The psychology behind “reverse racism”

Alyson Gad, Reporter

Racism defined; prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. A common misconception of that term is the assumption that racism is plainly a mentality, or set of ideals. Racism holds history, its an unfair power dynamic between two rightfully equal human beings. Racism is not reversible.  

Black Americans won the war against slavery in 1865. 154 years ago, within the range of two to three generations, slavery was the norm. When slavery was outlawed, those human beings were still not treated as such for many years to come. They were not given the right to vote until 1870, whereas white people have had that right forever (excluding the issue of women’s suffrage, that’s a whole different conversation). Racism is not reversible.  

Black Americans dealt with prejudice, discrimination, antagonism for an entire century after slavery was abolished, and it was legal. The war against the obvious evil-racism-continues on to present day. Racism is not reversible.  

Racism is being restricted of doing daily activities, being targeted or feeling unsafe due to the color of one’s skin. Racism is not getting insulted on twitter. Assuming one’s rights will be restricted once another’s are realized is not racism. “Black Lives Matter” is not “white lives don’t matter” but rather, all lives matter but remember black lives matter too 

Often people tend to favor the status quo, or what is familiar to them. Without realizing it this status quo can turn into a social order norm. That norm; white people having a higher status, had an abrupt halt in 2008 when Barrack Obama was elected as President. This inflicted unconscious fear upon white people, and was the first major example of balance in the social hierarchy.  

Without dismissing the behavior, psychology is able to explain-to an extent-why white people are so inclined to declare something is racist. Its purely because they think their social status or position in life is threatened. A common misconception is that what is current is equal and fair. The sad truth is that equality- in every single sense of the word- is at the end of a road we only just embarked on.