And while we’re on the subject, we may as well be clear that there is no such thing as an interracial relationship. All relationships between and among human beings are intra-racial.
Q: But I grew up in an all-White neighborhood and hardly ever even saw any Black people, so there wasn’t any racism, so I can’t be racist!
A: Gosh, I grew up in an all-White neighborhood and hardly ever saw any Black people, because Black people only came into our neighborhood to work in someone else’s house or pick up our trash, and my all-White neighborhood was saturated with White racism. Our lovely Whitopias are the very embodiment of White racism. Just look around you, kid. Notice who’s not living here? Notice who is, and who therefore deserves to live here, in this nice neighborhood? Perhaps, just possibly, you may have forgotten all the White-racist jokes and vicious lies about Black people that got told in your nice White neighborhood, not to mention the visible discomfort of the adults you knew, some of whom may have been very nice White liberals, in the presence of those few Black people allowed to come in and clean up our messes. I haven’t. White people are steeped in White racism in our lovely Whitopias.
Q: What about reverse racism?
A: Apart from racism being rooted in the belief that there is more than one human race, there is no such thing as reverse racism. We have had this conversation before. White racism is prejudice plus power.
Of course, anyone may be a bigot. And bigotry coming from people assigned a low slot in the kyriarchy and aimed at people meant to be higher up is bound to be decried with the most horrified of pearl-clutching, because if there’s anyone who is not allowed to be a bigot, it’s an intended target of everyone else’s bigotry. In fact, any time there seems to be a double standard at work, the easiest way to suss it out is simply by asking: Does it support the kyriarchy, or does it challenge the kyriarchy? If it supports the kyriarchy, the most egregious behavior is acceptable, even laudable. If it challenges the kyriarchy, the mildest expression of prejudice is absolutely unacceptable! Disgraceful! Atrocious!
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