All White People Are Racist — Really?

Greg M Wells
3 min readJul 29, 2020

It does not matter who is a racist. It matters what racism does in our society.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It has been passionately argued that being white in a white supremacist culture will only produce racist for the privileged white segment. The articles advocating this are compelling. I am white and I have been advantaged because of my whiteness and have not been persecuted as people of color are routinely persecuted. I believe an unexamined life would result in a white person that accepts the norms of their racist society. It is easy for whites to be racists in America. I also freely admit that my white sensibilities are offended when I am called a racist. I’m a good person and racist are not good people. Even if I am tempted to take a bite from the apple of privilege, I am still not proven a racist by these admissions.

Most of the articles I’ve read that proclaim all whites are racist are written by black authors. I do not doubt if I look, I will find white authors who advocate this position, but they would be a few among many. With a lifetime experience of whites winning without knowing the game is fixed, that blacks in our society are handicapped, it is easy to understand black anger after being beaten with the stick of bigotry wielded mostly by white people.

It is probably a good tactic to start with the premise that all white people are racist when discussing systemic racist with an audience containing white people. It establishes the imbalance the ways our white supremacist culture treats its citizens based on skin culture. It stops me and other white people the ability to deny what we’re talking about, to say that’s not me, I don’t support racism. I’m white so I’m a racist. It is a good starting point for whites new to the discussion, new to activism.

I almost do not what to deny it. It probably drives some whites away from supporting anti-racism, but more people of conscience see the cost of racism and see the cause to end it worth the fight, even accepting the label. I deny it for two reasons. First, because it is false, fails the basic rules of logic. All of the reasons above do not establish the truth of the statement. It is inaccurate rhetoric with persuasive value. Secondly, while the benefits of this suggested truism may outweigh the costs, there are very real costs to accepting this uncontestable statement, for to deny it suggests the racism of the denier. I deny it because it continues the myth of racism, that whites are superior to blacks, not biologically but culturally. It disadvantages all people. It denies the ability to believe that reason can change the situation, that injustice can be challenged and defeated. Like me, who cannot escape the consequences of my white birth, blacks are equally trapped by their birth. I will assume my advantage and blacks will assume their disadvantage. I cannot accept that.

It is wrong because people black and white alike are standing up and saying we will no longer accept racism. Maybe this is the time. Equal treatment is not a new idea. Maybe we can move beyond rhetoric and protest, beyond anger and violence, maybe this time we can make meaningful change. Maybe we can defeat systemic racism in one place, and then in another. Some people have been fighting this battle for their whole lives and others are just realizing the value of eliminating the injustice of racism. In the end, it does not matter who is a racist. It matters how racism creates an imbalance in our society. It is no mystery that blacks pay the higher price for this imbalance or that change requires white participation. This fight requires we recognize skin color and the effects of racism. It matters that we all stand up and say no to racism, no to injustice, no matter our skin color.

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Greg M Wells

Reader, writer, life-time learner, friend. Today’s ambition, increase kindness in the world.