There are several inherent issues with your statements. I’ll start at the beginning.
“To assume that everyone benefits from racism is in itself racist”.
This statement makes no sense. A general definition of racism is the belief that one’s race is a determining factor of superiority or inferiority. The commenter made no such assertion that everyone benefits from racism. It is true, however that White Americans do.
You may not understand how you benefit but here’s one quick example. If you have no fear of calling the police when you need help because you may be killed even though you were the victim, you benefit from a racist system that automatically sees Black and Brown people at perpetrators.
If you have never been denied access to housing, jobs, loans, or schools based on the color of your skin, you have also benefited from a racist system that continues to discriminate against people of color.
I could go on, but the fact that you have been allowed to exist on a playing field that is not actively working against you makes it hard for you to understand those of us who deal with racism daily.
What IS racist is for anyone who has benefited from the current institutionalized systems of racism to oppose any suggestions that allows all people the same benefits you have experienced.
DEI does not give an unfair leg up to anyone. It simply levels this uneven playing field that has existed since my ancestors were brought here in shackles.
Your ancestors came here willingly so you have had the advantage over my people since the start of your lineage. You can’t possibly believe that America has become a fair and equitable society in less than 200 years when the enslavement of my people lasted longer than that. It doesn’t make logical sense.
There are no ghosts of racism. Racism is very much alive and well and the comments on this very article in 2024 are proof of that.
It’s not about left and right. It’s about racists and those who oppose it.
If you haven’t taken advantage of the systemic racism that was designed to ensure that you as a white male can achieve great heights in America, you should probably get in the game or do a better job of educating yourself.
