Quotation:

“And the word racist, to them, conjures, if not a tobacco-spitting oaf, then something just as fantastic-an orc, troll, or gorgon” (Coates 97). 

Comment:

Prior to this quote, Coates had been telling the story of an encounter with a white woman who pushed his son out of the way. He had reprimanded her, as any parent might, but was then almost cornered by another white man and a group of people trying to defend the woman (94). He contemplated what it would have been like to tell that woman that she was succumbing to racist history, and how she likely would have immediately claimed that she wasn’t racist (97). Coates points out that the idea of the ‘racist’ is somewhat mysticized in our culture. 

I chose this quote because it reminded me of several videos I watched by a woman named Lindsay Ellis, the subject of which being how racism (and oppression in general) is portrayed in the media. In her opinion, it’s all too often made to seem like just an individual issue. And then that individual himself is little more than an over-the-top caricature. The problem with that is, when the audiences see that portrayal repeatedly, it reinforces their existing beliefs about what racism is and what it isn’t. And those beliefs are often incorrect.

I can’t help but agree, as I’ve grown up around these examples. People in shows who go around announcing ‘I don’t like black people’ as if that’s all racism is. That it isn’t rooted in a deep history of systemic and legal control of people of color. That it can’t crop up in significantly more subtle ways. Realtors steering people of color towards minority neighborhoods, teachers expecting less of children of color and thus doing little when faced with their lower grades, the higher likelihood of white politicians passing laws that harm people of color and other marginalized groups (Rothenberg 251). We don’t like to talk about those things because, in various ways, we all contribute to them. We don’t pay attention to laws and policies that don’t concern us, we don’t consider how they could hurt people who don’t look like us. We keep watching movies where the over-the-top bigot is brought down or laughed off screen and think, wow, we’ve really made progress, haven’t we?

Racism is individual as well as systemic. Paying more attention to the macro level can be eye-opening if not frightening. On the micro level, yes, I do think that woman in Coates’ story was being racist. I don’t think I can picture her pushing aside a white child with as much ease. Of course, she may not have been thinking of it that way, but that’s not the point. The point is that, when racism is individual, it too can be hard to see. Just because someone doesn’t loudly announce their opinions doesn’t mean that they don’t hold them. 

But to show that onscreen might cause feelings of shame and guilt, alienating a large portion of the audience. We can’t have that; we need them to keep buying tickets, keep queuing up to watch the next episode. So we will likely keep seeing those fantastical portrayals, if indeed we see them at all. And thus the cycle will continue indefinitely. Unless we speak up about it. 

Question:

Given how misunderstandings about racism can have a dangerous impact on people, how can we challenge the traditional stereotype of “the racist” in a constructive but educational manner?

Additional source:

Rothenberg, Paula S. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study. New York, Worth Publishers, 2016.