Rush Limbaugh said something stupid. Not exactly news, or at least one wouldn’t think it would be, but apparently his remark about the media and Donovan McNabb has struck a chord in this country, on this campus, and in this newspaper. To be sure, Limbaugh was woefully wrong, but I don’t want to focus on that; I want to talk about racism in America in a broader sense. Because in the end, if we focus on one man’s racist or ignorant views, as many in the media seem to be doing right now, we end up missing the bigger picture.
However, Limbaugh’s remark is an interesting starting point. He basically said that the media props up Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb because he is African American. On the surface, it is not difficult at all to see how many of Limbaugh’s supporters defend him by saying that this is not a racist statement; it is a critique of the media. In a sense, this is true. Rush was not saying anything bad about McNabb and his race, and he has said some far worse things on his radio show in the past.
But that misses the point. Racism is more than racial epithets, hate crimes, and discrimination. It is a system. Racism is engrained in the structure of this nation and into the collective consciousness of its people. One does not necessarily have to have any malicious intent at all to commit a racist act; even good-hearted, well-meaning people can contribute to the institution of racism in America. That institution simply goes deeper than many of us care to think about.
Limbaugh’s comment implied that black folks in this country are treated better than white folks because of the color of their skin. We’ve heard this before in affirmative-action debates, and the “reverse racism” argument should come as no surprise. A lot of white conservatives seem to think they have it harder than African Americans in this country because of affirmative action and social factors like white liberal guilt and other such nonsense. How many times have I heard a critic of affirmative action make the faux-liberal argument, “So-and-so only got into college because he is black, and I didn’t because I’m white. Why can’t we all just be judged by our talent and not by our skin color?”
In a perfect world, fine.
Statements like this are founded on faulty premises — they completely ignore the fact that racism against people of color still exists. People of color still make up an economic and social underclass in this country: statistically, they are less likely to go to college than whites, less likely to grow up in the best school districts, far more likely to go to jail, more likely to live below the poverty line, rarely become CEOs or attain other high-level positions, and they are far more likely to be discriminated against in the first place. All of these conditions make it painfully clear that large-scale, institutional racism is still a major problem in America.
Affirmative action is not perfect, but it is indeed necessary to counteract these conditions. If we don’t start somewhere, progress will never be made.
I think of it like this: racism can be both active and passive. Active racism would be to purposely not hire a person of color simply because of his or her race. Passive racism would be to completely ignore race as a factor in the process of education and getting a job, thereby allowing institutional racism to run rampant. Active racism would be to say that Donovan McNabb is incapable of leading his team because he is black; passive racism would be to allow Rush Limbaugh (who, incidentally, has nothing of any value to add to racial discourse in this country; he once said of African-Americans, “They’re only 12% of the population, who the hell cares?”) to make his comments — comments that only contribute to white resentment and racism — without immediately pointing out how absurd they are.
We all want to live in a world where people are judged solely by their abilities, character, and virtue — a world where we all start out with the same opportunities, and those who work the hardest get what they deserve. The difference is some people seem to think that world actually exists today, or that it would, if it weren’t for “racist” programs like affirmative action and those pesky liberals who want Rush Limbaugh to shut his mouth.
Unfortunately, that world cannot exist now, and it never will as long as ignorant, resentful people insist on propping up the status quo. The status quo itself is racist; those who would deny so are beyond any help that I could offer. Until real progress is made combating institutional racism in this country, we need to make sure we never lose sight of the bigger picture.
Kyle Myhre ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in English and is involved with Stop the War, the International Students Campaign, the International Socialist Organization and The Madison Observer.
