Racially Biased

This meme has been floating around. Let me explain why a white person saying "I hate black people" (racism) is different than a person of color - who happen to be minorities - saying "I hate white people"(racially biased). One of my friends, who is a WOC (woman of color) explained the difference to me, so now I'm going to try to explain it using the analogies that came to mind when she was explaining it to me. First, let’s go to Google for the definition of racism:

rac·ism

ˈrāˌsizəm/

noun

1. prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.
2. "a program to combat racism"

synonyms:

racial discrimination, racialism, racial prejudice, xenophobia, chauvinism, bigotry, casteism "Aborigines are the main victims of racism in Australia"

• the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
• noun: racism
• "theories of racism"

People of color can't be racist. Racism means that you have the power to oppress an entire people, which white people do having most of the political power and having laws still in place that still benefit white people and discriminate against people of color. A person of color does not have the power to oppress any other group, therefore they cannot be racist. However, they can be racially biased. Racism is the systematic oppression and discrimination against a group of people based on their skin color, belief system, etc. White people believe that they are superior to everyone else in the world. People of color don't like, or "hate", white people because we - as a race - oppress them and make their lives miserable. It's like the difference between Nazis saying that he hates Jewish people vs Jewish people saying they hate Nazis. Nazis hated the Jewish people and because of that hatred oppressed and tortured an entire people, whereas Jewish people hated (hate) Nazis for inflicting inhumane hatred and torture on them. Does that make hating Nazis bad? Nope. It's perfectly normal - and healthy - to hate those who oppress and condemn you just for your beliefs or the color of your skin. You aren't oppressed by a person of color hating you, therefore it's not racism. Are the Jewish people racist for hating Nazis? In the same way, minorities - most often times people of color - are *still* abused and discriminated against today by white people. So how are they racist if they say they don't like white people when white people are the ones treating them as lesser beings in the first place? White people as a whole are still oppressing and discriminating against people of color. Build the wall, go back to where you came from, white power.... you don't see anyone else displaying this kind of hatred. In fact, this kind of hatred is what's fueling Isis.

Saying "not all white people" is like saying "not all men". As women, we know not all men are bad, but how the hell are we supposed to know which men are safe and which ones are going to hurt us? We don't. In the same way, how the hell does a person of color know which white people are safe and which ones want to hurt them? They don't. We as women are biased against men because we don't know which ones are safe. We're taught to hold our keys between our fingers, have pepper spray just in case.... what are tools to use against racism? There aren't really any, and if they do speak out they're suddenly racist for calls by out a racist. There is no winning for a person of color.

We as white people are not being oppressed by minorities. Have you seen the news lately? Build the Wall! Go back where you came from! Muslims are a cancer! Black people are thugs! …. But then we continue to justify our hatred because of the bombings going on. Have you ever thought that your hatred is the reason those things happen? Your hatred fuels their hatred. ISIS can easily find all of these awful posts on social media about how awful anyone who isn’t white is. We as a race still treat minorities like shit. We are the sore losers of history, rubbing our pseudo victory in the faces of those we deem to be losers. We take one step further, even, brushing the atrocities our country committed under the rug of time so that it’s easier to pretend it never happened. Because that’s so much easier than a changed behaviour. That’s so much easier than addressing the problem that we still have today, because let’s face it, people of color are still oppressed and discriminated against today. We march for equality, but it’s not intersectional equality that we march for. We march for our own gain, our own cause, and remain blind to those who still need help and still need a voice.

People of color - minorities - cannot be racist, but they can be racially biased. But then, who could really blame them?