While a caucasian person can most certainly feel and comprehend the stinging concept of prejudice and being dismissed simply because of his skin color and the associations inherent in his skin color, he cannot (but can try to) fully comprehend what it means to inherit a sense of shame, guilt, self-loathing, hatred, rage, isolation, misery, fear, and misunderstanding. This is what it means to be born black in America, these words are the epitome of the black experience and have been for centuries.
School history books tell black students their race rose up from slavery, but often neglect to tell them they’re descended from royalty and magnificent scholars. Black men and women have to constantly ask themselves if they look threatening, suspicious, or like a target while out in public and especially around the police. The black community struggles to find a combination of uplifting, multifaceted, unadulterated, and honest representations of itself in fashion, film, literature, TV, and even video games. Black people are the lost children of one continent and the unwanted offspring of another, forever struggling to make peace and find strength in our current “home.”
I don’t mean to say these experiences aren’t true of or similar to other races, but the unique combination of the above scenarios and the way they play out in contemporary America is indeed unique to the black community. Think about it.
Now ask yourself if a caucasian person (or anyone of a majority race) has ever or could ever be made to feel this way. Just because you shift the gears doesn’t mean the machine will still work.
