Reverse racism?

Question

I am doing a course at uni, and some of my friends believe the teacher is being racist towards the majority of students who are white (to put it very broadly). The teacher himself is also white, as he told us very early in the course.
One of my friends call it reverse racism. I say racism is racism any way you look at it.
What do you think?

The lecture content in the beginning of the course consisted of telling us how WE have made the lives of the Indigenous people a misery.
Now very few people attend his lecturesm which is a shame because I can see the benefit of the subject, just not the way it is delivered to us.

It just frustrates me because I have always thought that people are people. My philosophy (as misguided as it may be) is that peoples differences go beyond whether they are black, white, red, yellow or whatever colour.
I am white but I am not the same kind of white as someone else. When these atrocities that he told us about were committed, my family were living in England, working themselves to death in the mills and coalmines...

Answer 1

I had a teacher like this in the small university I attended. He knew all of the black students by name. He was white and had adopted biracial kids, so he thought he had "hood" credit.

He patronized all of the black students and they secretly laughed at him. I called him on it one day in front of the class, and he stood there with a red face. I asked him why he knows all the names of the black students? I proposed to the class that he actually thinks LESS of the black students, because he singles them out for different treatment. I also warned the black students that white men who LUUUUVEE blacks as much as this guy has to have an angle. Yeah, he'll give you free grades, but what does he get out of it? Be careful of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

A couple of the black students agreed and said they felt uncomfortable with his attitude, that it wasn't sincere. He laid off trying to be the "hood" daddy for the rest of the year, but I guarantee every black student EXCEPT for the two that complained, were given A's in his class.

White patronizers are actually WORSE than Al Sharkton, or Robert KKK Byrd. At least you know where Al is coming from. Guys like my professor actually put the hurt more on whitey than any racist black.

Answer 2

I understand what you mean - I am getting my master's degree in Indigenous Nations Studies. I am one of two white people in the department. Most classes have a pretty strong "anti-white" theme. The difficult thing is, Europeans DID come over and colonize and make their lives miserable. They brought disease, put their children in boarding schools, and massacred entire villages. I think a lot of white people who were never around Natives are surprised when they hear how much animosity is still there towards white people.

The history has to be taught, but more from a cultural standpoint (Europeans) than a "race" standpoint (white people). European cultures were very efficient at colonization, and carried it out on basically every continent. There's a lot of backlash from that. But it doesn't excuse anyone judging anybody else's qualities based on the color of their skin.

BTW, I agree with you - racism is racism. There's nothing in the definition that says it's only white people against other people, so how can that be reversed?

Answer 3

There's no such thing as "reverse racism." Ignorance is not race specific and you are correct in your assertions. The reverse of racism is enlightenment and acceptance.

I don't quite see how this was racist, however. When he says "we," it's the royal we. Obviously, you and your classmates didn't have any personal involvment in the atrocities that were committed. For instance, I'm American and I'm not fighting in Iraq nor do I agree with the war but people always refer to what we Americans are doing over there. I don't take offense because they're speaking of the country/culture as a collective whole and it's not wise for me to get defensive and internalize the comments.

Answer 4

Yes, racism is racism, no matter who is doing the pre-judging. Even a person of ones own race can be a racist. Just as there are people like the KKK and the neo-Nazis who believe whites are superior, there are people (even white people) who argue that since we (as an entire race) are responsible for harm done to blacks, Native Americans, etc., we are inferior. It often takes the form of assuming that every white person is really a racist, even if they have friends of every possible skin color.

Treating people as categories, and believing you know something about their value by what category you assign them to, is racism.

I'm so glad I live in a very mixed neighborhood. People around here treat each other as neighbors, not categories.

Answer 5

The term reverse racism can only be applied when a racist policy is enacted in an attempt to counter another racist policy (official or not). The case you describe sounds like standard racism.

Affirmative Action is reverse racism because the intent is to help the group normally discriminated against by discriminating against the other group.

Answer 6

See it relatively is in simple terms it. Your vantage factor is diverse than the subsequent individual. you need to comprehend that white human beings have been those in charge for racism initially . the belief of race isn't even genuine. that's an invented thought in our u . s . that has stirred the pot for a protracted time. Wheras different cultures have ethnicities, we've "races". I agree that racism and discrimination is misguided no rely who's in the back of it. I additionally comprehend that there are a number of white people who're no longer racist and are in many cases caught up in being falsely accused of being racist, in spite of the indisputable fact that, there are a number of extra recepients of exact racism. to totally delight in this, you need to be on the receiving end of the racism to entice close it. otherwise, it relatively is going to consistently be denied, debated,etc... renowned it or no longer, racism is genuine, it replaced into created in an extremely strategic way and in accordance with which area you're on, your know-how of that's constrained.

Answer 7

I find the best way to deal with that type of topic is to actually place yourself outside the situation and look in. Ask yourself, "Is this really true?". If it is true, it does not mean you agree or you unintentionally partake in those actions. For example, when Blacks talk about Black issues, I ask myself, "Is this true? Do we Blacks tend do this...?" Sometimes it is a yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean I am talking about myself. You should be very comfortable to talk about the issues within your race. Don't take what the teacher is saying so personal for it looks like he may be telling the truth. Instead just talk about it and try and understand where he is coming from.

Answer 8

I believe that the term reverse racism was conceived to suggest that all whites are deserving of, or are being paid back for racism. So I consider the term itself to be racist. If not then why is the term only used to describe racism against whites?

Answer 9

hmm...sorry to hear that, what exactly is he doing (can you add some more details). you are right though racism, is racism. i think it just shocks people when it is against your own (not saying that against any one else is right)

Answer 10

I wonder what he does that makes you think he is racist towards his own kind??