The term "systemic racism" is now a part of our venacular, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because I believe it's 50 years or so too late. While I'm well aware that there are racists (and hence there is racism) in our country, I don't believe it can any longer be called systemic. I say this because every "system" I know of no longer tolerates anti-minority racism and in fact punishes it harshly, often through multiple methods and channels including legal, social or economic means.Today it's illegal, and as a practical matter almost impossible, for any employer, landlord, retailer, etc. to have racist policies in their employment, rental or selling "systems". None the less, I've talked with lots of people who offer examples of systemic racism... that aren't really systemic at all. Instead, they're examples of what I'll call "personal racism". I think a lot of people are treating "systemic" as if it meant "widespread" or "common place". They're very, very different though, and the distinction is more than just linguistic, it's fundamental to how we must react:
- Where there is systemic racism, the system should be changed. That's what the rioting in the streets claims to be doing. My functional definition of systemic racism would be some environment that generates racist outcomes, regardless of the presence or lack of racism on the part of the participants. In other words, it is not the people in the system that generate racist results, but the system itself. If a bank sets home purchase down payments at 15% for white poeple and 30% for black people, it doesn't matter if the loan officer thinks that's unfair. The system itself has race dependent results built into it. That's systemic racism. And, in America, its gone.
- Personal racism is essentially the opposite, where racism on the part of an individual can generate racist results, regardless of the system. Where there is personal racism, sadly, there is no "natural" cure. Courts can punish, society can admonish and shun and mobs can riot and loot. But the only thing I've seen that can fundamentally transform a person's character is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Which means the only two people that can work to heal a racist are God and the racist. It simply is not a social problem. And there is no social policy fix that will work aside from a long term social trends that return toward healthy families, personal responsibility and traditional values.
A dear friend, by which I mean a friend who is also a truly dear person, had this debate with me on facebook. Considering the conversation after the fact, I was frustrated because we clearly both agree on the important issues; the inherent, equal worth of all people, the mandate to treat them all with fairness and respect and the desire to, whenever possible, see justice done when racism brings harm to individuals.
What I finally realized was that our personalities caused us to view the issue from two different perspectives. I naturally view it from the "top down". I think she naturally views it from the "bottom up". She, like my wife, is in many ways just a better person than I am.
[Caveat: I am presuming a lot about her beliefs in what follows.]
She sees injustice or suffering and feels such compassion that she just wants something done to prevent more pain. She sees continued injustice and hopes that maybe our social upheaval is going to change it. I see groups like BLM and Antifa, social ideas like reparations, racial quotes, etc. and likewise feel compassion, but think "No, stop that nonsense - those things are just going to make matters worse." Hence we agree on the core issues and yet have a hard time even recognizing it. I see naive policy recommendations and angry tantrums and think the best case here is that nothing changes... more probably, things get worse.
So to conclude, I am not so naive, and would never claim, that there's no racism in our society. In fact, I'm on the other side of the spectrum - I believe it is simply impossible to eliminate all racism. But I continue to believe that our social and legal SYSTEMS no longer tolerate racism... that, by definition, systemic racism in America is gone.