Yes, Racism Exists: Dismantling the Other Perspective
Black Out Tuesday was a few days ago. My entire Twitter timeline and Instagram feed were filled with black squares, information about how to get involved with the Black Lives Matter movement, and overall support. Emotional is an understatement to describe how I felt.
Among the people advocating for justice and informing their followers about involvement and activism, there was a palpable silence among friends of mine. Although I see why posting a black square would be viewed as counterproductive, Black Out Tuesday was meant to be an event to spread information and show support for the black community.
A friend of mine noticed silence among her friends and asked me, “I just want to know. If it happened to me, would they care?” It was heartbreaking to have to think about that.
It’s easy to assume that the reason why there was no support shown from these people was because they didn’t care. However, through a conversation I had with my friend, I learned that this may not be the case.
The Other Viewpoint
I was sent a video by The Daily Wire, in which conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro made several points denouncing the idea that America is inherently racist. After watching the video several times to jot down the main ideas of his argument, I gained insight into the other perspective. To summarize, Shapiro’s main argument was as follows: the rhetoric that America is racist is false and is not backed up by evidence. People are stretching the truth to get this conclusion.
Shapiro followed this argument with many claims, which I will list out:
- Black people are not under threat every single day
- There is no data to show that white cops disproportionately shoot black people
- Police shootings and killings are not racially motivated
- When police encounter crime in a typically “high-crime” neighborhood, there is a high chance that the type of people living there will get shot and killed by the police
- A lot of “high-crime” neighborhoods happen to be black
- There is no evidence to show that black people are in danger or constantly targeted by the police
- America is a very safe country for black people. Crime has gone down so much since the 1960s and this can be seen through various sources on the Internet.
At first glance, I wrote these arguments off as privileged white people attempting to impose their own experiences and beliefs onto the black community by dictating how they should feel in today’s America. I stand by the idea that if you are not black, you have no place to say how black people should feel in this country. The same goes for women and any other minority. However, disregarding arguments is not what it means to start a conversation or educate people.
I understood why my friend thought the way that they did. They are someone who prioritizes factual arguments that are backed up by numbers and statistics. According to the data they have seen or been told through videos like Shapiro’s, there is no tangible evidence to suggest that black people are threatened in the United States or that police shootings and killings are racially motivated. From looking at the data and incidents through this lens, the conclusion was drawn that America is not inherently racist and that people are stretching the truth to make this argument.
This argument, however, misses a huge, huge point: Perspective.
The reason why these people don’t support the Black Lives Matter movement is because they are under the impression that black people in America are not oppressed. They believe that the evidence shows that black people in America are just as likely to be profiled as any other race and just as likely to be shot by the police as any other race. Because of this, claims of racism and social awareness are quick to be dismissed as “peak Leftism” and “exaggerated.” Rather than racist, I describe this viewpoint as blinded and ignorant.
Looking Through a Different Lens
One can say that because “high-crime” neighborhoods are typically black, it is only natural that these neighborhoods would attract the most police shootings, leading to more black lives being lost. But, why are “high-crime” neighborhoods typically black?
The answer is red-lining, a policy established in 1934 by the Federal Housing Administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This policy was created to decide who were chosen to receive home loans during the 1933 housing shortage crisis.
Red-lining refers to maps that separated predominantly black and minority “red” neighborhoods from predominantly white “green” neighborhoods, in which “green” neighborhoods could easily get home loans and “red” neighborhoods would not receive loans due to being “high-risk” for mortgage lenders.
The result of this racist policy was that the “green” neighborhoods were able to expand and increase property values so that families can sell their house for a larger one and send their children off to college, allowing future generations to experience a similar bright future.
“Red” neighborhoods were unable to expand due to the lack of funds. Even after laws were passed to make these discriminatory practices illegal, families still could not afford the quality goods or experiences that white, suburban families could afford. The result of this was modern-day segregation, where black and minority families are forced to send their children to underfunded schools while white, suburban families have the advantage of wealth and proper education. THIS is what leads to “typically black neighborhoods” having a “high crime rate.”
The argument that “high-crime” neighborhoods are typically black and it makes sense for more black people to be killed by the police is therefore an inherently racist statement. Decades of racist policy has led to this, so it cannot be written off as “it’s just the way things are.”
I reached out to my black friends to gain their insight, as well. What’s it like being black in America?
Fear, discomfort, and disadvantage were keywords spread throughout the many responses that I received.
One friend admitted that they feel afraid when they see police officers.
“Whenever I see them, I can’t help but think of the many deaths in the black community due to police brutality. In the past, when I was in the passenger’s seat while getting pulled over, all I could think about was how easily our lives could be stolen from us unjustly.”
Many friends said that they constantly feel a double standard to have to prove their competence to the people around them because they are black.
“You’re aware that you’re always going to be at a disadvantage, but you can’t do anything to change it.”
“I have to work three times as hard as my white counterparts and still have to prove myself to those around me. I have to be conscious of what I say and how I say it, because I often don’t want certain stereotypes to be imposed on me.”
Other friends referenced specific incidents.
“One time, I was pulled over at 2 a.m. for an illegal U-turn and I literally feared for my life. No one was around, so I figured that might be it for me.”
“I remember in 2012, around the time Trayvon Martin was murdered, my mom was pulled over by the police and my heart was pounding out of my chest.”
Someone commented about how the general public responds to the injustices of the black community.
“So many people around the nation are still ignorant and oblivious to our issues. People young and old turn a blind eye. They even justify it.”
Everyone who I interviewed recounted similar experiences of disliking their hair, skin, and features because of something they were told as a child. Everyone who I interviewed spoke on their frustrations about having their experiences diminished or invalidated. Everyone who I interviewed admitted that they do not feel safe in America.
I found Shapiro’s argument to be flawed because he based his argument that America is a safe country for black people solely on data and statistics that supported his conclusion. My friend who shared this viewpoint also referenced the idea that black conservatives hold a similar viewpoint and used this to invalidate the oppression the black community feels. By exclusively using the audience that is biased towards your perspective, you are skewing the data and therefore making your conclusion unreliable.
This is bad science. Shapiro failed to reference the data that shows that there is indeed an imminent threat for black people in America. Part of that missing data is the overall attitude among black Americans.
I realize that this may not seem like data because emotions are not considered numeric statistics that can be used to back up claims. But, qualitative data is proper data. You cannot make the argument that this country is safe for black Americans if you do not factor in the attitude among black Americans.
The Evidence (Yes, It Exists)
Still, it is false to say that no evidence exists to support the conclusion that black people are targeted more in police-related killings than other races. I compiled a plethora of evidence that I was originally going to include in this blog post, but it was too long.
To see concrete evidence that shows police kill unarmed black people more than any other race and how the current police training on excessive force encourages discriminatory practices, please refer to this link. I highly encourage people who want to get educated about this crisis to skim through the information.
This conversation stemmed from the vicious way peaceful protesters are being treated by the police. I saw five officers pin a black protester down and beat him to a pulp. I saw an officer mace a peaceful protester and kick them to the ground. I saw officers smile smugly at peaceful protesters as they held giant guns, mocking them. I saw a black teenager get on his knees and speak for what he believes in. He had his hands behind his head and he locked eyes with the police officers five feet in front of him. I saw three officers grab him by his arms and drag him away. I’ve seen a whole lot worse, which I am far too repulsed by to even write out.
The black community is screaming at the top of their lungs that they want to be heard. In response, they are being punished with tear-gas, mace, and rubber bullets. The government is turning a blind eye and painting them out to be monsters. The point is completely being missed.
Police brutality is the tip of the iceberg and it reveals a deeper, more prominent problem in the U.S. The normalization of discriminatory practices is what lies underneath. If you love your country, you will understand the mistakes that have been made and in turn advocate for change and the betterment of this country. But do not, under any circumstance, invalidate a person’s argument because you are too uncomfortable to read statistics that show the existing racism within this country.
There is evidence to show that many of these killings are racially motivated. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but it is the reality of our country. Acknowledge it and advocate against it instead of wasting time arguing that racism does not exist.
This is not a utopia. This is reality.
Ways to get involved:
