We often hear people say, “of course racism is bad, everyone already understands that.” What this conveys, I often suspect, is that the depth of the problem has not yet been really grasped at all.
First of all, it is manifestly false that everyone is already against racism as a matter of principle. There are lots of explicitly racist groups gaining traction and it’s disconcerting that they are not more universally condemned.
More basically, racism is not the kind of sin that calls for a generic, once-for-all acknowledgement. It’s an insidious, intractable, enduring phenomenon, often invisible to those most under its grip. Kind of like pride, or greed. It calls for constant, humble consideration.
It’s important to me to say this because we cannot heal from something until we reckon with it. If we assume opposition to racism as a given, we probably aren’t opposing it all.
You can follow @gavinortlund.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: