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Columns
Who Can Be ‘Racist’?
By Michelle I. Gao, Crimson Opinion Writer
Michelle I. Gao ’21, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Adams House. Her column appears on alternate MOST READ
Thursdays.
August 10, 2018
1. Jokes That Aren’t Funny: Racism and
Harassment in Student Traditions
It bemuses me that some absolve non-white people of racism. They declare
point-blank, “It’s literally impossible to be racist to a white person.” “Racism 2. Freshmen Skew Wealthy, As Always.
Harvard Isn't Helping.
against white people doesn’t exist.”
3. What the Hell Happened: Kanye Leaks
I suppose that as an Asian American, I would qualify as a recipient of this Drake’s Address, Drake Leaks Diss Track
exemption. While that could be convenient, I don’t think I — or any other 4. Who Can Be ‘Racist’?
872
person of color — should deserve such an exemption. I’m sure, for example,
5. What’s New? What’s Gone? A Look at 12
that I can be racist (I imagine some might call me that from reading this Businesses in Harvard Square
column), and I’d like to be engaged in conversation if I mess up, perhaps by
making a distasteful remark.
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The debate about whether all people can be racist stems from different
definitions of “racism.” One camp subscribes to the standard dictionary
definition: racism is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed
against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is
superior.” There are no restrictions on which races can be the instigators and
what magnitude of disdain counts as “superiority.”

Another camp thinks primarily of institutional racism and factors in a person’s

power to use their racist beliefs against others. As one African-American lead
character from the 2014 movie “Dear White People” argues, “Black people
can’t be racist. Prejudiced, yes, but not racist. Racism describes a system of
disadvantage based on race. Black people can’t be racists since we don’t stand
to benefit from such a system.”

What a convoluted way to absolve oneself of possible racist fault. Under this
definition, yes, black individuals can’t be racist. The system is rigged in favor
of white people, who have traditionally been in power. But the strange
implication of this statement is that being called “prejudiced” isn’t as bad as
being called a “racist” — although racism can manifest itself as prejudice, and
though prejudice surely is not desired either. So Sam’s argument achieves the
linguistic triumph of avoiding the label “racist,” but that’s about it.

This argument’s main point — that minorities can’t be racist because they have
no power to act on such antagonism — is also reductive. We shouldn’t have to
take stock of each other’s race and relative power in society before making a
judgment on an act itself. We shouldn’t have to condone prejudice or
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But the tweets were pretty racist. I didn’t see the point of those insisting that
Jeong’s tweets weren’t racist at all and that she had nothing to apologize for,
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Kate's Recent Out-t Is Causing A Stir.

Can You See What Everyone Spotted?
Because there’s no scenario in which racism is not a bad thing. If some
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extremists won’t engage in good faith, we can’t force them. But at least among
the rest of us, we can do better. We shouldn’t need to compare how a possible ADVERTISEMENT
act of racism would differ if perpetrated against blacks, whites, or Asians just
to understand if it’s wrong. We shouldn’t allow some people to indulge in their
racism just because they may not have any power to systematically
discriminate against other groups. Let’s acknowledge the existence of so-called
“reverse racism” and the existence of degrees of racism. Otherwise, discourse
around race will become a race to the bottom.

Michelle I. Gao ’21, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Adams House. Her
column appears on alternate Thursdays.

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Hieronymus Machine − ⚑
3 years ago

Heather Mac Donald, writing for the National Review (Sarah Jeong Is a Boring, Typical
Product of the American Academy) notes:

"It is not hated conservative whites who are trying to exclude highly qualified Asians, it is
Jeong’s would-be allies in the social-justice movement."

"The only interesting thing about Jeong’s otherwise banal regurgitations of academic
theory is her status as an Asian social-justice warrior who identifies with POCs (persons of
color) rather than with whites: For the enforcers of academic “diversity,” however, Asians
do not count as POCs; they are in the same sorry basket of deplorables as whites. Whether
at selective colleges and universities such as Harvard or selective K–12 schools such as
New York City’s Stuyvesant High School, the diversocrats seek to artificially suppress the
number of Asians in order to make space for officially designated “students of color.” By
this definition, to be a student of color is to not be academically competitive; since Asians
are more than competitive, they cannot be students of color. And the way to keep their
numbers down is to require them to meet much higher academic standards of admission
than students of color, who are admitted with standardized test scores and GPAs that
would be automatically disqualifying for an Asian."
52 △ ▽ 1 Reply
Sam87351 > Hieronymus Machine − ⚑
9 months ago

"Asians do not count as POCs; they are in the same sorry basket of deplorables as
whites."

I don't know about that. In 1923, Takao Ozawa was denied citizenship by the Supreme
Court on the basis that he wasn't a "white" person. Asians didn't get the vote until 1952.
There was the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. During WWII, Japanese Americans were
put in internment camps, but at the same time, the most highly decorated American
military unit in all of WWII was the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which was almost
entirely Japanese-American troops. Just saying.

You mean today's white people? I didn't know white people (much less Asians) were
deplorable? For what? I can understand if you're a "colonial" white person. But if your
family just got here last week...

What's the deal with that?

3△ ▽ 5 Reply
AnonymouseIsAWoman > Sam87351 − ⚑
16 days ago

Asians voted in many areas well before 1952. Wing F. Ong was elected to the Arizona
House of Representatives in 1946. Kurt Lee became a Marine Officer in 1944. I think
you all need to chill out.

I do not see encouraging racism as advantageous to anyone other than politicians

who wish to divide us and so conquer us.
2△ ▽ Reply

Ashley Hughes > Hieronymus Machine − ⚑

3 years ago

Social justice warrior: It's a tired phrase, and how is it a bad thing?
5△ ▽ 18 Reply
Jack Sharpe > Ashley Hughes − ⚑
3 years ago edited

SJW is not per se, a bad think. After all, if you don’t favor ‘Social Justice’ what do you
favor, ‘Social Injustice’?. However, In the USA (and the West in general). SJW has an
entirely different meaning. SJW means membership in a cult that rejects reason,
logic, science, and even basic decency in favor of hate, bigotry, and racism. PC hate,
bigotry, and racism to be sure. Like, it or not, SJW is the Lysenkoism of our time.
The original Lysenkoism was avowedly Marxist (although some Marxist biologists
rejected it). SJW ideology is based on Cultural Marxism. Times change, the war on
reason doesn’t.

SJW ideology rants and raves about the “College Rape Epidemic” that actual
statistics disprove. Do the facts matter? Of course, not. SJW ideology rants and raves
about “systematic white racism and supremacy”. That fact that the richest groups in
America are non-white doesn’t undermine this element of faith in the slightest. SJW
ideology rants and raves about “right wing cuts in social spending”. That fact that
social spending has soared (by all measures) doesn’t matter in the slightest. SJW
ideology caterwauls about “underfunded public schools”. That fact that public school
spending (by all measure) has soared over the last few decades is ignored.

I could expand this forever. For example, SJWs are notoriously hostile to biology.
Quote from Razib Kahn see more

"To△give▽
39 5 Reply example of how far this goes, there are many liberal Left people
a concrete
who won’t
RonevenDuncanaccede> to the proposition that men are, on average, stronger in terms
of upper body
Jack Sharpe − ⚑
2 years agostrength than women. A few years ago this came up on social media,
where
This is awhy
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I think has there
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significant difference university,
between even
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expressed
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activism from when
a half I was trying
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ago - and whatherexists
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open
it istonow.
behavioral
differences between the sexes by starting with something I thought she would at
leastsure
I'm agreethat
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enough timeWhencompiling
I saw the alack
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be ratherThis
lengthy.
was basically
The pointface
though
to face
is found
with in
Left Creationism."
your summation. It's ideological rather than reasonable.
10 △ ▽ line is that SJW thinking is ideological cult based on faith (along with
Reply
The bottom
healthyHaywood
doses of hate and bigotry).
Jablowme SJW is a synonym for evil.
> Jack Sharpe − ⚑
2 years ago

So true Jack.
2△ ▽ Reply
WiserWords2 > Jack Sharpe − ⚑
2 years ago

Ever notice that only members of the group that implemented and benefited from
racist and sexist policies, try to make the concept of social justice negative?
8△ ▽ 14 Reply
Trevor Sedis > WiserWords2 − ⚑
a year ago

Ever notice that non-white racists use word games to pretend they aren't racists?

Do you think SJWs want "justice" andy more than North Korea is "democratic"
based on its name?
11 △ ▽ Reply
Boston andMe > Trevor Sedis − ⚑
6 months ago

At least white racists publicly admit they're racist.

Non-white racists think they fight for equality and are patted on the back by
mainstream media
6△ ▽ Reply

Sam87351 > WiserWords2 − ⚑

9 months ago

Yep. Same as always.

It's just like when black people were enslaved, they weren't considered dangerous.
And they were oppressed and brutalized by their enslavers. But as soon as
slaveowners had to release them, all of a sudden, they're the most dangerous people
on earth.

Of course the people who owned slaves controlled newspapers and media outlets so
they painted themselves as peaceful and loving and compassionate. And they painted
formerly enslaved people as violent monsters.

Watch out! They'll rape all our women and eat our children!
1△ ▽ 6 Reply
LostInUnderland > Jack Sharpe − ⚑
a year ago

Can you please link me to supporting information for "the richest groups in America
are non-white"? My google search does not support that.
3△ ▽ 4 Reply
Steve Gregg > LostInUnderland − ⚑
a year ago

Take a look at how Caribbean and Nigerian blacks fare with respect to whites. Hint:
They do better.
6△ ▽ Reply
LostInUnderland > Steve Gregg − ⚑
10 months ago

Do you have a link to support that information?

1△ ▽ 5 Reply
owl > LostInUnderland − ⚑
10 months ago

Pew Research and other sources show that annual income among the Asian
community is higher. I have seen it in other resources as well. The US Census also
shows this information
5△ ▽ Reply
Kevin Campbell > LostInUnderland − ⚑
2 months ago

The doctor at the clinic is Nigerian. I have been to three different hospitals in south
Florida and finally I found a white GI doctor. He was the only one that would help
me. Without him backing me I would have died from internal bleeding. The other
doctors were mostly from India judging by accent or the islands. Coincidence? Is
that really what we want in America?
3△ ▽ 1 Reply

Banananana > Ashley Hughes − ⚑

2 years ago

“Social justice warrior” just means someone who fights for social justice, right? And
“National Socialist” just describes someone who has a preference for a socialist
nation, right? No, I’m not comparing SJWs to Nazis. I’m simply saying that a name
is just a name; it doesn’t necessarily tell you what people do. SJWs are a pretty toxic
bunch, and I say that as someone who spent most of his life being thought of as the
most liberal guy in the room.
12 △ ▽ Reply
Nunya Beeswax > Banananana − ⚑
2 years ago

Their version of "social justice" more often than not is more like social revanchism.
9△ ▽ Reply

SunnyDandThePurpleStuff > Ashley Hughes − ⚑

2 years ago

I would describe it as oversimplifying and calling for action based on an

oversimplified world view in which most political and socioeconomic situations can
be broken down to male vs female, white vs poc, and straight vs lgbt when situations
are more complex than that.
7△ ▽ Reply
Mike > Ashley Hughes − ⚑
2 years ago

Social justice is not justice at all.

11 △ ▽ 2 Reply

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