>>127805535>can’t be considered similar ethnic groupsSure, Once systemic and institutional racism no longer exists in America. Once black and brown people aren’t killed and imprisoned at a much higher rate than white people for the same crimes. Once Asian Americans aren’t accosted one the street simply for their race and told to go back to their country. We live in a system where systemic racism constantly benefits white people are constantly disadvantages minorities. Simply because a black president was elected doesn’t just magically erase racism, and arguably we are in a more racist society today than we were in 2012.
First, the systems and institutions that make up the United States inherently benefit white people (and also men) more than others. We can look at current data, like wealth distribution, or incarceration rates; historical data, such as the G.I. Bill after WW2; we can look at who represents us, who rises to the top of a given field, and how we talk about minorities and people of color, not to mention issues of policing, food deserts, and general “outsiderhood” that Americans of color are subjected to. This is first because if we don’t agree on this foundational piece, we won’t agree on anything that follows.
Second, if we agree that our systems and institutions are arranged in ways that benefit white people to the detriment of others, we can start to reckon with the long term effects of that system on the people who it does not benefit. One thing we can “zoom in” on is that people of color and other minorities are subjected to much more stress and duress for simply existing than I have to engage with as a white man. One persistent and clear example of this is that I can be reasonably sure that if I get pulled over for speeding, I will be able to leave that interaction without arrest or bodily harm.
