Systemic Racism

In recent months, the phrase “Systemic Racism” has become politically correct.  Systemic Racism means racism that is incorporated into our culture or political system. 

On one end of the political spectrum, we have politicians who complain of the evil of systemic racism and solicit the votes of people whom they can convince that systemic racism is an existent evil that they will root out if elected. 

On the other end of the spectrum, we hear politicians who state that the claim that most people are racist is wrong, that racists are a small minority, and that our political systems do not practice racism. 

The truth is that we have politicians and vast bureaucracies whose careers depend on the struggle against racism, and thus need to perpetuate racism to keep their jobs. 

As I have pointed out elsewhere, racism, the concept that racial classifications are important in our societies, is nonsense unless we make those racial classifications important to us.  As we deal with our bureaucracies, we are often asked about our race, even though race is a senseless classification.  We will be asked to fill in a “race” item on a form that looks something like this: 

Race or Ethnic Group — Pick one: 

1. Caucasian
2. African-American
3. Hispanic
4. Asian
5. Native American
6. Australian Aborigine
7. Inuit
8. Aleutian

Notice that the bureaucrat who generated this form is demanding that we fit ourselves into one and only one of the groups which he has defined.  This defies the truth that there will be people who do not fit any of these groups.  It defies the truth that homo sapiens is a massively mixed species, where nobody will fit into just one of these groups. 

We define race based mostly on superficial characteristics like skin color, in spite of the fact that such traits are practically irrelevant to a judgement of people.  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  –Martin Luther King Jr. 1963

Given that culture and not skin tone or any other superficial physical trait is what is important in defining groups, the way to define ethnicity should be what cultural group the person identifies with.  Thus the “race” question on the form, in a reasonable world, should be

Race or Ethnic Group: _____________________. 

But this will not happen.  The bureaucrat who made the form wants to force us into categories he defines.  His job, and the job of the politician he works for, may depend on it.  Too many people would write in more sensible answers such as Human, Sunni, Jesuit, USMC, Libertarian, Constitutionalist, Fisherman, Farmer, Logger, Miner, Plumber, Lawyer, or MS13. 

Yes, there is systemic racism.  For the most part, it is maintained by politicians and their bureaucrats who profit by it.