Readers may want to check out the excellent new blog Racism Review. I was particularly struck by this very nice post by Adia Harvey on the way that many people seem to think the only racists are those who self-identify as racists.
Is being racist now simply subject to the individual’s choice? Are you only racist if you self-identify as such? At what point do your actions define who you are? If stereotyping racial minorities, passively or actively supporting institutions or policies that uphold inequality, and engaging in behaviors that endorse or perpetuate the basest, most negative images of minorities doesn’t make you a racist, what does? Or to paraphrase comedian Chris Rock, what do you have to do to be a racist? Shoot Medgar Evers? I can’t think of too many other areas where self-definition overrides action in the same ways that it does when we think about who is and isn’t racist. For instance, if I register to vote as a Republican, donate money to John McCain, agree with his policies, and vote for him in the primary and general election, would anyone believe me if I then insisted that I was a Democrat?
I fundamentally agree with the complaint Adia is making. Sometimes actions speak louder than words when it comes to racism.
However, the analogy with the Republican doesn't doesn't work for me. In the analogy we are asked to imagine that the person who registers as a Republican has not self-identified as such. While it is, no doubt, logically possible to separate the two (one could imagine a person who registers as a Republican for strategic reasons all the while self-identifying as a Democrat)in practice registering is a way in which people self-identify.
So is there is a better analogy? Any suggestions?
Posted by: Nate | March 12, 2008 at 10:25 AM
I'm having trouble with the link to the blog. Is anyone else? --SH
Posted by: Sally Haslanger | March 13, 2008 at 08:13 AM
The whole blog seems to be down right now-- it was there this morning, though. Hopefully a temporary problem.
Posted by: Jennifer Saul | March 13, 2008 at 08:42 AM
Yeah i agreed. And I think it can help.
Posted by: Microscopes | March 22, 2008 at 01:06 AM