Racist Classism

This thought just came to mind: there is no such thing as racism anymore, just classism.

‘Racist’ is a smear that has been repeatedly spewed for political malice. For many outside of California and New York, the accuracy of the term has expired because everything is racist. The new term, ‘White Supremacist’ has become the political label for hatred, which, we all agree, cannot be tolerated.

Regardless of how much money or power someone has, functioning eyes will observe physical differences. When there are no other qualities left to compare, racial differences can be compared, and racist thoughts can occur. They are harmless. The vast majority of violent crimes are not race motivated. The fact is that everyone is racist, but not everyone is a racist.

Because everyone has racist thoughts at some point, in some capacity, the term shouldn’t be used anymore. A more accurate term for discrimination is classism.

If I’m in the hood in the inner city at night, a place I don’t normally frequent, I am a target for robbery. The thieves responsible for robbing me are most likely black, but much more likely, poor. They will be robbing me not because they are black, but because they are poor. (And criminals.)

Likewise, (and so I am not labelled a racist lol) if I am walking in a trailer park at night, a place I don’t normally frequent, I am also a target for robbery. The thieves responsible for robbing me are most likely white, but much more likely, poor. Again they will be robbing me not because they are white, but because they are poor. (And criminals)

I think I had a racist thought today while driving to work, which I suppose, makes me a racist. A black man, who was dressed like he lived in the projects, pulled into the intersection while his light was still red as I made a left turn while my light was still green. It was very early in the morning, and he probably didn’t think that traffic lights mattered that early. His inconsiderate driving spooked me, and I looked askance at him and thought, “He probably stole that car.”

Was I being racist? Or was I being classist? It will be a question that even I cannot answer, but those indoctrinated by the media will answer for me: racist.

Suggesting classist actually makes me less racist, while suggesting racist makes one more racist. In their case, color is linked with class. In my case, class stands alone. Poor people steal cars. Criminals steal cars. Thieves steal cars. Race has nothing to do with it.

I am assuming by his dress and the color of his skin that he was from the projects, and that the car was stolen. Not all black people live in the projects or dress like they live in the projects. Where I live they do, for reasons that will take too long to explain. The point is I made a snap judgement based on a variety of factors, race being the least important one; his reckless driving being the most important.

If I’d just looked at that man and thought, “He must have stolen that car,” then I would have been equal parts harmless and racist.

Classism cuts deeper. A person’s class can change, unlike their race. It reflects the poverty of their resourcefulness if they are content to accept their impoverished circumstances. It makes them useless and lazy, and not by racial association, which is racist. That individual looks useless and lazy. I think it is more offensive to insult an individual’s class than their race by association.

The circumstances that can affect how a person can improve their class, and their life, is usually controlled by an elected official calling their political opposition ‘racist.’ I wonder why....