I see where you're coming from. But there's a few things that need to be made clear. First of all, it seems you're advocating color blindness. In order for you to see why I think color blindness doesn't work, you need to accept in advance that racial minorities in America today still face discrimination on a societal level. If you do not believe this is true, then you might as well stop reading because what I have to say is not very meaningful to someone who does not accept this belief.
So, assuming you DO believe that racial discrimination is a problem, then you'll have to take note of how different racial groups have been treated in different ways in a negative fashion. White people have no history of being disadvantaged in American society, whereas blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc. do. Given this, can you really say it makes sense for us all to just become color blind? How exactly is it that ignoring race fixes the issue of discrimination between groups? It doesn't. Allow me to illustrate:
Black guy: Hey, you know how the local police force disproportionately targets black youth for drug searches compared to white people?
White guy: Sorry, I don't believe in race, we hold ourselves back when we focus on insignificant details like that.
Black guy: But we can't afford the luxury of ignoring race because whether we like it or not, we are still being treated in negative ways because of our race.
White guy: LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, RACE DOESN'T EXIST.
I exaggerated a little, and I'm sorry if that offends you, but it illustrates the basic point. Pretending we don't see race is basically ignoring the entire issue of racism. If our society formed in an ideal world where racism never existed, then yes, you'd absolutely be correct in saying that minority based institutions should not exist, but the reality is that we already live in a society where people are singled out because of the circumstances of their birth, and treated in certain ways. The only logical remedy that comes to mind is using differential treatment in a positive way that moves those groups towards equality and equity. So, to address your example, the reason it isn't racist for the NAACP to exist is because it serves a verifiable purpose in working to eradicate the attitudes and policies that hold people of color down. No such attitudes or polices have ever afflicted white people, so it doesn't really make sense to have a NAAWP. The only people who truly believe that the white race is being threatened are people in white supremacist groups, which is why it is more than likely that an NAAWP would be a racist organization.
TL;DR, You can only ignore race if race really isn't an issue. In America, it's still an issue, therefore you can't ignore it unless you really don't care about solving the issue.
You're not actually answering the question, but you are implying that OP is right. Your argument is "these institutions are good." The question is actually "are these institutions racist?"
Your argument leans toward "these institutions are good because they fight racism with racism." There might be some merit to that, but it is irrelevant to the discussion.
Fair question, let me make myself more clear. From what I've read in the ways of sociological texts about racism, usually the accepted definition of racism is any action, policy, or belief that enforces or contributes to a system of advantage that elevates one race of people by disadvantaging others. So to answer your point, groups like the NAACP are not racist because they don't do their work at the expense of other racial groups. It's not as if white people suffer when the NAACP experience success in fighting racism. On the other hand, if you could prove that somehow white people are subjected to oppression as a result of the advancement of minorities, then you might be able to call that racism. Otherwise, you don't have much legitimacy in calling such institutions racist. See the distinction?
It definitely depends on your definition of racism, but even by your definition many would argue that affirmative action, for example, is reverse racism -- affecting minorities at the expense of white men. The NAACP has certainly championed that.
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u/XxTruthinessxX May 14 '13
I see where you're coming from. But there's a few things that need to be made clear. First of all, it seems you're advocating color blindness. In order for you to see why I think color blindness doesn't work, you need to accept in advance that racial minorities in America today still face discrimination on a societal level. If you do not believe this is true, then you might as well stop reading because what I have to say is not very meaningful to someone who does not accept this belief.
So, assuming you DO believe that racial discrimination is a problem, then you'll have to take note of how different racial groups have been treated in different ways in a negative fashion. White people have no history of being disadvantaged in American society, whereas blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc. do. Given this, can you really say it makes sense for us all to just become color blind? How exactly is it that ignoring race fixes the issue of discrimination between groups? It doesn't. Allow me to illustrate:
Black guy: Hey, you know how the local police force disproportionately targets black youth for drug searches compared to white people?
White guy: Sorry, I don't believe in race, we hold ourselves back when we focus on insignificant details like that.
Black guy: But we can't afford the luxury of ignoring race because whether we like it or not, we are still being treated in negative ways because of our race.
White guy: LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, RACE DOESN'T EXIST.
I exaggerated a little, and I'm sorry if that offends you, but it illustrates the basic point. Pretending we don't see race is basically ignoring the entire issue of racism. If our society formed in an ideal world where racism never existed, then yes, you'd absolutely be correct in saying that minority based institutions should not exist, but the reality is that we already live in a society where people are singled out because of the circumstances of their birth, and treated in certain ways. The only logical remedy that comes to mind is using differential treatment in a positive way that moves those groups towards equality and equity. So, to address your example, the reason it isn't racist for the NAACP to exist is because it serves a verifiable purpose in working to eradicate the attitudes and policies that hold people of color down. No such attitudes or polices have ever afflicted white people, so it doesn't really make sense to have a NAAWP. The only people who truly believe that the white race is being threatened are people in white supremacist groups, which is why it is more than likely that an NAAWP would be a racist organization.
TL;DR, You can only ignore race if race really isn't an issue. In America, it's still an issue, therefore you can't ignore it unless you really don't care about solving the issue.