new kind of "racism" now prevalent in USA and other countries?

[Deleted User]

In light of recent events and public developments over a number of years (decades), one may well ask the question if racism is promoted in many Western countries (USA, Canada, UK, Western Europe, etc) ...

Has anyone noticed anything??

Mitchell

I haven't noticed anything that would qualify as a new kind of "racism" however I have noticed the continuation of tribalism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, and sometimes nationalism.

[Deleted User]

It seems to me here in Germany as if a 180° "change of direction" is underway ... even though the talk of racism and accusations of racism still are applied solely against the native white population (they are quickly accused of being "racist" and stuck in a "nazi" box for the slightest "political incorrect word"), worse actual racist actions are conducted against the white population and condoned and even supported by attempts to install a "race-guilt" into the native German population.

One cannot speak up and point out someone's inappropriate behavior in a situation if the person is of a different racial background (in particular with "dark skin") without being attacked for "racism". However, that person's vile reaction against me as a white native goes (sometimes is even applauded) ... when in reality, the "racism" is obviously on the person attacking me as a white person.

Seems almost, as if "racism" can only be committed by white people, but they can never be victim of racism by someone of another race??

Mitchell

If Carolus Linnaeus and later Johann Blumenbach hadn't have invented the concept of racial categorization the western world probably could avoided a lot of issues you mentioned or at least the issues could have been approached from a different angle.

When I was a school kid back in the USA I recall that the first question after one's name on standardized tests was what race or rather what pigmentation are you? Actually, very often when I would have to fill out a form from the government or some institution back in the States there would be some question about the pigment of my skin, but interestingly not my actual ethnicity nor demographics. Since I am not a so-called white/Caucasian individual and I look(and act) too ambiguously to be placed in the traditional race categories I was often subjected to the annoying "what race are you? and where are you really from?" questions. Where I have been living for the last 20 years the question of race has never once come up and I do not happen to look like the majority of the population here either. I feel free!

Basically, I believe western governments and government bodies are largely to blame for whatever issues you are noticing in part because of their historical obsession with grouping and dividing their citizens/residents according to the pigmentation of their skin (or some other western social construct) and constantly reminding their citizens/residents about their superficial differences rather than using public education as a path toward national/cultural assimilation or at least some shared national values and history.

In other words, I do notice that modern western countries are obsessed with the so-called concept of race that was created long ago by westerns for westerns to in order group others from outside the west.

Grace and Peace

C Mc

Brethren,

To respond to the OP intelligently, one needs a concise and unbias definition of the word "Racism". This word has been bantered about for so long, for so many things, and in so many places. Really, what is "racism"? When defined are different types or categories of racism? Let's define what we are talking about before we talk about it. CM

Bill_Coley

@C Mc posted:

To respond to the OP intelligently, one needs a concise and unbias definition of the word "Racism". This word has been bantered about for so long, for so many things, and in so many places. Really, what is "racism"? When defined are different types or categories of racism? Let's define what we are talking about before we talk about it. 

In short, racism is bigotry with power.

Bigotry is prejudice against a person, idea, or other entity on the basis of its place in a particular group or population. Racism is bigotry that has the administrative, executive, legislative, enforcement, and/or comparable power to inflict harm on said persons, ideas, entities.

In the classic sit-com of the 1970's called "All in the Family," Archie Bunker was a bigot, for certain. But he didn't have much power to inflict damage on those against whom he was bigoted, so there were limits to his racism. Bigots who are presidents of nations, members of legislative bodies, or law enforcement officers, for example, have the power to impose harm on those against whom they are prejudiced. Donald Trump is a racist - a bigot who HAD power as the president of the United States, and who still HAS power, as owner of Mar-a-Lago, his business empire, and his leadership role in the Republican Party, to inflict harm on the targets of his bigotry.

When it comes race relations in the United States, there are bigots in all races, but as a group, African Americans don't have the power to impose their bigotry on others. As a group, white people do, which is why we talk about institutional racism, where in the U.S. the reigns of power have historically been controlled by whites, who have used those reins to create systems that protect their own advantage and work toward the disadvantage of minority communities.

The laws either passed or in process in dozens of GOP-led state legislatures to curtail voting rights and access to voting options disproportionately affect African Americans, and hence qualify as racist acts: bigotry with power.

(EXAMPLE: Funny how those states didn't see any need to change their voting laws until Democrats started winning state-wide races. In Georgia, for instance. Not an electoral care in the world, but then in 2020, the GOP lost two U.S. Senate seats in the state, the demographics of the state moved away from red toward purple, African Americans grew in consequence as a voting block, and suddenly the state had to overhaul its entire election system, including putting a ban on handing food or drink to people waiting in line to vote, and taking some control away from local elections boards and giving it to the state. Merely coincidences, I'm sure.)