Typically a SJW will define racism as “an institutional system of systematic oppression based on power + prejudice.” Unfortunately for them, 30 seconds with Google will refute this claim, as no reputable academic (or anyone outside of Tumblr, really) defines racism in this way.
If you think racism = prejudice + power…
You are wrong.
If you believe that racism only exists if it is institutional…
You are wrong.
Racism means one thing, and if you disagree then you are redefining a word to suit your own biased purposes. If you’re not sure what racism means, click here. If you just want a summary of everything, or want to tell me that I’m wrong, click here.
You’ll notice that no definition of racism does not say anything about power or oppression.
The dictionary, which is an unbiased and neutral source of information, literally does nothing except define how words are used. You’re not going to argue that the definition of “green” or “power” is wrong, so why are you arguing that “racism” is wrong in the dictionary? The dictionary defines words as they are used by society; this is why definitions are changed or expanded over time, and why new words are occasionally added.
I’m not going to say that institutional oppression based on race did not exist, or that it does not currently exist. But to say that’s what racism IS, you are wrong. Individual racism does exist and anyone can display a racist attitude, regardless of their skin color. Saying otherwise is a form of racism in itself. We can all probably agree that racism affects certain races differently, but racism is still racism. If you believe racism truly is “power+prejudice” then by that logic, the KKK is not racist because they hold no power.
DIFFERENCES AND DEFINITIONS OF THINGS
I’ve noticed several instances where people will mix up racism, discrimination, and prejudice. While there are similarities between all three, these are all clearly different things and should not be mixed up with each other. 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.
Some non-dictionary sources break racism down into two distinct categories; one applies to people, and one applies to society. They are respectively known as individual and institutional racism.
"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.
Institutional racism exists in certain parts of the world, but for the most part it has been completely eradicated from first-world countries in favor of promoting diversity and cultural enhancement. Things like affirmative action reinforce this, although that’s a topic I won’t get into here.
Example, Institutional: The USA’s Black Codes from the 1800s. This was Institutional Racism because laws and regulations were based on excluding people from certain things because of race/ethnicity.
Example, Individual: If a white man beats a black man with a baseball bat because of the black man’s skin color, that is racism. If a black man beats an Asian man with a baseball bat because of the Asian man’s skin color, that is racism. If a Hispanic man beats a white man with a baseball bat because of the white man’s skin color, that is racism.
This is simple and literally has nothing to do with the ignorant and false “power+prejudice” argument. If ”power+prejudice” was actually true, then a white man displaying racist attitudes would not be racist if he went to Japan since white people do not hold power there. A racist attitude is racism regardless of a person’s physical location. To say otherwise is like saying a thin Brazilian woman in Ethiopia is obese because most of the population is relatively thin, and that is wrong because obesity is based on a certain formula and does not change from country to country. Likewise, the definition of racism does not change from country to country; it is applied in all circumstances regardless of physical location, because that’s how words are supposed to work.
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Racism and white people
Let’s see what race is, and what differentiates it from ethnicity. Click here. Done? Great.
That link explains everything in decent detail. The fact of the matter is, there IS racism against white people. There is no “reverse racism” either - it’s just regular racism. If you discriminate against someone because of their skin color, that is racism no matter what. Simple.
What’s really baffling (to me) about the whole “you can’t be racist against white people” thing… it’s that 72% of Tumblr users are Caucasian. 13% are Hispanic and the remaining 15% of the site is black, Asian, or otherwise non-white. 65% of Tumblr users have some sort of college education, so they should know better than to believe the false “racism = power + prejudice.” The majority of Tumblr users are also located in the USA, where racial tolerance is very high compared to other countries.
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More on racism
The United Nations uses the definition of racial discrimination laid out in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted in 1966:
"…any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life." (Part 1 of Article 1 of the U.N. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination)
In 2001, the European Union explicitly banned racism, along with many other forms of social discrimination, in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union:
"Article 21 of the charter prohibits discrimination on any ground such as race, color, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, disability, age or sexual orientation and also discrimination on the grounds of nationality."
Well would you look at that. No “power + prejudice” definition by two of the largest organizations in the world. So it’s not just the dictionary, after all. The EU (which comprises many first-world countries) also explicitly bans racism, mostly for institutions, and other forms of active discrimination. It’s difficult to ban opinions and beliefs for obvious reasons.