Yes, you can have racist/discriminatory/prejudiced attitudes regarding white people.
Racism is a belief that races are different and some races are better than others. Discrimination is unfair treatment of someone based on certain qualities (not necessarily race/ethnicity). Prejudice is an opinion formed without prior knowledge of the subject - a first impression of someone or something.
"Institutional racism" refers to laws and regulations promoting racism, and is race-based discrimination written into law. "Individual racism" is when one person displays discrimination or prejudice toward a person due to physical characteristics that reflect race or ethnicity.
Therefore, you can have a racist attitude toward anyone, regardless of skin color. You CAN be “racist toward white people.”
In case you disagree for some reason, I’ve already prepared counter-arguments to every conceivable point I’ve seen a person make.
Enjoy.
Argument #1: “Racism means power + prejudice” or ”Racism means power + oppression”
Incorrect.
This comes from the concept of “white privilege” which is said to have been created by a lecturer named Peggy McIntosh - a white woman who suddenly decided that she believed her white skin gave her extra societal privileges. It’s important to point out that “white privilege” is philosophical theory, not fact. It is an idea which has little supporting evidence, and does not apply in most circumstances. The concept has been debated for years and there is no conclusion as to whether or not it truly exists.
If you received your information from some other source, it isn’t valid, because it traces back to McIntosh and the same logic applies. If you got your definition off Tumblr, then you’re extra-wrong because blogging websites are not sources of actual information unless said information can be independently verified. People do make things up sometimes. If you research all my statements, you will see they are correct. You don’t even have to do much research, since I’ve already provided links for most things.
It can be noted that two others are responsible for “power+prejudice” — oddly enough, still both white women. Pat Bidol and Judith Katz.
Argument #1.5: “But I see white privilege all the time.”
1. White privilege is a proposed concept, not scientific or societal fact. Philosophy, not necessarily truth. There is proof for and against the concept, so you can’t immediately say it’s real.
2. Anecdotal evidence based on subjectivity isn’t “truth.” Just because you’ve experienced something, or know someone who has, doesn’t mean that’s true for everyone. This is why statistics are important - they reveal larger perceptions and truths than one person’s tiny corner of the world.
3. Even if you could prove white privilege exists, it doesn’t automatically mean that people can’t display racism toward white people. Because - see above - racism doesn’t have anything to do with “power+privilege.”
Argument #2: “The dictionary is wrong.”
The dictionary defines words as they are used by society; this is why definitions are changed or expanded over time, and why new words (“tweet” for example) are occasionally added. If society used the “power + prejudice” definition, then the dictionary would change to reflect this. Only a tiny near-insignificant amount of people use that definition (and outside of Tumblr, the number is even smaller).
Are there any other words in the dictionary where you disagree with the definition? Probably not. So why would this one word be any different?
Words are in the dictionary as they are in order to maximize effective communication between groups of people conversing in English. If a word was wrong, the dictionary would be forced to change the word, otherwise communication becomes twisted and confused - and thus pointless, since ideas wouldn’t be able to be conveyed properly.
From an anonymous online comment:
"[Using the dictionary] keeps people grounded in what the conversation is actually about (or supposed to be about) instead of talking past one another and getting nowhere. Using a common, agreed upon meaning requires you to say things in a specific manner so that you are understood by everyone. This is how productive conversation happens. If the meaning can change with each speaker, no one will understand anything. If you want to argue the definition should be different from a textbook, straightforward, or historical definition, then argue that. But if you don't use a traditional source, don't assume your definition is correct."
Argument #2.5: “Check an encyclopedia or non-dictionary source because the dictionary oversimplifies concepts.”
Been there, done that. Nobody legitimately uses the “power+prejudice” definition as a real definition. The only thing the dictionary doesn’t cover is the difference between individual racism and institutional racism, which I’ve already summarized above.
Argument #3: “The dictionary is written by old white men. They’ll never change the definition of racism.”
Your definition of racism (power+prejudice/oppression) was invented by an old white woman. How is that definition any more valid, especially since there isn’t any proof it’s valid? The dictionary is a neutral (unbiased) source, while McIntosh proposed a theory without any actual evidence to back up her claims. White privilege is a controversial philosophy, not a fact.
Plus, dictionaries have been written in languages other than English. Where do you think the first dictionaries came from? The Akkadian Empire in the Middle East is known to have one of the earliest dictionaries (written sometime around 2300 BCE). The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was written in 1604 CE.
Argument #4: “White people have never been oppressed.”
Incorrect. White people have been subjected to slavery, genocide, and a variety of other violent events. In fact, white slaves still exist even in modern times.
The best examples of oppression are regarding Ireland, the persecution of the Roma in Europe, and the Holocaust. The vast majority of the dead/oppressed were obviously white people. In Ireland, anti-Irish sentiments have existed for a long time. Between 1641 and 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English and another 300,000 were sold as slaves. Ireland’s population fell from about 1,500,000 to 600,000 in one single decade. (Source) Ireland still has problems, even today.
Argument #5: “I meant that white people have never been oppressed by non-whites.”
Incorrect. The best example is the Mongol invasion of Europe and the Huns, which killed so many people it made the Earth healthier and descendants of those oppressed by the Mongols may still be suffering from the effects.
More examples: slavery in the Middle East included white slaves. Africans owned white slaves, and regularly raided white ships/lands for these slaves. Europe was assaulted by Moors, Muslims, and more. The Muslims were actually quite busy. There were also the Turkish wars.
Argument #6: “I meant that white people have never been systematically oppressed by non-whites.”
Incorrect. Sharia law was sometimes imposed on white people, for example. There are multiple examples from all around the world. In Africa, white minorities can be victims of racism.
Since many people on Tumblr insist that the world revolves around the USA, here’s an example: before the civil war, there were black slaveholders. The first slaveowner was actually a black man, who acquired his status from attempting to systematically oppress another black man. Since over 50% of the northern white population was made of white slaves and white slaves also existed in the south where blacks were more likely to be slaveowners, it’s possible that some blacks had white slaves.
Argument #6.5: “White people deserved these things because they colonized everything.”
Nobody ‘deserves’ hate/death because a few countries did some bad things. Many countries were left completely untouched by white people, and some first-world countries were never colonized by white people.
Also, guilt doesn’t automatically transfer from generation to generation. No one is personally responsible for things which happened hundreds or thousands of years ago.
Argument #7: “White people benefit from institutional racism.”
There is no institutional racism in first-world countries. Example: the European Union in particular bans institutional racism, unlike the USA which simply doesn’t have any.
There IS individual racism. But there are no laws/regulations specifically promoting racism and therefore institutional racism does not currently exist in most countries.
Argument #8: “White people benefit from institutional racism which happened in the past.”
This claim doesn’t have any solid proof. You’re forgetting white slaves and the fact that 1.4% of the entire white population owned non-white slaves. The USA is currently 60-70% white, and it’s hard to believe that ALL of them actually benefit from these past events. Especially given how some aren’t reaping benefits from history (example: 40% of welfare recipients are white).
Additionally, the world doesn’t revolve around the USA and there are white countries who have literally never had institutional racism oppressing non-whites.
Argument #9: “White people invented slavery.”
Not even close. Slavery can be traced back to the earliest records, such as the Code of Hammurabi (c.1760 BC), which refers to it as an established institution in the Middle East. However, slavery existed before people even had written records.
Slavery was known in civilizations as old as Sumer, as well as almost every other ancient civilization, including Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, the Akkadian Empire, Assyria, Ancient India, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Islamic Caliphate, and the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas. Such institutions were a mixture of debt-slavery, punishment for crime, the enslavement of prisoners of war, child abandonment, and the birth of slave children to slaves (which is systematic oppression).
The British Empire and the USA both banned slavery in 1807, the British Empire being responsible for both white and black slaves. Massachusetts was the first of the colonies to legalize slavery in 1641 and the colonies began to individually ban slavery beginning in 1777, 136 years later.
White people also aren’t responsible for all evils in the world. People from every continent on Earth were terrible people - imperialism, tyranny, invasions, genocide, slavery, war, theft, murder, rape, torture, disease… almost every culture has had these things (if not all, then some things at least). Don’t be ignorant regarding world history.
Argument #10: “White people aren’t a race.”
By that logic, black people aren’t a race. Don’t be silly.
Argument #11: “I meant that white people don’t have a culture.”
Incorrect. Europe is a continent; it’s a collection of countries, all of whom are rather diverse in comparison to other European countries and have their own distinct individual cultures. You wouldn’t dare say that black people don’t have a culture, so why would white people be any different?
Africa is a continent; it’s a collection of countries, all of whom are rather diverse in comparison to other African countries and have their own distinct individual cultures. Asia is a continent; it’s a collection of countries, all of whom are rather diverse in comparison to other Asian countries and have their own distinct individual cultures.
Argument #12: ”But white people are still the majority.”
Not really. In the USA, the white population is declining. Worldwide, whites are not the majority and their reproduction rates don’t match those of other countries. (source) That doesn’t even take into account that white people account for 15-16% of the global population. The Han Chinese are the world’s largest single ethnic group, 19.1% of the global population. Asia itself accounts for approximately 50% of the entire human population.
Argument #13: “Racism and hate crimes against white people just don’t happen.”
It’s very real, and sometimes results in death. While I don’t agree with everything this person (SOMBFAW) posts on Tumblr, they’ve compiled a large list of anti-white hate crimes that made it into the news.
It includes both screenshots and links. They’ve also addressed the “power+prejudice” argument in their own way, although again I don’t agree with everything. It’s also slightly haphazard and not formatted as neatly as what I’ve said here. (source)
Argument #14: “Everything you said is wrong. You can’t be racist against white people.”
I don’t see how it’s possible to argue against the facts and logic above. “You can’t be racist against white people” is only an excuse for people to be assholes to white people when they don’t want to be called out on their words/behavior.
White people can be victims of racism. I just proved it. There is NO evidence that says white people can’t be victims of racism.
This does NOT necessarily mean racism toward white people is just as bad as racism toward non-whites in western society, or that this information detracts from anyone’s struggles. This just means that racism does exist again ALL people, and willfully ignoring this fact makes you a bad person.
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