Originally Posted by riseagainstrocks

Because words have practical applications. Being racist is like being xenophobic or homophobic, etc etc. Unless you have a means of imposing it, who cares? You're just a person with a belief system.

Our conversations about racism, as a country, can't be about the individual beliefs of 320 million people. They have to be in the aggregate. I used to get really angry when I heard black academics say that "only white people can be racist". After reading about and considering the issue (slowly and over many years), I actually understand what they mean. Anyone can hate anyone else for any petty reason. In America, as European white folks are the dominant ethnic group, nearly all of our political and social institutions reflect that (America is white, Christian, conservative, generally egalitarian in outlook, and generally compassionate in conduct. Some good, some bad, but all directly informed by the Western European heritage of our founders + first 80 million residents.). Therefore, racism, the ideology of racial superiority, can only be enacted by the group that controls said political and social institutions. Other groups can hate. Minorities can believe their own group is superior to the majority. But what can they do about that? Pass laws? Use the police department to enforce social order?

This is what I and many of those academics mean. "Blacks can't be racist" is an unfortunate shorthand than 100% does not address the nuance of the argument and I have no doubt it's used as a club by ignorant black folk. I just want white people to not make the same short-cutting mistake. It's a subtle argument and quite a powerful one, imho.

"Institutional racism" is, in light of the above, almost redundant. It also removes agency from all parties by painting racial issues as systemic or inherent to either governance or the human condition, as opposed to the artificial barriers they are.

Originally Posted by mord

Actually, I like you a lot, Nea. That's why I treat you like ****. It's the MB way.