Race Relations 101: Racism vs. White supremacy
Self Editor’s Note: Trust me. There is a difference.
Today, kids, we are going to talk about hate. OK, who I’m I kidding? I’m going to do the talking while you listen.
Yes, Tommy, I know, hate is such a wide topic. There is the hate you have for me, your professor, because I gave you a C when – you swear – you did more than I asked for. Then there is the hate for that “asshole” or “bitch” at work (if you have a job in these turbulent times) who – you swear – you think keeps running to the boss whenever you walk in late. Both are cases of hate stemming from personal issues, many of which – I swear – are the offspring of your procrastination.
I’m talking about racism and white supremacy – that kind of hate directed to you for things – I swear – you have absolutely no control over.
Yes, racism exists in people of all races, Jenny. In fact, some of my best friends are black racists. That brings me to my thesis: If I had to choose from the two who to get stuck on an island with, I’d pick a racist. Goddamn, Terry, I know I penalized you for clichés but I couldn’t find any scenario that is as effective as getting stuck on an island. I tried “getting stuck in an elevator,” but usually the fire department shows up within 10 minutes. Unless you live in Nairobi or Lagos, then you are screwed. And, yes, Marisa, the island has to be really, really tiny — preferably the size of an elevator — for the scenario to make sense. Damn, you kids are dumb. Sorry, I guess that’s why you are in my classroom.
Trust me, Brian, there is a difference between a racist and a white supremacist. The distinction lies in the effects of the hate each has on people. A racist is usually some powerless loser like your uncle Kinte, who thinks, “White people are the devil” because one “honky” fired him in 1978, or your cousin Todd, who hates “niggers” because they don’t look like God. Both Kinte and Todd are harmless, for all they do is complain – so much that they can’t even help themselves.
A white supremacist, on the other hand, is a guy who has never used the N-word – at least not in public – but has caused more harm to the people he hates. He might even be married to a person of color, but he is a strong believer of racial hierarchy. A white supremacist will deny you a job, Shaniqua, because – he swears – according to his RQ (race-ability quotient) chart, blacks aren’t as intelligent as the whites.
A white supremacist can be a bleeding-heart liberal (“Shut up. Let us tell you how to save your African children from starving because we are from America.”) He can be a right-wing extremist (“Those savages don’t know how to govern themselves. Regime change! Regime change!”) And lately there is new crop of white supremacists – an amalgamation of liberals and conservatives – called the Independent. (All the quotes above, plus, “Send those illegal aliens home. Africans, Asians, Arabs, Puerto Ricans, Europeans — maybe not Europeans — send them all back to Mexico and build a fence along the border to protect our way of life.”)
But what scares me the most is that, like racists, white supremacists come from all races. Tyrone, think about that jerk that is your uncle, who prefers white contractors to blacks. Or your African older brother, Kofi, who has been in America for 30 years but still warns his children to stay away from African-Americans because “they are lazy and violent.” Or that Kenyan ass who said that Our Man in America got a Webby-winning gig at a reputable news outlet because “they needed to fill diversity quotas for black people.” And the worst white supremacist of them all – are you ready for this? – my mother, who used to tell me to come out of the bathroom “as clean as a white man.”
To recap for next week’s quiz, kids, racists are less harmful because in most cases they are so ignorant and miserable they make me feel so good to be from Africa. On the contrary, a white supremacist can decide your fate. And if you allow him, he can make you feel so inferior to an extent you’d think certain achievements are only reserved for white people.
Class dismissed!