1. The belief that "race
" accounts for differences in character or ability.
2. Racial Prejudice
People serious about the study of racism define it more strictly to mean the combination of racial prejudice
. In other words, only the dominant group
in a society can be racist
because they have the power to oppress
others. This forces the dominant group to recognize the dangerous side of their position of power and tends to make them upset. Some will avoid this issue all together and say that they are "colorblind
", ignoring the very real effects of racial discrimination.
groups of people can have racial prejudice towards members of the dominant group, (i.e., a black man calling a white man a cracker
) but since they lack the power to oppress
that group, it cannot be accurately called "racism." White people in America have not historically been called "crackers" and then been enslaved, denied work, imprisoned, framed, or hung by blacks.
In most cases, racism includes the social, political, and economic advantage
of one group in relation to others. This can be seen in places where there is one group who has held control
of essential positions in society. For example, America has existed for 230 years, but all the presidents have been white (males). Those who experience the effect of racism (minorities) often stick together to defend themselves against their harsh reality. They may form their own schools, newspapers, television networks and even create scholarships to help their people.
A person from the dominant group in society, however, doesn't need these specialized groups made just for them because they control the wealth and political/social/productive power and can always rely on these elements being there for their needs. From their perspective, things like Affirmative Action
and the NAACP
look like they perpetuate racism. In fact, these organizations are working to support marginalized, minority groups.
See Wikipedia's article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism for more information. Or read a history book.
Marginalized people, historically racial minorities, live with the presence of racism in their daily lives.
Racism is difficult to see from a position of privilege and difficult to live with from a position of marginality.
People who experience racism often become bitter or angry. They may last out at the dominant group and use against them, but they are still marginalized.
In America, racism continues to be perpetuated by dominant whites, knowingly or unknowingly, because they are blinded by their own privilege. Education and learning history are two sure ways to overcome racism.