Explicit and Implicit Racism

One may think that we, as a nation, have gone beyond racial issues; race is no longer a factor, right? We're all equal... Not so much.

Thankfully, I haven't witnessed much explicit racism growing up in Buffalo Grove. This is a relatively civilized and diverse region. I have friends of all races and religions here in BG. My Jewish friend who went off to college in Carolina said that she was the first Jewish person that many of her classmates had met. Most were accepting of her, but she did get some ridiculous and unintentionally offensive questions.

Is it racism if the person who says something offensive about another's race does so with no bad intentions? For example, my friend was told, "Your nose is much smaller than I would have imagined." The speaker did not intend for this to be offensive, but it was.

Implicit racism, on the other hand, is still very common; it's more a product of the subconscious than outright, explicit racism. Implicit racism is more like looking through a racial lens, as opposed to outright disliking a certain race. It is important to be mindful and ask oneself why one acts the way that they do. There's a chance that one might be acting, or speaking, with implicit racism.