What is Reverse Racism?
Racial prejudice cites a set of inequitable or depreciative attitudes based on presumptions acquired from impressions about race and color of skin. When we are talking about racism, we always think about black people and their lives. But have you ever heard about reverse racism? What is reverse racism? Is a legitimate concern?
Reverse racism or reverse discrimination is the concept that attempts to address the racial inequality and systemic racism faced by people of color actually harms those who are white. It is the idea that when programs by the society or government are enacted in order to address the disadvantages that black individuals and communities have faced due to the color of their skin, this is discriminatory towards white people.
But as defined above, racial prejudice refers to attitudes and actions based on presumptions of race and skin color. Does reverse racism qualify as racial prejudice, when these supposed effects of reverse racism are not the results of anyone’s assumptions about white people? White people are the currently dominant group in the U.S. Even if their claims about harm due to the skin color are valid, the declaration of reverse racism is not because of a long-standing history of discrimination due to race. Rather, it’s an attempt to marginalize and justify the abuse of black Americans by emphasizing the difficulties that they supposedly face from being white.
Where does Reverse Racism come from?
Reverse racism arose as an argument against ethnicity-based admissions programs for schools and workplaces. In 1961, as concerns about the treatment of black Americans rose, there was a concentrated effort to improve the lives of many low-income African Americans. New policies and race-based programs such as Affirmative Action began.
In both schools and workplaces, universities and employers were required to expand the percentage of black people that they admit. Sometimes, they were given specific quotas of how much their base needed to be non-white. At other institutions, the applications of black candidates were given a boost up in their ranking.
In the University of Michigan, for example, all college applicants are judged on a point-system for admission. As a result of affirmative action, the University gave an extra 20 points to black applications, in order to raise the likelihood that black applicants would be competitive.
These policies, however, are not popular amongst white communities and even other ethnic communities who have claimed these policies are unfair and discriminatory. Recent lawsuits by Asian American students against universities for their participation in affirmative action have brought into focus concerns about the effectiveness of programs such as minority-based quota systems.
Is reverse racism real?
Opponents of race-based quota policies such as affirmative action say that reverse racism is an unexpected method of discrimination against those who are not a minority. This concept has been frequently tested in court, but no clear results have been found. Despite this, a large portion of surveyed Americans believe in the existence of reverse racism. There is little to no evidence that whites face systemic discrimination like blacks and people of color do.
If the numbers say that reverse racism does not exist, why is it so popular today? How come people believe that reverse racism exists?
Reverse Racism in the State of America
The answer is that although reverse racism may not be capturable over data, this concept is being perpetuated and repeated by prominent speakers and politicians.
During the heat of the 2016 American presidential debate, the present of America said that according to his opinion, racism against white inhabitants is a problem that exceeds racism against black people. Although individuals of any color may face incidents of discrimination due to their various affiliations, racism directed at white people do not have the power to affect the white person's social, economic, and political location and liberty.
The Myth of Reverse Racism
Reverse Racism is a myth because it tries to ignore the essential question of who holds more privilege between the individuals or groups involved. The story of reverse Racism supposes that racism happens to all people on level playing ground.
Institutionalized Reverse Racism
Zeba Blay explains how white people repeatedly "believe worthy white students are differentiated against, while academically uncertificated students are given highly desire universities or company positions ― just because they happen to tick the "ethnic minority" box".
In actuality, affirmative action programs strive to remove the unfair effects of race-based admissions decisions by setting clear instructions and procedures for finding qualified applicants from all backgrounds. In other words, these programs do not benefit people of color but help to confirm that they, along with others, are given equal opportunity.
Why white people believe Reverse Racism
According to the statistical reports and other pieces of evidence show, most white people don't believe that blacks are treated less fairly when applying for a bank loan or debt. But 68% also don't believe that their race gives them an advantage.
“Equality," "fairness", “equal policies” – such words are repeatedly expropriated by a racist who does not like the feeling of losing out on something or being harmed in any way due to the color of his skin. Although individual struggles may be valid, to claim that there is reverse racism shows a clear lack of understanding of racism’s impact on the black community.
