Essay Sample about Reverse Racism

Is reverse racism really a thing, or is it just a card white people pull when black people or people of color call out racism? To be able to define reverse racism one needs to know what it means to be racist. When someone is racist they are “prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” Since white people don’t experience social disadvantages due to the color of their skin, reverse racism does not exist.

Reverse racism does not exist because racism is a whole system that is institutionalized to limit the power of black people and people of color. Institutional racism/ systemic racism is  “racism that exists across a society within and  between institutions/organizations across society.” These systems were created by white people to make sure they always hold the most power in this country. Ricky Sherover-Marcuse says "we should not confuse the occasional mistreatment experienced by whites at the hands of people of color with the systematic and institutionalized mistreatment experienced by people of color at the hands of whites.” People of color are often mistreated by white people and it is usually overlooked because of the power white people hold. 

Although a lot of people agree that reverse racism does not exist, some people disagree. According to the Oxford Dictionary racism is “prejudice or discrimination directed at someone of a different race – based on the belief that your own race is superior.” Some argue that because that is the definition of racism any race can experience it. 

Reverse racism does not exist because when someone says something like “White people can’t dance” that isn’t racism, that is racial prejudice. Merriam Webster defines racial prejudice as “prejudice against or hostility toward people of another race or color or of an alien culture.” In this definition, you can see that saying something like “White people can’t dance” is prejudice and not racism. “Racial prejudice can indeed be directed at white people but is not considered racism because of the systemic relationship to power.” This quote shows how prejudice can affect white people but it is not racism because when someone is hostile to white people it has no effect on them on a social scale because white people hold the most power. Compared to if someone of color was called something like barbaric society will see them as that and it will have a negative impact on them. 

In conclusion white people can experience racial prejudice but they can not experience racism. When racial prejudice and power combine it becomes racism but racial prejudice alone is not racism. In our society today race places a tremendous part in our lives. We need to differentiate between the different types of racism and prejudice.