Racism: Still alive in America?

TEXAS - On Tuesday, April 11th, Texas State Representative Betty Brown (R) made the following comment regarding Asian-American last names:

"Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it's a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?"

The comment was made during a House hearing on voter identification legislation. During the hearing, which was aired on Austin, Texas news station KXAN, Brown made several other inflammatory statements which could be considered racist. Here is a link to the footage of the hearing www.youtube.com/watch.

In reading the articles posted on the incident and watching the footage, I was amazed at the lack of education exhibited by Brown. It seemed as if she had no regard for Chinese or Asian culture.

In looking at the comments that various readers made, most of which called Brown a racist, I have to agree. However, I would add that I don't think it is flagrant racism. I think that what she is engaging in is something more sinister than overt racism--implicit racism. Now, you may say, "What's the difference? Racism is racism!" Allow me to briefly clarify the difference between overt and implicit racism. Overt racism is what everyone typically thinks of when the term "racist" comes up: Burning crosses, using derogatory terms to refer to someone of an ethnic group, etc. Implicit racism is racism that is systemic: Hiring preferences that favor white males versus black males, giving better funding to school systems that are not in an urban setting, etc.

To get back to the task at hand, yes, I believe that racism, in any form, is wrong. However, the difference is that for the most part, the US has put overt racism behind itself. Overt racism, to most people's beliefs, is a thing of the past. However, we live in a country where white males have significantly more earning power than white females, Black males, or Black females (see www.earningpower.org).

I believe that Representative Brown's comments are symptomatic of this larger systemic problem of implicit racism. Unfortunately for Brown, she is in a position of societal power. She is a white female and an elected official. Two characteristics that play to her ignorance.

Looking at the whole situation, I think to myself, "Why wouldn't she have made those comments?" She is removed from the reality of diversity in the US, she is in a position of societal power, and she does not have the cultural heritage that Asians or any other race has. Again, why would she have done anything different?

It is unfortunate that the United States, a country which has gone through a great deal in the areas of civil rights and racism, is still subject to ignorance. We have allowed language that perpetuates racism to still be in place, we still manage to somehow find an inherent flaw with someone who physical features are different, and we have a system which statistically favors white males. Has the US really moved forward? Has it really come all that far since the Civil Rights Era? Do we really have any hope for completely eliminating racism?

I think we do...but only by challenging the system in a way that will allow for TRUE education to take place, that still acknowledges the difference in culture (not race), and that will eliminate language which implicitly demeans others.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/brown-asian-names/

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/11/brown-apologize-asian/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9hdVUzMeDw