5 Clear Reasons Why Some White People Choose to Ignore Racism

Yes, in the 21st century such people still exist

As one who regularly speaks her mind about anti-Blackness and White supremacy, I’ve had time to observe and consider people’s reactions to my words both good and bad. One reaction, which is more common than some may realize, is the denial that racism is even a real thing. Or, that it is a real thing, but the one speaking about its existence is the one giving it life and if no one talked about it, well, it wouldn’t exist at all.

Through engaging with people who feel this way, I’ve learned that there really are some who are steadfastly committed to misunderstanding anyone who speaks honestly about the race-based caste system… especially the base model which was created and perfected in America.

Here are my thoughts on the five main reasons why certain White people choose willful blindness by ignoring or flat-out denying that racism exists:

1. To Preserve White Supremacy

There is an advantage to being White. This is especially true for people living in the United States. This country was founded by White people, for White people. To this day, White people are the standard by which all others are measured. Their opinions, comforts, preferences, physical attributes, histories, experiences, thoughts and feelings are all valued more than those of any other race in America. White people created America’s racial caste system and so, of course, they sit squarely at the top of the hierarchy.

For them to, therefore, admit that racism exists, is to admit that White supremacy exists since the two are for all intents and purposes one and the same. Admitting this leaves only two options, either disassemble the caste system because it is unjust and straight up bonkers or pretend it isn’t real because some have no interest in relinquishing the unmerited favor of White supremacy.

2. They Do Not See It As a Serious Problem

A lot of White people choose to live extremely segregated lives where racism has no impact on them whatsoever. They never have to see it or think about it. These types live in White communities, attend White schools, socialize in White circles, consume White media and work in White spaces. While there may be a few minorities represented in these spheres, those individuals don’t bring much cultural influence with them. In fact, it’s usually the other way around in that they are the ones influenced more by White culture and tend to conduct themselves accordingly in order to survive and thrive.

With this sort of segregated Whiteness dominating every area of one’s life, it is easy to believe that “White life” is, in fact, just “real life” and in real life, racism isn’t a real thing. Do you see the subtle trickery of it all? Add to this that our educational system teaches that slavery ended 150+ years ago and that Jim Crow was a blip in the South’s racial radar and it’s easy to see how a lot of White people can believe that racism is a thing of the past which people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Kennedy, President Johnson, and the Civil Rights Act fixed in the 1960s. Oh, if only I had a dollar for every White person I’ve spoken to who believes that laws put an end to racism!

3. They Have Embraced an Incomplete and Misleading Definition of Racism

White people who pretend racism doesn’t exist, tend to also embrace racism that is defined simply as “personal prejudice”. As mentioned previously, White opinions, experiences and thoughts are valued above all else. Therefore, a dictionary definition created by a White academia is deemed to be the only correct and complete definition of racism. Black people who contend that racism is systemic… that it is built into our institutions and consists of racial prejudice combined with White supremacy… are invalidated and dismissed. This, despite the fact that those victimized by racism are in a better position to tell people what it is and how it impacts than are those who don’t experience its roughness and know nothing of its nuance.

Ignorance really is bliss, though. See, in embracing racism as being simply personal prejudice, White people are also able to claim “reverse racism” in an attempt to proclaim victimhood or even purport themselves to be colorblind despite the fact that colorblind racism actually serves to support and reinforce White supremacy.

4. They Are Racist

Some White people who deny racism are just blatantly racist. They are vehemently anti-Black and they make no bones about it. Incredibly transparent in their beliefs, these types really don’t need much observation or explanation. They simply are who they are. And so I’ll move on to the next category of White people who pretend racism doesn’t exist because they are racist. I’m speaking once again of the colorblind racists mentioned in my last paragraph.

“I’m not racist, but…” is one of the most common, telltale phrases associated with colorblind racists. Following that “but” is usually a very racist proclamation or belief. For these people, being labeled a racist is one of the worst things in life, so they are happy to hold the same beliefs as a lot of the transparently racist people described above, but they couch these beliefs in language designed to make them sound non-racist.

They also attempt to distance themselves from racism by stating that some of their best friends are Black, they have Black in-laws, Black children or Black grandchildren. They believe the presence of one or two token Black people in their lives undoes the power behind all of the racist things they support, do or say. (This also applies to other people of color, but I focus on Black since, as a Black woman, this is what I encounter most and am most sensitive to. Black people also tend to be the least desirable race to racists of every variety — they can often tolerate, intermarry and even extend white adjacent passes to certain Hispanic, Asian, Jewish, Arab and other groups pretty easily — so I keep my focus on the extreme White/Black contrast established during this country’s genesis and which the whole hierarchy was built around.)

For these types, their so-called colorblindness allows them to offer all sorts of seemingly non-racial reasons why Blacks and other minorities suffer from income and wealth inequality, poor educational opportunities, police violence, poorer health, underemployment and unemployment. They cite convenient statistics meant to solely blame Black people for all of these things instead of considering the contributions of White supremacy (i.e. racism) to those same statistics. All of this allows them to argue against the existence of racism and say things like, “it’s not about race, it’s about class” or “Black people have a victim mentality, that’s why…” or “Black people kill each other more than police do”, blah, blah, blah. These people can then hold the exact same canards about Black people being intellectually inferior, lazy and more prone to violence as the most transparent, unapologetic racists, but they couch these ideas in a language designed to make them sound anything but racist. (NOTE: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s Racism Without Racists offers a deep-dive into colorblind racism and its danger to society. I highly suggest you read or listen to it.)

This sort of chicanery allows them to comfortably believe they’re non-racist while never requiring them to be anti-racist (please consider the differences between non and anti) and allows them to live in a state of Whiteness unperturbed by racism to the point of even saying racism doesn’t exist. Or that it only exists in the minds and practices of a few racist people, including YOU if you dare even mention the subject of race or racism in their presence!

5. They Are Too Fragile to Admit the Truth

White people who pretend racism doesn’t exist, also don’t believe that White skin gives them any privilege whatsoever. To admit this to themselves would require them to admit that White people aren’t inherently smarter or work harder than everyone else. Instead, they’d have to admit the existence of the caste system which gives them an advantage. They’d have to come to grips with all of the evilness required to keep the system in operation for 400+ years. And possibly even admit they’ve participated in such evilness through silence and embracing ignorance. Admitting this would cause a cognitive dissonance these types aren’t equipped to deal with. It would result in a meltdown of everything they believe to be true about themselves and the White worlds they enjoy living in. Even more so, it would suggest they actually roll up their sleeves and do something about it, which is too scary for those who enjoy White supremacy to even think about.

So, there you have it. White supremacy has its retinues and each one in their own special way helps keep the wheels of systemic racism turning. Now, to be fair, I do occasionally encounter Black people and People of Color who also share these views, but they are few, far between and easily dismissed by this author. I understand that some aren’t built to resist the constant mental programming which has taught them to think and act in support of White supremacy. I tend to accept where they are for now with the hope that they’ll soon enough understand they are free to shake the shackles off at last.

What Do You Think?

Do you agree or disagree with the reasons I believe certain White people deny racism’s existence? Have I missed any reasons you’d like to include? I look forward to you sharing your thoughts in the comments.

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