The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Saying that you’re not racist is violent racism

This is from a Canadian professor, according to the Western Standard: “Being ‘not racist’ is a form of ‘racist violence’”

Claiming to be “not racist” is actually a form of racism because it perpetuates the myth that it’s possible to not be racist, says a U of C prof and the school’s vice provost.

“But I’m suggesting that beyond this well known denial of racism, what is particular to what I’m calling “not racism”, is that it contains a definition of racism which is constructed negatively through opposition,” Dr. Malinda Smith said in remarks earlier this month.

“This definition is characterized by the fact that it denies racialized people’s subjective understanding of what racism is and negates this experience. In this way, ‘not racism’ is what I call is a form of discursive racist violence.”