Mary Sisney's Blog - Posts Tagged "reverse-criticism"
Positive Discrimination: The Case for Reverse Racism
I am on a mission to stop all people, but especially white people, from pretending to be colorblind and claiming that they treat everyone the same. In my second book, BRONZE RULE, and in my fifth Goodreads blog post (9/15/13), "Misreading People: Trayvon and George," I make the point that we read people based on everything that we see, including race and gender. In a later blog post (1/31/16), "Misreading People II: Victims and Villains," I describe how I was misread during a confrontation with several white people. The point that I make in this commentary is we need to recognize that we all read people, stereotype or profile them, and try to do it better. Similarly, we need to admit that we treat people differently based on how we read them and do a better job of "discriminating." In her book, WHY I'M NO LONGER TALKING TO WHITE PEOPLE ABOUT RACE, black British writer Reni Eddo-Lodge introduced me to the term "positive discrimination." It's similar to affirmative action or what white folks call "reverse racism," but I think it's a more honest description of how we can combat racism. Affirmative action could refer to any action, including an action unrelated to racism or sexism, that has positive results or that is trying to achieve positive results; "reverse racism" doesn't make sense. Reversed from what by whom? But "positive discrimination" means that we are discriminating in favor of some people, as opposed to against them, and we are doing it to help them, to affect them positively.
Eddo-Lodge's book shows that black folks in England (or is it Great Britain or the United Kingdom?) face the same racism and racism denial that American blacks do. The British whites also don't want to talk about racism while claiming to treat everyone "equal" and to be colorblind. Yet British black folks face racism in schools, on their jobs if they can find jobs, and when dealing with police officers, the courts, and prison guards. The evidence is overwhelming that black people are treated worse than whites, and not just by the government and the cops, but even by their white colleagues and friends. Whites' discomfort when discussing race is one way that they discriminate against blacks. I mentioned in my memoir how some of my white friends became uncomfortable when I brought up race and wondered how my married friends would feel if I changed the subject or looked uneasy when they mentioned their husbands or how my friends with children would feel if I didn't want to hear about little Alice and Jerry. Black people can't ignore race; it defines who we are. We are "other" because we're black; we, like all people of color, are not the norm. We are NONwhites; even our racial identity is negative. We don't talk about "white literature" because we assume all literature is white unless otherwise identified. For the same reason, we don't talk about how much white lives matter or how beautiful or human white people are. It's a given that white people's lives matter, that they are beautiful, human, proud, and smart, that they are not lazy, ignorant welfare queens, that they are not apes or aliens.
Whites' claim of color blindness and treating everyone the same gives them license to mistreat black people without being accused of racism. They can call the police on blacks for barbecuing in the park or for entering their own homes and deny that their actions were motivated by racism. They can call blacks stupid and have a stupid black preacher claim that they are pro-black (yes, I'm talking about Trump). This claim of color blindness, in fact, adds the insult of blame and shame to the injury of racism. For decades racist whites have blamed and shamed blacks for complaining about their racism. Some bigots have even argued that Trump was elected because good white folks were so disgusted with all of that political correctness and safe spaces discussion of the Obama era. And some Democrats blamed "identity politics" (which included discussions of sexism and homophobia) for Hillary Clinton's "loss" in 2016. Black women voted overwhelmingly for her while the stupid white women voted for a pussy-grabbing maniac, and the Democrats blamed the loss on Hillary's discussing black issues and travelling with the mothers of murdered blacks.
White people love black people when we don't talk about race, when we tell them how wonderful they are, or when we express forgiveness and love while singing beautiful hymns after a racist terrorist kills our family members. They love us also when we attack each other, which is why the white folks didn't come after Bill Cosby for his "rapes" when he was chastising black folks, telling them to pull up their pants. They really love the black folks, like academic Shelby Steele and Cosby during his watch-what-you're-wearing days (he knew how much costumes mattered for blacks, especially young boys and men, even before the murdered Trayvon Martin was blamed for wearing a hoodie on a rainy night) who blame blacks for their own oppression, but don't let us become angry, don't let us mention how badly we've been treated, and don't let us remind them that they voted for Trump and GW Bush while we voted for Hillary and Obama. Then they don't like us as much.
If white people want to be seen as not racist, as the good ones, they need to practice positive discrimination. They need to treat black people better than they treat each other. I don't mean that they should start calling the police on each other. Several months after I made a fuss on Google+ about the differences in the way allegedly sexual bad boys Bill Cosby/Nate Parker and Woody Allen/Roman Polanski were treated, the #METOO movement happened, and I complained even more. I explained my potentially confusing behavior in a tweet. I don't want more white men to go to jail for sexual misconduct. I want fewer black and brown men to go to jail. So white folks, you can still trust your white friends and be friendly with them. Just be friendlier and more trusting of blacks. I used to be annoyed with the participants in the Goodreads liberal group because they wouldn't argue with me when they clearly disagreed. They would attack each other while remaining silent when I attacked. Initially, I thought they feared my black rage or just didn't want to be called racist. Now I wonder if they understood that a black woman has experienced enough oppression and taken enough abuse in her life and so should be treated with more compassion. If so, they're good white people. In the early eighties, when a white friend and I were walking around a small Central California town, where I was the only black face, she noticed that some white people were overly friendly to us while others acted as if we were going to steal their wallets. I told her their behavior represented two different kinds of racism. I've changed my mind. The friendly people were practicing positive discrimination. I noticed the same behavior when I first moved to Claremont in the late eighties. Some whites were very friendly, and others glared and looked like they wanted to cross the street to avoid passing me. The friendly whites were practicing positive discrimination.
Unlike Eddo-Lodge, I talk about race and racism to white folks more now than I did before a white supremacist entered the once again too appropriately named White House. I recently told a white liberal that he needs to check himself before he starts educating the "bad" white folks. I asked him to check to see if he became angrier at his black friends (or became angry quicker) than he did at his white friends. And I asked him if he thought he was better than his more racist white friends because he had black friends and felt comfortable talking to black people, or did he understand that his black friends were better than he was for being willing to be his friend and talk to him.
I call on all people, especially white people, to practice positive discrimination when dealing with black folks. If you see a black person walking toward you, turn your frown into a smile (even if it's a nervous smile) and greet her with a cheery "hello." Hold the door for older black people and call them "mam" or "sir." If a black person becomes enraged, try not to look frightened or angry. Instead calmly and cheerfully try to diffuse the situation. Watch your tone because condescension is as annoying to black people (some of whom are smarter than you are) as suspicion and abuse. Unless you see a black person picking a lock or breaking a window, do not call the police on her or him. If you see white people calling the police on black people or otherwise discriminating negatively against them, defend the blacks and attack the whites.
Positive discrimination won't cure all of the problems caused by racism. Western cultures and languages will still be subliminally racist as will the governments and political leaders. The police will still be more afraid of dark people and therefore more likely to kill them. Dark people will still have more trouble finding employment, but at least they will not be abused by random white people as they're trying to live their lives and deal with the persistent, relentless oppression that entitled white folks cannot even imagine.
As I've said to more than one "colorblind" person, we don't treat babies the way we treat middle-aged folks. We don't treat athletes the way we treat physically disabled people, and we don't treat learning challenged students the way we treat geniuses. We also don't treat men the way we treat women. Nor should we. And we certainly shouldn't treat black people the way we treat white people. Our experiences in America have been very different. Let's try to treat everybody better than the jerk in the White House does, but let's save our best treatment for those whom he treats the worst--black people.
Eddo-Lodge's book shows that black folks in England (or is it Great Britain or the United Kingdom?) face the same racism and racism denial that American blacks do. The British whites also don't want to talk about racism while claiming to treat everyone "equal" and to be colorblind. Yet British black folks face racism in schools, on their jobs if they can find jobs, and when dealing with police officers, the courts, and prison guards. The evidence is overwhelming that black people are treated worse than whites, and not just by the government and the cops, but even by their white colleagues and friends. Whites' discomfort when discussing race is one way that they discriminate against blacks. I mentioned in my memoir how some of my white friends became uncomfortable when I brought up race and wondered how my married friends would feel if I changed the subject or looked uneasy when they mentioned their husbands or how my friends with children would feel if I didn't want to hear about little Alice and Jerry. Black people can't ignore race; it defines who we are. We are "other" because we're black; we, like all people of color, are not the norm. We are NONwhites; even our racial identity is negative. We don't talk about "white literature" because we assume all literature is white unless otherwise identified. For the same reason, we don't talk about how much white lives matter or how beautiful or human white people are. It's a given that white people's lives matter, that they are beautiful, human, proud, and smart, that they are not lazy, ignorant welfare queens, that they are not apes or aliens.
Whites' claim of color blindness and treating everyone the same gives them license to mistreat black people without being accused of racism. They can call the police on blacks for barbecuing in the park or for entering their own homes and deny that their actions were motivated by racism. They can call blacks stupid and have a stupid black preacher claim that they are pro-black (yes, I'm talking about Trump). This claim of color blindness, in fact, adds the insult of blame and shame to the injury of racism. For decades racist whites have blamed and shamed blacks for complaining about their racism. Some bigots have even argued that Trump was elected because good white folks were so disgusted with all of that political correctness and safe spaces discussion of the Obama era. And some Democrats blamed "identity politics" (which included discussions of sexism and homophobia) for Hillary Clinton's "loss" in 2016. Black women voted overwhelmingly for her while the stupid white women voted for a pussy-grabbing maniac, and the Democrats blamed the loss on Hillary's discussing black issues and travelling with the mothers of murdered blacks.
White people love black people when we don't talk about race, when we tell them how wonderful they are, or when we express forgiveness and love while singing beautiful hymns after a racist terrorist kills our family members. They love us also when we attack each other, which is why the white folks didn't come after Bill Cosby for his "rapes" when he was chastising black folks, telling them to pull up their pants. They really love the black folks, like academic Shelby Steele and Cosby during his watch-what-you're-wearing days (he knew how much costumes mattered for blacks, especially young boys and men, even before the murdered Trayvon Martin was blamed for wearing a hoodie on a rainy night) who blame blacks for their own oppression, but don't let us become angry, don't let us mention how badly we've been treated, and don't let us remind them that they voted for Trump and GW Bush while we voted for Hillary and Obama. Then they don't like us as much.
If white people want to be seen as not racist, as the good ones, they need to practice positive discrimination. They need to treat black people better than they treat each other. I don't mean that they should start calling the police on each other. Several months after I made a fuss on Google+ about the differences in the way allegedly sexual bad boys Bill Cosby/Nate Parker and Woody Allen/Roman Polanski were treated, the #METOO movement happened, and I complained even more. I explained my potentially confusing behavior in a tweet. I don't want more white men to go to jail for sexual misconduct. I want fewer black and brown men to go to jail. So white folks, you can still trust your white friends and be friendly with them. Just be friendlier and more trusting of blacks. I used to be annoyed with the participants in the Goodreads liberal group because they wouldn't argue with me when they clearly disagreed. They would attack each other while remaining silent when I attacked. Initially, I thought they feared my black rage or just didn't want to be called racist. Now I wonder if they understood that a black woman has experienced enough oppression and taken enough abuse in her life and so should be treated with more compassion. If so, they're good white people. In the early eighties, when a white friend and I were walking around a small Central California town, where I was the only black face, she noticed that some white people were overly friendly to us while others acted as if we were going to steal their wallets. I told her their behavior represented two different kinds of racism. I've changed my mind. The friendly people were practicing positive discrimination. I noticed the same behavior when I first moved to Claremont in the late eighties. Some whites were very friendly, and others glared and looked like they wanted to cross the street to avoid passing me. The friendly whites were practicing positive discrimination.
Unlike Eddo-Lodge, I talk about race and racism to white folks more now than I did before a white supremacist entered the once again too appropriately named White House. I recently told a white liberal that he needs to check himself before he starts educating the "bad" white folks. I asked him to check to see if he became angrier at his black friends (or became angry quicker) than he did at his white friends. And I asked him if he thought he was better than his more racist white friends because he had black friends and felt comfortable talking to black people, or did he understand that his black friends were better than he was for being willing to be his friend and talk to him.
I call on all people, especially white people, to practice positive discrimination when dealing with black folks. If you see a black person walking toward you, turn your frown into a smile (even if it's a nervous smile) and greet her with a cheery "hello." Hold the door for older black people and call them "mam" or "sir." If a black person becomes enraged, try not to look frightened or angry. Instead calmly and cheerfully try to diffuse the situation. Watch your tone because condescension is as annoying to black people (some of whom are smarter than you are) as suspicion and abuse. Unless you see a black person picking a lock or breaking a window, do not call the police on her or him. If you see white people calling the police on black people or otherwise discriminating negatively against them, defend the blacks and attack the whites.
Positive discrimination won't cure all of the problems caused by racism. Western cultures and languages will still be subliminally racist as will the governments and political leaders. The police will still be more afraid of dark people and therefore more likely to kill them. Dark people will still have more trouble finding employment, but at least they will not be abused by random white people as they're trying to live their lives and deal with the persistent, relentless oppression that entitled white folks cannot even imagine.
As I've said to more than one "colorblind" person, we don't treat babies the way we treat middle-aged folks. We don't treat athletes the way we treat physically disabled people, and we don't treat learning challenged students the way we treat geniuses. We also don't treat men the way we treat women. Nor should we. And we certainly shouldn't treat black people the way we treat white people. Our experiences in America have been very different. Let's try to treat everybody better than the jerk in the White House does, but let's save our best treatment for those whom he treats the worst--black people.
