This article is in support of Black Lives Matter and combatting everyday racism. Here I express my viewpoints about casual racism, stereotyping, and privilege from a privileged standpoint in the hopes of educating other people in similar positions who fail to grasp the rampant racism experienced by Americans every day in less obvious forms. 

Racism isn’t always as obvious as wearing a white hood or committing a violent hate crime. You can be a “good” person and still be racist. You can have black neighbors and black friends and even a black ex-boyfriend or girlfriend and still be racist. Racism isn’t always overt, but it is always damaging. Casual, everyday racism depicts an underlying noxious thread interwoven in society that negatively impacts the lives of individuals daily. To combat casual racism, those who consider themselves “definitely not racist” need to have an honest look at their interactions, attitudes, and preconceived thoughts, as well as be aware of their daily privileges. Casual racism will not disappear without both education and accountability, but there is a loving way that we can go about this process. First, we need to wake up.

CASUAL RACISM

Casual racism represents a form of racism that many express without even realizing it. Casual racism enforces negative prejudices and stereotypes about others. It is often expressed in a more subtle manner, such as through jokes, exclusive interactions, or off-handed comments. Rather than dictate deliberate discrimination, casual racism instead enforces damaging stereotypes and creates divisions under the guise of being inoffensive. However, just because casual racism isn’t intended to harm doesn’t mean it hurts any less for the people experiencing it. Racism is about impact as much as intention. People who experience racism even “casually” are proven to have negative mental and physical health effects, such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and increased blood pressure. And this is just the tip of the damage.

Causal racism cannot be explained away as being “just a joke.” If you make racist jokes, you are racist. It’s unlikely that you’re about to condone a hate crime, but you are racist nonetheless and contributing to a systematic and long-standing system of abuse. Ignorance of the pain caused does not forgive the behavior, nor does the commonplace nature of casual racism mean that it should be accepted. If you identify as being casually racist, then it is time to immediately reevaluate your behavior and adjust yourself accordingly. You can, in fact, be anti-racism yet possess racist thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and expressions. Being anti-racism means fighting racism wherever you see it, which in many cases is internal. The good news is you can change. Ending racism should not be up for debate. It’s not a political question, but rather a human rights issue.

STEREOTYPING

To just scratch the surface of the danger of casual racism, it’s critical to understand more about stereotyping. When we stereotype, we imprint and enforce ideas of how certain races, genders, or groups of people are “supposed” to behave. This pigeonholes people into feeling the need to adapt to the preconceived notions of certain groups or otherwise risk being considered an inferior representation of the group they have been defined as based on traits they cannot control. For example, it leads to ludicrous and damaging statements such as someone not being “black enough” or “as black as.” Both of these ignorant notions are false, as an individual is capable of expressing an unlimited amount of idiosyncrasies and still belonging to a defined group.

Forcing people to adhere to societal stereotypes is limiting and regressive, as well as suffocating to the expression of individuality. It makes people feel as though they have to alter their behavior and reactions for fear of being judged, and it can also create a crisis of identity if there exists a discord between how the person views his/herself and how society expects the person to behave. Additionally, it is a highly reductive mindset that creates caricatures out of human beings. For example, due to stereotyping a black woman might grapple with expressing fully warranted emotions in fear of being labeled “an angry black woman.” Overall, such “casual” racism serves to marginalize, humiliate, and degrade those on the receiving end.

PRIVILEGE

Stereotyping, of course, can be even more dangerous, as it sets certain groups up to be targeted unfairly. As a petite blonde-haired, white woman who lived in the south for six years, I was keenly aware that I was consistently stereotyped in a positive light. From law enforcement to store clerks, strangers consistently gave me the benefit of the doubt based on appearances alone. I was let out of speeding tickets and treated with undeserved respect simply for the way I looked. People didn’t view me as a threat but rather regarded me as a decent and deserving person. My privilege made me uncomfortable at times, though I benefitted enormously by always receiving understanding, forgiveness, and assistance.

I cannot personally fathom the injustice that people on the opposite end of the spectrum experience for having a different skin color. People who think the color of one’s skin denotes any sort of superiority do not belong in a civilized society. At the same time, they need to be educated by those around them. To be targeted for the color of your skin while others receive unearned privileges due to their skin color amounts to a brutal injustice that needs to immediately be rectified. I acknowledge my privileges and how I have benefitted from them, and I urge everyone in similar positions to do the same. We cannot evoke change until we are privy to the truth. Silence is choosing the side of the oppressor. 

People who are not discriminated against cannot personally understand the humiliation, fear, pain, danger, and anger of prejudice. But fortunately, you don’t need a personal understanding to be educated. By recognizing the damaging ways of your behavior, owning up to personal flaws, rectifying harmful attitudes, calling out similar behavior in others, and showing support for those being persecuted, you can be on the humane side of the battle. But, you need to be truly and completely honest with yourself about the way you view others. Don’t make excuses for bad behavior, don’t apologize only when you are called out. Take an honest and unflinching account of who you are as a person and determine the areas in which you can improve. Maybe you didn’t “intend” for your words to be interpreted negatively, but intention does not matter when it comes to how the message is perceived.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Things won’t change until people take responsibility for their actions and educate themselves on how to be better. I have absolutely no ground to stand on when it comes to calling for forgiveness for racism, but I do think people should be allowed to grow from their pasts by educating themselves and expressing evolved viewpoints. Ignorant comments from ten years ago should not define a person if they have made significant progress in changing who they were. At the same time, the people who said or did racist things should not be let off the hook just because they didn’t mean to cause harm.

For example, racist people should be justly fired or expelled from their positions, while also given the chance to learn and grow for future progress. “Cancelling” people seldom is good for society. If you see people around you expressing casual racism, ignorant comments, or contributing to harmful discourse, don’t let it be ignored. Call those people out, but do so by educating them in a way that can promote positive change rather than defensiveness and anger. On the other hand, violence of any kind due to prejudice should be persecuted to the highest degree to set a precedence that such behavior is unacceptable. The violence that people of color face in America is absolutely appalling and another topic altogether.

Again, I stress that education and accountability are key when it comes to combatting the everyday racism that plagues our nation. Be honest with yourself, and challenge yourself to correct harmful behavior and grow as a person. I urge people to the highest degree not to contribute to this systematic racism whether through words, actions, or silence. Remember that silence is choosing a side. Those who refuse to champion the fight for equality have absolutely no room to stand when it comes to asking others to attend to their personal problems and needs. All lives can’t matter until black lives matter.