A Few Notes on Race and Racism

    Race is now widely recognized as a scientifically invalid category, one without any substantial justification in human biology.   In fact, from a modern scientific vantage point, there is only one human “race,” and the biological constituents that are responsible for the perceived differences that are most commonly associated with “racial” differences (such as skin color) are no larger, if not in fact smaller, in number than those which are responsible for differences in eye color.  In other words, it makes equally if not greater logical sense, according to biological science, to divide people into a blue-eyed race, a brown-eyed race, a green-eyed race, a hazel-eyed race, etc. than it does into “white,” “black,” “brown,” “yellow,” and “red” (skinned) races.


    Nonetheless, “race” continues to maintain significant ideological meaning, as a marker of a socially perceived set of distinct attributes–and as something that has been culturally constructed by human beings to take on meanings that are not naturally inherent, necessary, or inevitable.   In other words, because human beings have recognized “races” where they do not naturally exist, we have effectively created the existence of these “races” as significant forms of cultural identity and difference.   Ideas and beliefs about racial identity and difference continue to exercise powerful influences and impacts over most people’s lives throughout the world to this day, even if no biological basis exists to justify these ideas and beliefs.   So, representations of “race” in film, video, and moving-culture deserve critical attention–because these can significantly affect how people do make sense of and engage with people they recognize as members of both their own and of different “races.”   Classically, and still to a considerable degree to this day, Hollywood has tended to represent Whites as dominant or superior and “Non-Whites” as subordinate or inferior (most often without this being the deliberate, conscious intent of the film makers–as this way of representing “White versus Non-White” corresponds to dominant ways of thinking, understanding, and relating already pervasive throughout White-dominant American society and culture; film representations work to reinforce, and strenthen, these preexisting ways of thinking, understanding, and relating.)   What is important in critically analyzing these representations (of “race” in American film) is to inquire into precisely how these films represent what distinguishes different races, as well as why so, even when representation of these distinctions is implicit rather than explicit.  Also important is to critically analyze what makes an ethnic group “white”–as well as “how more versus less white” this group is represented to be versus other ethnic groups–as these understanding of what “whiteness” includes (and excludes) have changed over time and do vary across space (as you read in America on Film, Irish, Italians, and Jews have all been widely regarded as “Non-White” at various times in American history).  


    Most often “racism” is conceived of, at least commonsensically, as overt prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry–as the label that corresponds to people actively hating people of a particular (other) race.   Yet this (overt hatred) is only a small part of what racism includes, only the most obviously visible surface form of racism.   Racism is, in short, more than a matter of individual or group attitude and action.   Institutional, or structural, or system-structural racism refers to a systemic pattern of disparity, on average, between members of different racial groups in terms of their relative access to, and relative opportunity to exercise (to make use of), general social resources, powers, and capacities.  It refers to systemic patterns of relative inequality in representation within institutions, and in levels or degrees of income, wealth, status, power, freedom, self-determination, etc.   For instance, it means systemic patterns of greater poverty, homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, and lack of adequate health care or health insurance among Blacks versus Whites (as well as lower levels of educational enrollment and attainment, as well as lower levels of those working skilled and professional and managerial jobs, etc. on the part of Blacks versus Whites)–where the % of the total Black population in lower positions along each of these lines is considerably greater than the % of the total White population in the same lower positions and where the total % of those in lower positions along these lines who are Black versus those who are White is considerably higher than the total Black % of the overall population.   In the case of institutional racism, racial inequalities and racial disparities are deeply entrenched, and they do not necessarily need to be supported by any conscious, deliberate, overt manifestation of prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry.   What this means is that, in a White-dominant society, on average, in more relations and contexts than not, “Whiteness” gives “White” people an unsolicited, unchosen, and largely unnoticed, as well as unconscious, social advantage relative to what “Blackness” gives “Black” people.   White people are complicit with an institutionally racist social system as long as they simply accept the advantages their Whiteness gives them without any question, challenge, or critique (without attempting to do anything at all to change this state of affairs)–especially when they accept the advantages their Whiteness gives them as simply their rightful, even natural, due.   It is often very difficult for a dominant group to recognize its dominant position, including the kinds of advantages this offers (especially subtle ones), but it’s worth thinking about, because “Whiteness” is a racial category too–and our “Whiteness” does represent a significant social position that all of us “White” people do occupy.   This Whiteness does entail real, material implications and consequences for what we do and don’t do, as well as can and cannot do, when, where, how, why, with and versus whom, as part of the larger society of which we are a part.