This author has presented a cohesive presentation concerning how easy it is to deny responsibility and even the ability to see.
http://medium.com/@mattdunsmoor/i-am-not-a-racist-bbcda6bc6d18#.sh9eea4h8I Am Not A Racist.
The crime of inaction
I am not a racist.
The phrase is almost never said in isolation  and rarely meant genuinely. How is it that a simple statement of what one isnt has become something so controversial?
As a white male, I found this phrase early in life. Most white Americans did. Over the years however, my understanding of this phrase evolved. As a boy, it was merely a statement of fact  and an unnecessary one at that. As children, we dont really care about the construct of race, and often if we do, its because the prejudices of those who raise us has been planted into our minds under the guise of wisdom. As a teenager, the phrase became something of a precursor to words whispered to friends after a quick look around the room. Disparaging remarks disguised as jokes or observations often followed. It was okay though, because we would never say it in front of the people themselves; after all, we would never want to offend them. As an adult, I primarily see this phrase used as a means of backpedaling, or distancing ones self from a recent deed.
Yet, as a white male, I was almost always able to internally justify such things:
- I mean, what if the person really wasnt a racist? They couldve just been a victim of circumstance.
- No one who heard it was offended.
- What if their words were taken out of context?
- It was just a joke. They didnt mean it that way.
- It was clearly just a momentary emotional outburst aimed at an individual, not an entire race.
The list goes on and on...
All my life I found myself getting defensive on behalf of people I did not know for reasons I could not explain. I kept telling myself that it was because I tried not to jump to conclusions and I assumed the best in people until they proved me wrong. However, in my reserve judgment mantra, I was actually leaning toward believing in white innocence versus believing those who felt attacked. I did so because I identified with them. After all, Ive often felt like I couldnt say certain things or had to walk on eggshells in the interest of being P.C., no matter my intent (which, as far as problems go, is quite possibly the most insane to get fired up about). I didnt want to believe that I was a member of the oppressive group. Ive always strived to be the hero, so it was hard for me to accept that I was, by default the villain. There were times I felt rage at the thought that people made an assertion about me based not on my actions, but rather on one of my traits that I had no control over (Ill let that irony sink in
).
In professional wrestling, someone who is a villain is known as a heel and someone who is a hero is referred to as a face. Throughout a wrestlers career, they may go back and forth between these personas, which is known as a turn. The more common occurrence is a hero turning heel; however, its possible for a villain to turn face. As a white male, I was born a villain  I descend from a line of them. Therefore, no matter what my intent might be, the absolute best that I can do is to turn face at some point.
There are several people who will read that and say, Pssh
maybe you. Not me. Thats because the temptation for white America is to visualize racial aggression as a direct engagement. Historically it was seen as being the person wearing white bedsheets. The person putting rope to neck. The assassin firing the bullet. Today its become the cop using excessive force. The bigot exhaling slurs when they thought the microphone was off. The bigshot on Wall Street using discriminatory practices. So, when we do not fit into those molds, its easy to convince ourselves that our hands are completely clean.
and thats the problem.
Everyone in the world is guilty of seeking comfort at one point or another. Its human nature to seek structure and a sense of control in our lives. These are the same survival instincts that led us to seek out shelter, create the concept of the calendar, and build societies. That drive is not in itself an immoral one. However, once that need for comfort is used as the justification to oppress others, remain silent in the face of oppression, or avoid doing the right thing, it becomes a dangerous force. Its dangerous because comfort is so seductive and misleadingly silent. Comfort is as innocent as hitting the snooze button instead of sticking with your morning workouts. Its as innocent as going with your old standby meal instead of trying something new. But its also as dangerous as looking the other way when you see the signs of domestic violence. Its as dangerous as not saying anything when someone uses an offensive word in the group chat. Knowing that something is wrong and simply not participating is not enough.
The reason? I think author Ta-Nehisi Coates says it best in this excerpt from Between the World and Me:
A society, almost necessarily, begins every success story with the chapter that most advantages itself, and in America, these precipitating chapters are almost always rendered as the singular action of exceptional individuals. It only takes one person to make a change, you are often told. This is also a myth. Perhaps one person can make a change, but not the change that would raise your body to the level of equality with your countrymen.
The fact of history is that black people have not  probably no people have ever  liberated themselves strictly through their own efforts. In every great change in the lives of African Americans we see the hand of events that were beyond our individual control, events that were not unalloyed goods.
In other words, social change is almost never achieved strictly by the oppressed. It requires some sort of involvement from those in a position of power, usually catalyzed by an event. Unfortunately, those with power rarely side with the oppressed on the oppresseds merits alone. Whether its conscious or not, this typically stems from a couple things: 1- Your shared power with the oppressor makes you feel a sense of shared guilt, and no one wants to feel guilty, or 2- This means that perhaps no one should have the power that your group holds, but giving up your power makes you nervous. After all, that means that next time, you could be the victim  and thats terrifying. So we remain in stasis, floating down the current of inherited power, convincing ourselves that our lack of action in either direction exempts us from responsibility for the way things are. Its a win-win. Well, at least for those in the place of power.
Im a straight, white male, born into a middle-class family in Colorado, USA. As far as social politics go, I damn near hit the lottery. While I might not ever be a millionaire, I have never wondered if I didnt get a job because of my race (sorry anti-Affirmative Actioners, you can fight me on that point all you want, but employment statistics point to an inherent advantage in my favor regardless of the rare circumstance that supports your stance). While I might have had run-ins with the law, I have never feared for my life during these interactions. Im not a Manager, VP, or CEO, but I have never had my authoritative tone in professional discussions disregarded as rantings of the angry white man. What a luxury I have to feel attacked by the reactions to an action, and not the action itself. How fortunate for me to be able to cherrypick the battles I wish to fight! Yet, I did nothing to earn this  my starting status in this world. This is simply my reality. This is the reality for many white Americans.
So, should I (or you) feel guilty for stepping into the game with these rules already in place? No, my goal is not to shame myself and other white people for merely being born this way. My goal is to bring a level of consciousness to the situation. Over the past couple years, I have seen my various newsfeeds blow up with an assortment of politically-charged posts. Many of my black friends post about events in the news relating to racially-fueled violence, while many of my white friends either choose to ignore these emotional topics or post articles that seem to indirectly say, Yeah, but what about ____? The prime example I see is #blacklivesmatter vs #alllivesmatter. When I first saw #alllivesmatter, my white brain thought to itself, Yeah! Thats a much nobler cause than just picking one race to support. To this day, many people in support of #alllivesmatter still view the debate in this light. What theyre missing is that #blacklivesmatter isnt saying that theyre the only lives that matter. Theyre simply saying that black lives matter, too. White lives have always mattered. The American social system is engineered to support that premise. So when someone says, Black lives matter, theyre not saying that its OK to kill white people, Latino people, Asian people, etc. Theyre simply calling attention to something thats been downplayed or outright ignored throughout American history: Black lives, do in fact matter. Make no mistake, as a white person its not fun to be reminded about being a part of the oppressive group, no matter who you are. But downplaying its significance by saying, Yeah, but what about ____? is absolutely the wrong reaction. You dont solve a problem by calling out all the other problems in the world. In fact, that might be the single-most effective method for making excuses to do nothing throughout human history. You solve the problem by taking action to solve it. Rarely is the right thing also the easiest thing. (Oh, and sidenote- you know whats less fun than being reminded that your ancestry is responsible for the enslavement of other races? Being born into that system as a member of the historically held-down group)
We might just be amid the next wave of social equality movements, so if it feels like all the media talks about lately is racism, maybe thats a good thing. Perhaps its a sign that Americans feel like were at a point where we can actually do something to change the system. Or maybe theyre just fed up. Either way, the conversation taking the spotlight creates a great opportunity for action. Taking the next step towards social equality will look different for every person, but the willingness to look at yourself independent of your own filter is the necessary first step. That first step likely includes having uncomfortable conversations and calling out those who perpetuate dangerous mindsets  often your friends and loved ones. Regardless, you can be certain of one thing: silence wont make it all go away, nor will it place us in some post-racial utopia. It could very well do the opposite. With that in mind, what part will you play?