Results: Do You Understand The Difference Between Racism And Prejudice?

To fully understand the systemic racism that is prevalent in both the U.S. and Canada, it is first important to know exactly what racism is. Racism is not believing you are better than another for some reason. That's actually prejudice. Racism is prejudice plus power -- primarily influence, status and authority. Since arriving on North American soil, white people have used their power to create preferential access to survival rights and resources (housing, education, jobs, voting, citizenship, food, health, legal protection, etc.) for white people while simultaneously impeding people of colour's access to these same rights and resources. This is racism -- do you understand the difference between racism and prejudice?

Prejudice is when a person negatively pre-judges another person or group without getting to know the beliefs, thoughts, and feelings behind their words and actions. A person of any racial group can be prejudiced towards a person of any other racial group. There is no power dynamic involved. Though "reverse racism" is a term often thrown out, it has never existed in North America. White people are the only racial group to have ever established and retained power here. What we may refer to incorrectly as "reverse racism" is prejudice, or even bigotry (which is usually prejudice plus discrimination). Do you consider yourself prejudice or have you yourself been the victim of prejudice?

In today's world, it is very important to understand that systemic racism has been around for years, but just because it is part of our countries' histories, that does not mean that it has to be repeated in our countries' present or future. Movies, TV shows, literature, monuments all contain racist examples of our past, and being aware of these and understanding, not the significance, but the atrocities, can be one way of eliminating systemic racism in our lifetime (or at least in our children's lifetime). Leaving up statues that glorify racist slave owners or using expressions that are rooted in segregation are only two ways we perpetuate the racist systems that have been in place for far too long. Do you agree with this statement?

Ending racism will not sadly end prejudice, but without the power element, the playing field is at least, somewhat balanced. The next step would be trying to examine our own prejudices and understanding, and hopefully resolving those feelings and actions. Do you feel this is a step you can or will take now?