Not Your Father's Racism

Racism in the United States has changed in the last forty years.  It’s still here, perhaps as vitriolic as ever, and it still is generated by a fear which demonizes “the other”, but it is the nature of that fear which has changed.

In the 1940;s and 1950’s racism was based on the idea that black skin indicated inferiority. The stereotypes portrayed blacks as shufflin’, illiterate, subservient, lazy, subhuman ne’er-do-wells. The poorest uneducated whites were thankful that there were blacks whom they could look down on. No matter how bad their lot, they were not black. As long as whites could pretend that blacks were inferior, all was right with the world. If blacks were inferior, separate bathrooms and drinking fountains made some sort of perverted sense to the racists of that time. Even lynchings were somehow acceptable

Granted that blacks were making the stereotypes look ridiculous. The Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinsons, Cassius Clays (latter known as Mohamed Ali), Wilt Chamberlins, Arthur Ashes did not appear to be inferior; the entertainers, musicians, opera singers, and serious actors whose skin was black did not seem to be inferior.

However, the racists of the day were still able to compartmentalize the ability of blacks by saying: “Of course they can sing and dance; of course they are fast; and of course they can really jump. We get it, but other than having those limited skills, people with black skin are inferior in all other ways. We can allow them to entertain us, but don’t ask us to treat them as equals.” And the racists used every tool, legal and illegal, to maintain their white supremacy.

That brings us to 2016; we now have a new version of racism in the US.

Some would argue that with the GOP presidential candidates pandering to a racist segment of our society, racism is more prevalent and pernicious today than it was twenty years ago. Whether or not such is the case, the media is providing the stage for its ugly display; but it is clear that the new racism is generated, not by a sense of superiority, but by a sense of inferiority. The whole dynamic has changed.

Today’s racists fear blacks because the racists suddenly feel inferior. A total reversal! Poor, uneducated whites see highly successful, highly educated black people in leadership positions in all parts of society. Black women and men are frequently on the cutting edge of advances in science and medicine; they are leaders in academia and education  and financial institutions; and they continue to excel in the sports and entertainment industry (with the exclusion of the Academy Awards folk).

                           1st Black President

This reversal came to fruition in 2008. A black man became President of the United States of America.

At the time of his inauguration, a black, a Harvard-educated constitutional lawyer, a US Senator from Illinois  named Barrack Obama, became the commander-in-chief of this country. (And, of course, the one thing in his resume that had modern racists running to their nearest NRA gun dealer was that he had black skin.)

White supremacists suddenly became white inferiorists whose irrational fear of successful blacks was driving them into so-called “patriot” movements or any neo-confederate group.

Their sense of inferiority was exacerbated by the reaction to the Charleston Church massacre. Suddenly even Republican officials recognized the confederate flag for what it was — a symbol of racism, and were willing to take steps to have the flag removed from public property. In response many rushed to Wal-mart to buy confederate flags to remind the country that racism was not going gently into the night.

In addition, the feeling of inferiority will increase when racists consider the country’s demographics. In 2012 America’s racial and ethnic minorities accounted for nearly half of the under-5 age group. Census statistics indicate the white majority in the US will be gone by 2043. A white minority must appear sacrilegious to our racist friends, or perhaps they think it portends the end of civilization.

Racism is racism no matter whether it evolves from a feeling of superiority or inferiority, but the two should not be confused. As people of color become more and more successful, today’s racists will feel more inferior. They will have the choice of competing on a more-and-more equal playing field or being left behind.