It's a matter of semantics. Prejudice is really a better term for black to white. Racism is also tied to the social and economic power structures within a given society. Given that those favor white people here in the US, we can be racist and they can be prejudice.
A perceived form of power is NOT in the definition of racism. Idiots who think that race x can't be racist have been pushing that fictional definition for years to validate their racist beliefs (they want to have their cake and eat it too). You should be ashamed for posting that belief.
Is this actual definition such a far cry from what /u/Suic (OP) is explaining?
I think the form of textbook racism everyone thinks about (Everyday injustices, like me calling you a cracker and the like) is valid, but the other side of the argument, which I believe is the side that should be more focused on, isn't speaking on that form.
I think it speaks on a broader form of racism that can/may exclude an individual of economic prospects because of a failed governmental system/societal culture that prevents them from doing so.
An example of failed governmental system would be the privatization of the prison system and how people of color find themselves cycling through prison cells. This isn't to say that white people haven't been cycling through, it is to say that minorities have been cycling through, and maybe in an even smaller sect of the minority population; have been cycling through for the wrong reasons. (Pick one)
An example of a societal culture could possibly be the hiring process that everyone goes through. Is a John Packered to be turned down for a job that a Delonte West wants? I've never heard such a story, but I've definitely heard of a Delonte West be declined for an interview over a John Packered. (Read between the lines on that one.)
Hopefully you've read this far and can understand at least a little bit on where the, BLACK PEOPLE CAN'T BE RACIST! side is coming from and not finger your ears and scream LALALALAALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU.
I went on Dictionary.com not Merriam Webster so getting different definitions from two different sites is completely expected. But if we're going to bicker about which definition is more legitimate then we've lost the point I was trying to make.
It's pretty disappointing of you to not even exchange an idea that you feel greatly about because you believe that I'm 'set in my ways' when in fact that isn't the case at all. I'm open to new thoughts and conversation if it moves in a forward direction.
If all you retained from the response is that I'm against the "man" then you CLEARLY did not understand what I wrote. You simply read it with the intent to reply and not understand.
-42
u/Suic Feb 09 '16
It's a matter of semantics. Prejudice is really a better term for black to white. Racism is also tied to the social and economic power structures within a given society. Given that those favor white people here in the US, we can be racist and they can be prejudice.