According to some male wypipo, we’ve used the term so much, we’ve all forgotten what it really means. Really? Have we?
All across America, well-meaning, kind, compassionate, and empathetic white men are asking the very serious question, or making the statement:
“We’re using the term racism so much, we have forgotten what it really means.”
Excuse me while I take a moment and temporarily bang my head against a door.
Without fail, every one of the people who posts one of these fits the following description:
- they’re white (usually men)
- they have a history of posting racially insensitive comments
- the people who comment on their posts in solidarity also tend to be white who themselves have social media feeds complaining about “the blacks,” denying their white privilege, and all manner of other forms of racial insensitivity.
- and about 92.6% of the time they (and those who like and share their posts) also just happen to be Trump supporters (who we all know is the least racist person you’ve ever met. #Sarcasm)
Now, is it possible that there are a few instances here and there where the term “racism” is used unnecessarily? Sure. That’s true of anything. But I for damn sure don’t think we’ve gotten anywhere close to there being a superfluous use of the term in this country. (Unless you count all the times male wypipo call people of color racist for the mere fact of acknowledging white privilege, or telling them that there actually is a difference between the Confederate flag and the United Negro College Fund when it comes to defining what a racist institution looks like. Yeah. That really happened.)
Also understand that when somebody has a wound that has not been fully healed, it remains sensitive to the touch. So there may be times where reactions to certain things, no matter how innocuous, are going to feel overly dramatic.
And when you consider that this past week we had the President of the United States fueling an already racially hot fire by encouraging a stadium of 20,000 white nationalists (plus that one black guy they always stick behind Trump) chanting “send her back,” forgive us if we feel like our wound is being poked…again. And again. And again.
Let’s not even get into the fact that when wypipo talk about racism, they are really talking about racial prejudice, which although is a worthy topic to address, it’s not the same sort of situation that people of color are addressing. (I have a whole chapter in my book that breaks this down. Sign up for my email list to be notified when it comes out so you can get fully edumacated. In the meantime, trust me, there’s a difference).
So let me clear this for you right now: the overwhelming majority of people in this country know what racism really means and we know what it looks like. And if you are a white person and you think I am racist for even making this blog post, then on behalf of the rest of the country who have not lost their Vulcan minds, we thank you for reminding us exactly what it looks like.
About “Ronald”
Ron Dawson (aka “Ronald”) is a satirical writer, filmmaker, self-admitted blerd, managing editor of a major filmmaking blog, and author of the pending satirical memoir “Dungeons ‘n’ Durags: One black nerd’s epic quest of self-discovery, racial identity, and woking up in Trump’s America.” Sign up for the email list to get access to a sample chapter and be notified of the book’s release.
Also published on Medium.