Is It Racist?

As everyone knows, we live in the Offended Age. What do I mean by that? I mean that everyone is getting offended by everything. Now do not get me wrong, there is a lot in the world to be offended over: hate crimes, hate speech, racism, sexism, antisemitism, and any other sort of discriminatory "-ism". And in many cases, the offense that people take is justified. What may seem unoffensive on paper, or on a screen, may have been said with a clear tone of hate or discrimination. So let me be clear, before I go any further, that I recognize that these elements are still prevalent in our society. I also acknowledge that, being a white, American male, I have a relatively sheltered exposure. While I have experienced discrimination for being Jewish, I have not had the same history of racism in the U.S. that many of my friends have.

With that said, I cannot help but wonder if there is a point where, by proclaiming something as racist, you become the racist. Here's an interesting example. A week or so ago, Ellen Degeneres came under scrutiny for posting this photo:

The caption for the photo was "This is how I'm running errands from now on." Of course, the internet blew the fuck up, talking about how it is racist for a black man to be carrying a white woman around to do errands. Ellen Degeneres has since replied to the backlash stating that she acknowledges that racism exists, but that she is not a racist. And so this becomes the conundrum.

From a historical context, this can easily be seen as racist. Given the history of slavery in America, it is no stretch of the imagination that a black slave may have once been forced to carry his/her white owner to go places. On the other hand, Ellen Degeneres posted the picture without a thought about race. Yes, I realize that this is assuming Ellen is speaking the truth, when she says that she does not hold prejudice. For the sake of this discussion, we will keep to this premise. In doing so, we can assume that Ellen would have made a similar post if it were any other person, regardless of race. The brings up the question: If it were a white, Asian, or Latino person, would there have been as much outrage?

And this brings me to the question. Is the picture, itself, racist? Or is it the interpretation of the picture that is racist? And if it is the interpretation that is racist, then who should be reprimanded? The more I think about it, the more I have come to believe that there is a point where, in an attempt to prevent racism, people will actually perpetuate it. Take a look at this interview with Morgan Freeman, from 2005. It is only a minute-ish long, but it highlights the point.

While I have zero intention of minimizing the impact that racism has on people, I do want to call attention to the fact that we - as a society - need to push past it. This does not mean that we need to turn a blind eye. There are still countless scenarios of racism in everyday life. It seems like there is a new video per week, showing a white police officer profiling and/or killing a black person. In those cases, where the racism is very real, a spotlight needs to be shined. In that same light, however, we need to see where the discrimination is fabricated. And when I say fabricated, I mean that it is assumed by the person offended. And I can hear it now. "You're victim blaming." "You would say that, whitey." Well for those that are about to get their pitchforks, fuck you. I am not saying that the offended person has no right to be offended. I am saying that they may be calling something racist when it really isn't.

I can give another example. I like to rip on people. My buddy Jacques likes to say that I can "throw shade". Now as a 5'6" white boy, I don't think anyone would ever use me for shade. I reflect light and I am too damn short to provide any sun cover. With that said, I am happy to talk shit about anyone or anything. Why? Because I can. And when I talk shit, I do not discriminate. I mean seriously. I literally just ripped on myself. And I think I am a fucking champion. Now let me ask you a question. Let's say I start in on a rant and insult everyone. I start making fun of every group of people, except for one. Let's imagine I make fun of every group of people, except for Latinos. At that point, I would be guilty of discrimination. Someone would then either yell at me for being racist ("Orale, we aren't good enough for you to diss, bro?"), or they would yell at me for giving preferential treatment ("Yo, what makes the Latinos so special?"). So how do I get around that? I insult every motherfucker out there. Bring it. I ignore race. I ignore religion. If I rip on one ethnic group, you bet your ass that I will rip on the rest of them.

By separating out what I say or do, for fear of offending a group of people, I immediately transition into discrimination. I am literally discriminating between groups of people. That's why I rip on everyone. That's why I don't think the picture of Ellen and Usain Bolt is racist. I think it was a joke about going to the store, and some people were sensitive to the imagery. Are they wrong to be sensitive? No.

In any event, this story has been sitting with me for a while. It's interesting to see where this balance is between intent and interpretation. Feel free to comment with opinions.