I Don’t Care if You’re Racist

Let’s be clear, I have no issue with you being a racist. I’m also not saying I’m going to sit here and accept it either. If you want to sit around making racist jokes among your bigoted friends and family who won’t call you out, go ahead. If you find joy being a hateful bastard behind closed doors, feel free. But the second you publicly attack or harass any person of color, that’s when we in civil society begin to take issue with your repugnant beliefs.

I write about systemic racism a lot. From environmental racism to disparities in healthcare to the lack of economic opportunities for communities of color. Aside from climate change, systemic inequality and racial injustice are the most important issues of our time. The purposeful use of race and ethnicity as a control to deny access to resources is as pervasive as ever. They are issues that have impacted every aspect of American society for centuries and still do today.

Much of my work focuses on political rhetoric that is often used to drive racial inequality through policy; how the history of American policing and the criminal justice system is used to oppress underserved communities; how systemic racism is used to deny people of color the same economic opportunities as whites; how racial inequality leads to crimes of desperation; how environmental racism is used against minority communities.

Racial and ethnic oppression in America is far from binary. We live in an economy that is largely based on ideas that we’re all in a race to the proverbial top. These views often leave majority populations feeling as though providing equal footing for minorities threatens their economic advantages. It’s one of many fears that conservative policy agendas have immortalized — driving hate using dog-whistle politics. Far-right campaigns of division are easy to sell and easy to win.

While all of the systemic issues mentioned here are certainly worth discussing, what I really don’t care about is an individual’s racist beliefs. Your personal views are of no concern to me. If you want to walk around and think you’re better than everyone because you’re white (or whatever), fine. It doesn’t make you right. We all know that those prejudices represent a fear of participating in an inclusive society.

Members of civil society, such as myself, serve as constant reminders of just how wrong you are. Your freedom of speech does not grant you freedom from consequences (as many of you are learning by sharing your hateful beliefs online). Look, you can think what you want. I’m not here to be the thought police. The fact is, you know your beliefs are wrong on every level yet you choose to believe as you do. You don’t care. It’s called willful ignorance and you’re clearly fine with being labeled as such because you refuse to do the work that proves you wrong.

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