White C*nt
Lidia Thorpe and the Changing Definition of Racism.
This is our second article which relates to the way our language is being manipulated to exert political influence and control (see Part 1 here). This article concerns the changing definition of the word ‘racism’ and the impacts that this is having.
‘Racism’
Racism has historically meant the discrimination of a person or group of people based on their race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin (Classical Racism). But this definition has been abandoned in the modern West to reflect a new version of racism which is inherent in Western institutions and perpetrated by ‘white people’ (Neo Racism).
In July 2020, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) changed its official definition of racism to the following:1
The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary has followed suit, updating its definition to reflect the ‘fact’ that white supremacy is an inherent ingredient of racism. This definition provides that racism is:2
1 : a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
Ladino elites used racism to justify the displacement and enslavement of the indigenous population, and these beliefs, along with the resentment created by the continued exploitation of indigenous land and labor, culminated in the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996).—Mariana Calvo
… how do we begin undoing the processes of internalized hatred and internalized racism?—bell hooks
also : behavior or attitudes that reflect and foster this belief : racial discrimination or prejudice
The kind of trenchant racism to which black people have persistently been subjected can never be defeated by making its victims more respectable. The essence of American racism is disrespect. —Imani Perry
From racist graffiti in schools to daily microaggressions and police profiling, rally testimonials highlighted that issues surrounding racism are still very much local issues. —Ryan J. Degan
The War on Drugs, cloaked in race-neutral language, offered whites opposed to racial reform a unique opportunity to express their hostility toward blacks and black progress, without being exposed to the charge of racism. —Michelle Alexander
2a : the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another
specifically : WHITE SUPREMACY sense 2
One of the many ruses racism achieves is the virtual erasure of historical contributions by people of color. —Angela Y. Davis
… the report described institutional racism as a form of collective behaviour, a workplace culture supported by a structural status quo, and a consensus—often excused and ignored by authorities. —Reni Eddo-Lodge
Discriminatory housing practices, redlining neighborhoods, underfunded education, lack of access to healthcare, racial profiling, police brutality and mass incarceration are just a few examples of cage wires that all together contribute to structural racism. —Sylvia Luetmer
"People of color, low-income people, and Indigenous peoples have been made especially vulnerable through decades of environmental racism: policies that intentionally concentrate pollution and toxic hazards in our communities." —Michele Roberts
see also SYSTEMIC RACISM
2b : a political or social system founded on racism and designed to execute its principles
In 1913 the Natives Land Act reserved 90% of the country for whites, who then made up 21% of the population. Under the formalised racism of apartheid 3.5m blacks were forcibly moved to isolated reservations called "homelands."—The Economist
Each of these definitions demonstrate the difference between Classical Racism and Neo Racism. Classical Racism was concerned with discrimination against people on the basis of their race. Neo Racism is different. It is something that is perpetrated by white people. It is inherent in the nature of white people to oppress people who have a different skin colour. People of other races are currently, and always have been, the victims of racism.
This article will only briefly state that this Neo Racism is itself inherently racist, as is grouping all white people together into a single category, before moving on.
What Happens When We Can’t Agree On What Words Mean?
The changing perception of racism from has resulted in inconsistent social punishment for displays of Classical Racism.
On 16 April 2023, Lidia Thorpe, an Australian Senator, called someone a ‘fucking white little cunt’ outside a bar in Brunswick.
The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, suggested that Ms Thorpe may be experiencing some mental health issues. Ms Thorpe considered this comment itself to be ‘racist and misogynistic’. Ms Thorpe considers that her racially charged abuse was justified because she is part of an oppressed minority, whilst the white person receiving the abuse is an oppressor.
Ms Thorpe’s attitude in relation to her clearly racist remarks are reminiscent of Whoopi Goldberg’s statement in February 2022 that the holocaust wasn’t about race because it was between two groups of white people.3 This shows that, in Ms Goldberg's mind, all white people are lumped together in one amorphous category. When the Nazi party committed a genocide against people of the Jewish faith living in Europe, this was not racism because both groups of people (at least in Ms Goldberg's mind) have white skin. It's worth commenting that Ms Goldberg was born as 'Caryn Elaine Johnson', but also takes a strong stance against 'cultural appropriation':
These two events reflect a broader shift in our society where it is becoming more difficult to agree on what our words mean.
An additional example of this is Australia’s upcoming referendum on whether an Indigenous Voice to Parliament should be established. Both sides of the argument appear to be equally convinced that the other side is racist. Both sides cannot be right in this regard. Racism can only have one meaning and the Voice is either racist or it is not. However, the fact that it is the topic of extensive debate just shows how tenuous Australia’s understanding of racism is.
One group of Australians still adheres to the Classical Racism definition whereby all groups of people should be treated the same under the law. Under this system, laws of the country should be race-agnostic, meaning they apply to all persons regardless of race. These Australians consider that the Voice to Parliament is clearly undemocratic and favours one group of Australians above the remainder. It will create an unelected body which can wield political power who's membership is determined by race. This is textbook Classical Racism and is in a way similar to the Nuremberg Laws in Nazi Germany which granted full political rights only to people of ‘German blood’.4
There is another group of Australians who are proponents of the Neo Racism school of thought which provides that white people are racist towards non-white people and laws should be implemented to correct this natural tendency of white people to oppress others. Under this definition of racism, it is indeed racist to oppose a constitutional amendment which would grant a group of unelected indigenous Australians power that no other Australian could ever wield by virtue of their race. These indigenous Australians deserve to have special, constitutionally enshrined, powers by virtue of their status as an oppressed group. This would create equity within society.
This same school of thought is how we have arrived in a situation in Australia where for every dollar of welfare money that is spent on a non-indigenous person, an indigenous person gets $2.08.5 This inequality of treatment based on race is mandated by Neo Racism, yet prohibited by Classical Racism. Notwithstanding the significant public expenditure they enjoy, indigenous communities still face challenges such as rampant alcoholism, violence, and sexual abuse. Some point to these facts as an argument for more help to be pushed the way of indigenous Australians. Systemic racism is the only possible explanation for these unequal outcomes, it is said. This sentiment, whilst (presumably) noble, fails to recognise the reality that free money is less helpful for driving meaningful change than personal responsibility.6 Dr Peterson skilfully describes this in the following video whilst also highlighting the importance of speech:
Where Does This Leave Us?
It’s a difficult time. Words are becoming devoid of meaning. Political battles wage on, but they appear to largely be a distraction from the reality of our rapidly declining economy and the all-out assault on personal freedoms and privacy which is being waged by Western governments on their citizens. It is important for citizens to be educated and not be distracted by the trivial issues the media force-feeds you. The government cannot fix the problems in your life, only you can.
‘Whoopi Goldberg suspended from The View for saying Holocaust 'was not about race'‘ ABC News (online, 2 February 2022).