Racism: Becoming Anti-Racist And How To Stop Racism

Have you ever thought about the real reason a black man could utter the n-word, or the reason why Asians could make jokes about their own race, but when a white person chimes in, he is considered to be racist?

Well, the reason why some things are seen as discriminatory, and others aren't can be attributed to three essential ideas: history, structures, and power.

Race doesn't exist biologically, but how we perceive race is so intense, it affects our lives and our experiences. Racist ideas are considered common in our media, culture, social structures, and institutions in a society that favours white people. Racism has traditionally justified unequal treatment and exploitation of people of colour (including enslavement, Apartheid, intersection, etc.). We may assume that racism is just about individual attitudes and behaviour, but racist policy often tends to polarize us. Though individual decisions are still negative, discriminatory policies have a large effect by jeopardizing the equality of our economies and the dignity of our institutions. We have to dedicate ourselves to making rational decisions and to being anti-racism in all facets of our lives in order to build an equitable society.

Being anti-racist battles racism. Racism takes various forms and usually works in tandem with at least one other way to strengthen racist ideas, behaviour, and policies. Racism can be:

Human racism refers to the views and behaviour of individuals who knowingly or unconsciously promote or uphold racism. The American cultural narrative about racism usually focuses on individual prejudice and does not acknowledge institutional racism.

Examples include belief in white people's supremacy, not recruiting coloured people because "something isn't right," or a racist joke.

There is interpersonal racism between people. These are public manifestations of racism that often include propaganda, bigotry, or offensive words or acts