A breakdown of systematic racism

One of the reasons people treat black men like they are automatically criminals is because that is how our society paints them. Systematic racism (practices entrenched in established institutions that harm certain racial groups) shows up in every element of society - for example the media which often portrays black men as thugs and dangerous criminals. 

We watch the media and subconsciously absorb the messages we receive. When these messages are not challenged we develop stereotypes and unconscious bias (learned stereotypes that are automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained, universal, and able to influence behavior).

Unconscious bias leads to microaggressions (a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).

Have you ever heard terms like "black people speak" or "black people music"? I have. These terms are offensive and an example of a racial microaggression because they assume that all black people behave in a certain way. When you stereotype people you strip them of their humanity.

Racism and prejudice (to pre judge someone) cannot exist in the light. Of course there are extremists who will hate no matter what, but most modern day racism exists and persists because of ignorance. 

Things like what is systemic discrimination, what is racism (not the general glossed over theory of simply hating someone but all of its nuances), what is stereotyping and why is it harmful....these are not taught in our education system. Neither, by and large, is "Black history" or "First Nations history". I use quotes because these things are actually parts of CANADIAN history. So why are they excluded?

You guessed it, another form of systemic racism...this time showing up in our education system. 

Media and education are just two examples of institutions that practice systematic racism.

So how do these two examples matter? How do they gel together?  Because we have a society that is founded on the concept of white male superiority - even the beauty industry is Eurocentric and tells us in big and small ways that white features are more attractive than non-white features. These concepts are numerous and often invisible to white people. 

How does this translate into so many black men dying and living in fear for their lives?

You have the media as one example of how we are fed a steady diet of stereotypes. These stereotypes ingrain themselves into our minds on a subconscious level and lead us to hold views and act in ways that we may not realize. Unconscious prejudice and microaggressions pave the way for more overt prejudice. For example- if it's acceptable to say something "harmless" like "black people talk"  then it must also be ok to believe (even unconsciously) that black people can't speak proper English and are uneducated,  right? Do you see how something seemingly small and harmless and maybe even under your radar grows?

Unconsciously the media has been convincing us that black men are dangerous, uneducated thugs for years. Unconsciously we have internalized that message and our knee jerk reaction to seeing a black man - especially one who is physically intimidating - is fear.

Without being educated on the issue we most likely don't realize that we could have unconscious biases...or even that racism still exists at all. Without education, we are left to the mercy of the stereotypes society ingrains in us, only we don't recognize a stereotype for what it is - judging a human being before you get to know them.

Putting these two examples together, I hope you can begin to see how a black man in this society...in 2020, is at increased risk. Society tells us over and over again that black men are dangerous. With a lack of education and in the absence of deep conversations about these issues, there is nothing to challenge what society tells us.

This is how a person who is seemingly decent confronts a person of colour and calls the cops when the POC isn't doing anything wrong. This is how black men are automatically viewed as being dangerous. Cops are people too and not immune to the effects of unconscious bias. But police have guns. If they show up and see a black man who has been accused of something, is it really that much of a stretch that their first fear based reaction would be to shoot first and ask questions later?

I don't think anyone agrees with what happened to George Floyd. But don't forget police violence toward black people is common. Violence, hatred and fear of black people are common. Violence, hatred and fear are deeply rooted in ignorance and seemingly harmless stereotyping.

It's not enough to just be a good person who doesn't judge based on race, because others do and may not even realize they are doing so. I see a lot of people asking what they can do to help. Listen, educate yourself, ask questions and speak up. Take what you have learned and teach others. Don't assume because you don't see anything everything is fine. If you know a person of colour, ask them about their experiences - they might not want to talk to you about it but don't take that personally. People of colour are tired. Some may not want to go there...again. But some might.

When you know better, you can do better. And the more people that stand up and say 'that's not cool' when they hear things like 'black people talk' or 'must be check day', the more people will see stereotyping and then more overt racism is not acceptable. And the less stereotyping and overt racism are accepted, the less we will tolerate people doing things like calling the cops on a black person for no reason at all.

I know it feels like what we say or do isn't important. But it is.

Listen. Learn. Speak up. You never know, you might help save someone's life.

My post was inspired by this moving video.

***As always, please share!***