Defining the uniqueness of American racism
One of the most critical prerequisites for effective planning is to define things accurately, title them, and refer to them by their titles.
Originating from America’s slavery institution, racism against Black Americans is unique in world history. To Black Americans, a racist is a person who commits racist acts — intentions notwithstanding. Moreover, racist acts anywhere can traumatize Black people everywhere, intensifying memory and making past incidents feel ever present.
Nobody is born a racist. Cultural influences with which we are infused as we mature, condition our beliefs about human beings; influence what facts we seek; determine the interpretations we give these facts; and induce our reactions to our interpretations. (From Gunnar Myrdal)
There are six categories of American racism: Classical, Passive-Aggressive, Unconscious, Miscellaneous, Proxy, and Governmental or Systemic.
1. The first category, CLASSICAL RACISM, has two components: ATTITUDE and BEHAVIOR.
ATTITUDE: The conviction that one’s group is superior to “inferior” groups based on unalterable genetic and religious undergirding. BEHAVIOR: Deliberate, malevolent, unremitting actions, i.e., lynchings — intended to physically harm; and malevolent verbal harassment, i.e., racial slurs — intended to demoralize Black Americans.
The most certain means of achieving the effects most desired by America’s racists – Blacks’ acceptance of subordination, and the passing of debilitating obstacles to the children — is to find means, such as inferior education and miseducation, to have the targets of racism retard their own efforts to achieve their constitutional rights.
2. PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE RACISTS hate and know they hate Black people. But they do not act openly on their hatred because such behavior would negatively affect their own interests. This group includes politicians and business owners. When the opportunities arise, however, Passive-Aggressive racists will respond from a basis of racism, thus harming Black people. Passive-Aggressive racist politicians make policies that on-face favor the despised groups, but in effect harm them — BROWN, for example. BROWN has been a failure for Black school children in the south. (Jack Greenberg, Newsweek, May 17, 2004)
3. Within the minds of UNCONSCIOUS RACISTS are implicit biases against Black people that are manifested in decision-making, thus harming Black people in disproportionate ways. The evil they do is often supported by espoused denial – i.e., I don’t see color — and is likely to be couched in terms that imply good intentions.
4. MISCELLANEOUS RACISTS are the idiots, the psychotic, the indifferent, and the socially and culturally illiterate. They harm mostly with slurs and symbols, for example. Here is where Black people quite often attribute to malice that which has resulted from “idiocracy.” This group, as Lyndon Johnson said, will endure harm themselves so long as their “inferiors” suffer.
5. The fifth category, BLACK PROXY RACISTS are descendants of America’s slaves who have accepted and adopted the philosophy of Black American’s worst enemies, e.g., the Confederacy, thereby corrupting and enslaving their own minds, and dictating the way they treat their own people. In 2024, 2.3 million Black men and women helped elect Trump, an avowed racist, misogynist and Treasonist.
6. GOVERNMENTAL RACISM, namely our decadent political system, is the undergirding, facilitating category known generally as SYSTEMIC RACISM. Racism by the government is the ultimate criminal act and is a function of evil acts committed against American citizens, as well as constitutional rights that are omitted.
When the government is the lawbreaker, as John Roberts’ supreme court has done by “white-washing” Trump’s treason,” it abrogates its principal responsibility; destroys the moral underpinnings of society; and invites the people to become their own lawmakers, such as we saw on January 6, 2021.
Racists and state and local governments often work together, whereby lawmakers enact laws that take up white supremacists’ causes. (SPLC)
LIBERTY, TRUTH, PROBITY and HONOR are the four cardinal principles of democracies worthy of the title. But JUSTICE is the fundamental LAW of such a society. JUSTICE must prevail for all citizens, irrespective of their group’s demographic status relative to other groups. Ignorance of their rights and freedoms is not a license to withhold Justice from American citizens, most especially political, educational and economic justice.
Because of historic, governmental injustice, the title Racist is appropriate for any legislative policy that harms Black people disproportionately. Decisions that increase poverty provide cases in point.
“There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people.” – Thomas Jefferson.
In 2018, a study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that there had been NO PROGRESS for African Americans on homeownership, unemployment, incarceration/Criminal Justice and poverty in 50 years. I add education, in particular.
Fifty years after the Kerner Commission identified “WHITE RACISM” as the driver of “pervasive discrimination in employment and education” for African Americans, EPI concluded that not much has changed.” (Except that now White Male Supremacists have an all-powerful champion – DONALD TRUMP.)
