Not everything is a Righteous Cause

Recently I read an article on notalwaysworking.com about a person who quite literally saw everything as racist in some form or another. There was one thing in it that caught my attention, for she used a term I scorn, though it doesn't seem to be in the way it's normally used. The term she used is "reverse racist."

Now, the general usage of "reverse racism" is to refer to something that's discriminatory against white people. I know at one time it was a popular term for white supremacists to use, though they may have moved on since then. Anyway, the term is ridiculous, since it implies that "regular" racism is something only white people do. Ironically, that makes the term "reverse racism" itself a racist statement.

Urban Dictionary lists two different definitions for reverse racism. Obviously, since the site is basically a wiki and more often than not used as a joke, I'm not try to cite them as a valid source. But I do want to use it to illustrate the point I will be elaborating shortly. Here's the specific entry I'm referring to. Now, the first definition is the one I've been talking about, and even the guy posting it notes how silly it is. The second definition seems to make a bit more sense on the outside (reverse racism is favoring someone because of their race), but it smacks of dangerous implications. Besides, there's already a term for that; positive discrimination. Granted, that's not a whole lot better than reverse racism, but I don't want to go off on a tangent here.

I'm not going to discuss the other definitions offered, suffice it to say that I have my own idea of what reverse racism is, and that's what I'm here to discuss. Going back to my first link, I'd like to point out the second incident the poster described. He said that his co-worker, a self-described "Social Justice Warrior," was attempting to uplift a Hispanic custodian so he could rise above the menial work he was forced into. The man she was trying to free from the shackles of ignorance and hate pointed out a few flaws in her argument. One, he applied for the job he had. Two, he didn't mind sweeping floors for a living. Three, he's Hawaiian, not Hispanic.

None of these points made any dent in the Social Justice Warrior's armor. She started accusing him of perpetuating the problem, and stormed off in a huff because he wouldn't let her help him. Now, this is what I want to draw your attention too. Twice in her diatribe, she states that she can "help" him. Here's where my personal definition of reverse racism comes into play. I'm not going to fault her for thinking he was Hispanic. I have no idea what the guy looks like, and while I hope I could tell the difference between a Hispanic and a Pacific Islander, for all I know the guy may have looked Hispanic. No, what bothered me was the woman's insistence that the man needed her help. That he was powerless on his own to free himself from the shackles of (imagined) oppression.

Call it what you want; gall, arrogance, what have you. It just seems to me that it was mighty presumptuous of this person to think the custodian needed her help. That, to me, is reverse racism. The idea that minorities can't become equal unless Mighty Whitey swoops in to save the day. I call it reverse racism because she clearly didn't realize how racist she was being. I get the feeling the woman in that anecdote subconsciously operated under some racist beliefs herself, and was so shamed by it that she spent her waking hours attempting to end all injustice, real or imagined.

Now, I'm not saying that minorities aren't facing injustice. I'm not saying that they wouldn't be glad of help in creating social change. But the thought that those in the minority need those in the majority, that they can't do for themselves, is asinine and insulting. It's patronizing to say that they can't do for themselves without a flicker of light from the Great White Hope.

I guess what I'm saying is, be willing to lend a hand, but don't force it. And certainly don't get angry when your unasked for help is refused.

-Long Days and Pleasant Nights