10 Annoying Things Caucasian People Do When Confronted With Racism

Try to Explain Racism to a Black Person Many white people will be quick to refer to Webster’s dictionary for a simplified explanation of racism in an attempt to blatantly ignore the fact that racial prejudices have to be coupled with the ability to oppress a certain community in order to be considered racism. The dictionary, obviously, provides an oversimplified explanation of what racism really is and, therefore, that definition should be the last thing white people reach for when they find themselves knee-deep in a conversation about racism in America. Insist That Your Black Friend Said … This is extremely annoying for two main reasons — a white person's Black friend is not the spokesperson for the Black community and that friend could very well be a Black white supremacist, although he or she doesn't know it. Regardless of who tells you something is OK, any educated adult should be able to decipher what is racist and what is not. Just because one Black friend is open to hearing a white person call him the N-word doesn’t mean it's acceptable or no longer considered racist. Racism is racism, and nobody’s “permission” will ever change that. Criticize Programs That Help People of Color Recover From the Racist Policies White People's Ancestors Put in Place Many white people criticize programs and policies like affirmative action that are put in place to help Black people overcome the negative impact that centuries of racism have had on the entire Black community. White people who believe such programs and policies are giving Black people an unfair advantage are clearly unaware of just how much their ancestors’ own racism impacted Black people and have left the community struggling to catch up in education, politics, economics and society as a whole. Claim the Real Problem Is Class and Not Race While classism is certainly a serious issue in America, it isn’t one that should take away from the fact that racism still plagues the nation and deserves to be at the forefront of national discussions. Even more important is the fact that people need to realize classism and racism are more connected than some white people believe. The negative impact of racism has worked for centuries to leave Black people in poverty. So, more often than not, those low-income communities are also the communities with the highest population of people of color. Insist It Isn’t Their Fault That They Have Privilege It is true that most white people didn't asked for their privilege, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t acknowledge that they have it and act accordingly. When confronted with racism, white people need to take note of their privilege and try to utilize it to encourage equality. Claim They Can’t Be Racist Because They’re ‘Colorblind’ Being “colorblind” is a problematic claim in and of itself because it negates the cultural values, norms, expectations and life experiences of people of color. Society should not try to combat racism by making ill attempts at ignoring race. Instead, people should acknowledge race and celebrate those cultural differences. If society continues to hide behind a “colorblind” veil, the true issues of racism that plague the country will never truly be resolved. Seek Validation as a Non-Racist White Person Some white people will find ways to seek validation that they are not racist, which usually stems from being self-conscious about whether or not they are racist. The most common way this is done is through white people inserting their own self-proclaimed non-racist experiences in nearly every conversation about race while also conveniently ignoring the impact that racism as a whole has had on the Black community. Ask Why Black People Make Everything About Race This is particularly annoying because it is often asked in situations that are genuinely about race. One of the most recent examples of this came when unarmed teen Michael Brown was fatally shot six times by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson. Many white people insisted that the incident had nothing to do with the fact that Brown was Black although the racially coded language Wilson used in court, the blatant mishandling of evidence and the Ferguson Police Department’s own past of racially charged incidents of brutality all served as proof that Brown’s murder and the lack of an indictment against Wilson were indeed about race. Say Anything With 'You People' in It “You people” is one of the most popular racially coded phrases that white people use. There are multiple problems with tossing this phrase around, especially after being confronted about racism. “You people” implies a broad generalization about the Black community while also making a clear distinction between them and the general population. It implies that there is an “other” in a conversation that should be about all people. Deny Racism’s Existence There are many white people who still argue that racism isn’t a major problem in America anymore. After seeing flashy images of Black celebrities, a few rare Black CEOs and electing the nation’s first Black president, white people have reached the misguided conclusion that there are not prejudices or biases leaving a negative impact on the Black community. This causes many white people to insist that any Black person can reach success if they simply “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” despite plenty of evidence exposing the major obstacles Black people have to face when trying to become successful in America. These obstacles include cuts to educational funding in urban communities, racist hiring processes, racial profiling by police and racial prejudices in financial institutions that make it difficult for Black people to obtain home and business loans.

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