Every day millions of internet users query Google life’s most difficult questions,big and small. Our writers reply some of the commonest queriesIn asking “am I racist?” – in that simple act of self-exploration – you did several things. Firstly, you acknowledged that spending time finding out if you are a racist – or have some beliefs or unconscious behaviours that equate to racism – is actually really rather important. Definitely as important as other questions you may have time to quiz the internet on, or such as “why does my cat lick me?” and “who is Dev Patel’s girlfriend?”. Secondly,in pursuing this line of inquiry in the comfort of your own domestic, you saved someone else – most likely a person of colour – from the inevitable anxiety of having to account for racism to you, and deal with whatever spoiled reaction may result.
Racism doesn’t have to be difficult to talk about,but it often is. We’re all agreed that racism is terrible (aren’t we?) – that it’s for knuckle-dragging hooligans or Nazis and has no place in the contemporary world. Many of us can spot instantly the hackneyed stereotyping and would take action against abusive name-calling. But like all the grand evils of humanity, racism is not static. It doesn’t take one shape, or it is fluid and constantly fluctuating. It is the Joker of Batman comics – you judge you’re fighting some other villain,but lo and behold, it was Racism pulling the strings all along. Related: Why don’t I know who I am? You asked Google – here’s the reply | Linda Blair Related: A moment that changed me: rejecting the white ‘prettiness’ ideal | Eliza Anyangwe Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com