This article is such bullshit. Arguing that increased consciousness of racial disparity undermines the goal of equality makes little sense, as though we'll somehow creep up on improved racial relations by encouraging ignorance and complacency instead of educating people on the histories of racial minorities. ...so, the solution is integration with an emphasis on turning a blind eye to 'racial consciousness and conflict'? God forbid people be aware of the very real racial disparities that people face every day in this country, the so-called 'racial consciousness and conflict' that is tangible in the daily lives of many. Because it makes you uncomfortable that people may become more aware of the ways in which they are systematically oppressed? Because you think it will lead to aggression--but not the kind you are used to, i.e. the kind that enforces the agendas of these 'elite' institutions--but rather the aggression of racial minorities, who, ideally , wouldn't be educated enough to challenge their agendas anyway? fuck. off.On a campus, this means that increasing the number of black students and professors could, in theory, improve race relations, but such benefits are unlikely when accompanied by microaggression training and other measures that magnify racial consciousness and conflict.
The argument is that creating classes and lessons that explicitly point out and "otherise" a race will cause any groups being told about this to discriminate and hold biases against said race more often not less often. The main issues of race today, outside of the issues of continued poverty and fundamentally flawed laws concerning safety nets, public spending, and so on, is the fact that people make thousands of subconscious judgments every day based on race. Nobody is "racist" anymore, but everyone is a little more willing to believe a black person is a criminal based on what they have learned. Everyone is a little more willing to judge a job applicant as being less ready if the applicant has a black sounding name. People behave based on the environment they are in. If the ultimate goal is to reduce the above state of mind, to reduce those subconscious biases, then the methods in use for the last 50 years are not going to succeed, and will in fact backfire. The argument is that future policy should focus not on education about the differences or hardships that black people face, but instead to focus on "integrating" all races and focusing on making all people view one another, subconsciously, as peers. To focus these students to think as a united group, rather than as multiple groups. It isn't that teaching people about the things other races face is a bad thing, it's just that doing so will end up in the result that black people will face more discrimination and more judgment from the general population as a result. Even as we all accept black people accept more hardships, we will still continue to look at them as if they are different, as if they are a group not a part of the national whole. The people being made aware of racial disparities in a class aren't going to ever be part of the solution to fixing those issues. While it is a noble goal, it will ultimately fail. It is the people who have zero issue treating the black person next to them as they would any other person, and learning firsthand what that person faces which will ultimately inspire the empathy and passion needed to drive forward progress of race in the US. Lessons about micro-aggressions will only make tensions worse and subconscious biases stronger.
Nobody is "racist" anymore...
Nobody, in this case, refers to the general attitudes of the population. Personally, even when living in the south, people who hold views like the Charleston shooter are rare and disliked. I don't think that literally nobody is racist, but I think the number of people who are is so low that their power to act and create change on society or culture is nonexistent, and growing weaker every day. The point is that the main driver of the issues minorities today face are not with these people.
Okay, and that was an earnest question on my end to clear that point up. I was hoping the topic of racism would go in this direction. I think that racism still exists but carries such a social stigma that those who are racist are rendered powerless, which is effectively the same thing you said.
I think that this is a rather unrealistic view. There certainly is social stigma towards racism in some circles, but there are plenty of wealthy, powerful people who have racist beliefs. They may not express those beliefs openly in public (though some do), but their racism certainly influences who they hire, fire, vote for, give money to, harass, imprison, and speak for and against (among other things).I think that racism still exists but carries such a social stigma that those who are racist are rendered powerless, which is effectively the same thing you said.
'Classes and lessons' are not the things creating racial biases or causing society to marginalize racial minorities in this country. In order to move past something, you confront it. You deconstruct, and analyze, and make art about it and shit. Anyone who has gone through anything mildly traumatic will tell you that. You don't bury it and hope that with time, it will disappear. To apply this dead logic to something as complex and nuanced as racial relations in this country is...beyond stupid Why the hell not? We are going to deny reality in lieu of preaching the false notion that we all look around and view one another as peers on equal standing? Minimize the hardships black people face in order to make more room for perpetuating a lie that says society is set up in a way that favors them as much as their white neighbor? ...this is kind of the point. You don't change that disparity by denying it. You confront it.The argument is that future policy should focus not on education about the differences or hardships that black people face
Even as we all accept black people accept more hardships, we will still continue to look at them as if they are different, as if they are a group not a part of the national whole.
Classes and lessons are not currently creating racial biases in common culture, because these classes do not yet exist on a large scale. However, we see references all throughout culture and media as black people being "the other", they are portrayed different than white people, they are portrayed as this out-group that is not part of the common goals of the nation, but rather of their own separate goals depending on the context of the media. That should be confronted, analyzed, broken down, and countered. However, classes in schools that create more of the biases this media creates are not going to fix anything. Things need to be managed in a very careful and cautious way. Universities and other groups making these classes are not doing this, and in their hast to "educate" about how black people are treated they are making the situation worse. I explain why policy should focus on making us think as a collective whole rather than focusing on teaching groups of the difficulties black people face. It is to reduce the biases that are the primary drivers of the hardships black people face. Black people already know they face hardships. White people, however, are not innately aware of this, and often do need to learn through various means. However, when this is done in a classroom it results in people dismissing the issues black people face more not less. The only way to accomplish this is to have natural exposure. To have a white person talk to and consider a black person as a friend, to have them as part of the same group/niche/culture, and have them communicate as peers. That doesn't happen when environments are set up to make white and black people feel more isolated and separated from one another.
This article isn't suggesting we deny or ignore anything. "Universities also need to steer discourse about these issues in a positive and cooperative way. Leaders should remind students constantly that diversity is challenging and that bringing people together from so many backgrounds and countries guarantees that there will be frequent misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Handling diversity well thus requires generosity of spirit and an attitude of humility. Instead of focusing on microaggressions, our campuses might talk about blunders, misconceptions and self-righteousness—and about civility and forgiveness. As Martin Luther King Jr., put it in 1957: “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”