Reverse racism

What an odd term. I first heard it about 25 years ago in BC when a ruling came down that companies had to have a certain percentage of minorities on their payroll. It was a Government effort to fight racism that did not go over so well with anyone. The term reverse racism meant that someone was hired because they were a minority not because they were the best person for the job. White males felt that if they applied for the same job as a black man and a black woman the black woman would get the job no mater who had the better skills. Minorities did not like it because it made them feel they got jobs because of their skin color, sex or religion not because they could do the job. People on both sides of the issue stated the person with the best skills or abilities should get the job no mater what their sex, religion or skin color.

I recently heard the term reverse racism being used to describe anyone who is not white being racist toward white people. As if white people had the corner on racism and anything else is reverse racism. I don’t care which side of the fence you are on, racism is racism! Putting the word reverse in front of it does not change it, clean it up, or make it right. So you have a lot of hate and anger toward white people because of their racism toward you and you have become racist against them. Calling it reverse racism does not change that it is still racism. You feel that you have very good reasons for your anger and hate and why you are racist. Every person who is a racist feels the same way you do, that his or her reasons justifies their actions and their racism. It still does not make it right.

Racism has been around as long as mankind has been. It has always been us against them when it came to survival. It is just how most people are wired: you are part of us or one of them. There is no such thing as reverse racism; it is just a term being used to justify racism. They were racist toward me and mine so now I am racist against them. It does make some sense, this group of people treated me badly and now I dislike anyone I see as being a part of that group. Yet at the same time makes no sense because not every one that can be placed in that group has ever harmed you. Also most people who are discriminated against are angry because someone could or would not see past their sex, religion or skin color and used it to judge them and their abilities. Why would it make any sense to do the exact same thing that was done you to someone else?

I don’t think I will ever understand racism. I can say that I have experience a type of racism or more accurately discrimination. I grew up very poor, in a home without religion but lots of drugs. Of all things to be discriminated against it was because I was not raised Christen. I did not go to church so I was not a good person and therefore could not play with their children. What an unchristian like attitude for a bunch of Christen adults to take toward a child. Of course I was also discriminated against because we were poor and my mom was a hippy and arrested for drugs. But it was the “Your not a Christen” attitude that stands out because it made no sense, there was no logic involved just anger and hate. Racism is not about skin color, people will find a reason to hate or blame their problems on someone because they are different in some way. If a person needs to find a reason to put others down to make themselves feel better they will find a reason to justify why that person is less then them. It may be skin color, sex, religion, what school they went to, what country they were born in, their job or paycheck. No matter what label or justification they put on it, it is still racism or discrimination.