These are facts, not opinions.Īs you sit here reading, the idea of racism floats around your mind. On average, women make 21 percent less than their male counterparts. Whether or not it is acknowledged, discrimination and bias do exist. No one should ever feel ashamed about protesting inequality. It suggests, to those striving for change, that what they are fighting for is selfish and ignorant. I do not believe that Kolsti intended to offend anyone by calling the petition, “reverse racism.” The problem that exists, however, is the lack of effort made to realize the significance of this concept.
Now, this is not to say that racist ideals are intentional. When one race benefits from the oppression of others, that is racism. Black people can’t be racist since we don’t stand to benefit from such a system.” The specific term, racism however, is much more sinister and complex than that.Īccording to the Netflix series “ Dear White People,” “racism describes a system of disadvantage based on race. Yes, black people can have prejudice towards white people, and one race can have completely ignorant ideas about another. The concept of racism is often used interchangeably with prejudice, ignorance or bigotry. Google cannot even list a definition in the search results. If you asked me to define it in my own words, I could not. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would’ve appreciated Nancy Kolsti defining exactly what she believes reverse racism is, before assigning that title to the suggestion of a honorific statue for a person of color.