Using Racial Epithets as Weapons of Division is the Default for Many

When emotions run high, the true self comes out to play.

Having too many drinks and slipping into an alcohol-induced altered state often reveals who we really are. The saying goes… “Our behavior while intoxicated is a reflection of our true selves.” Also, heightened emotion in situations of fear, anger, and disappointment can all contribute to ill intent in the form of derogatory speech (and action). This is nothing new.

Extreme emotional untethering such as being involved in a physical altercation, an argument, or being on the receiving end of any less than ideal interaction, can expose the true nature of someone who, at the core, harbors biased views. Lashing out in this manner, exposing one’s true feelings, is akin to being under the influence. A defense tactic, possibly, or an aggressive tool used to demean and perpetuate a racist ideology?

Having seen my fair share of dust-ups, those fisticuffs between two parties trying desperately to tap into their alpha DNA, more often than not, if the opponents are of different races, inevitably a racist arsenal of language will surface and fly freely.

People under the influence of such anger find it only natural to hurl racial epithets at their opponents as a means of attack. Unleashing a psychological weapon is the most effective way to hurt someone, to demean them, cut them down in order to exert power, or project superiority.

This strategy is as old as war itself.

Strategic offensiveness

Choosing the use of a racial slur is not the only strategy at play here. Referring to someone’s ethnicity and using it as a weapon to act out one’s outrage, is a way to justify one’s actions by way of degrading a person of a different race, in their mind, an inferior race — some “inferior being” who has done them wrong.

How many times have you heard of someone getting into a minor fender bender, a disagreement at work, or display a slightly elevated temper in response to an interaction with someone in line at the store only to express their hatred by spouting off racist epithets to channel their agitation? Interactions such as this happen every day, as do scenarios in which people describe the race of others in unflattering ways — out of resentment or indignation. Does the use of racial epithets to degrade another person happen as frequently? In a country built on racism, if all we see are the physical differences in people and use these differences as weapons to fuel our discomfort, the answer to this question is an indisputable yes.

It is sad that racism can turn the most mundane act into a confrontation with potentially violent overtones. — Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade State Attorney

Such confrontations are similar to being inebriated. Tense engagements with people of a different race can bring out the worst in people due to a loss of the self-editing we may do in calmer situations. Generationally many in this country have been conditioned to only view others through a filter of racism. Our inability to celebrate the differences in people but rather to focus on the polarization that keeps us apart from one is destructive and does not foster mutual respect.

No matter race, sexual preference, culture, or identity, this behavior is often the go-to for a divisive mindset. Imagine people of the same race involved in a dispute — no racial daggers being thrown about there. Same interaction, same dispute, same fiery emotions — perhaps same outcome but devoid of weaponized racial microaggressions.

License and registration, please

How often has someone begun a story, only to first qualify their tale by describing the main character’s race to whom is the focus of their ire? The storyteller undoubtedly has negative emotions about the interaction or has perceived injustice, and with amplified emotion, finds comfort in pointing out the race of their adversary.

As the story unfolds, it’s clear the race of the person is irrelevant and has no logical connection to said story? This subconscious strategy is a way for some to point out the differences but only as a precursor to their negative experience — an experience they deem an affront to themselves.

To illustrate this point further… years ago after a rather challenging morning of getting into the office, a former colleague decided to swing by my office and tell me about his horrific commute and how much he was upset by it.

He began by recounting the events that lead up to his irritation. Late for work, no time to stop for coffee, couldn’t find a space in the lot, etc. Once he finished the superfluous prologue, he launched into the meat of the story but before the first act, he described his antagonist. Apparently, this former colleague was speeding and got pulled over hence being late for work. As he unpacked his recant, he felt it only fitting to describe (in colorful detail) the cop who pulled him over. “He was this big Black cop. This asshole. I can’t believe that muthaf*cker pulled me over. I wasn’t even going that fast.”

The fact that I am a Black person with whom he chose to share this story, somehow did not register as his account grew more heated. Of course the obvious should be acknowledged here… was he upset because his privilege had failed him? Was his anger a reflection of his denial of getting stopped? Whatever the reason, his anger in describing the cop’s race was an indication of misguided aggression.

Why did I allow myself to sit through this ear attack? More importantly, why did it matter if the cop is Black?

I would argue when listening to a similar story, how often do you hear someone say: “he was this white cop…” It’s assumed we don’t have to identify those in the white community especially if on the receiving end of our ill intent. By describing the color of someone’s skin (especially in the context of a story such as this), you are pointing out the differences in people. However, when using a description with a negative spin, you are widening and perpetuating a divide; assigning cynicism to a situation that has nothing to do with the subject at hand.

I recall thinking this as the story continued — a story I could not get away from fast enough. Why did I allow myself to sit through this ear attack? More importantly, why did it matter if the cop is Black? Even in a situation where it’s a level playing field for instance when referring to two people and asked to describe them, the default typically goes right to describing the Black person, not the white person. Why is that?

Does the white person not have an identity? Or, does the color of their skin give them a pass in the wake of a less than ideal scenario?

Why do we see race when referring to BIPOC but not when referring to the White community? Because they are the majority and can do no wrong, or have we as a society been accustomed to only view certain groups through a lens of bias?

What you see is what you get

Should a crime be committed by a person of color, public opinion will eventually go to race — and yes, more often than not we can hold the media accountable for perpetuating this. How many times have you seen a person of color disproportionately blasted all over the news when a crime has been committed and a general consensus by the majority will be: “figures,” “I’m not shocked,” or, “I knew it.” Most likely you will never hear this if a white counterpart commits a crime.

Looking at this scenario from the outside we see, race is the lens many look through by default. It’s the first thing people with racist views tap into for security or as a defense mechanism.

What is particularly troubling is how people rely on this abusive behavior as second nature, and how it generates from a privileged perspective.

Just as many in minority communities live every day fearing microaggression-laden interactions with the majority population, so are those who often are met with violence at the hands of people who want to keep us from living our lives. We experience this abuse on a daily basis for no other reason than to be the target of someone’s bias. Our social consciousness is littered with reminders that each day we open the front door we are faced with a blockade of oppression and maltreatment from those looking to demean us or disrupt our lives.

One certainty is that every minority group in America has/will undoubtedly face discrimination and violence to some degree in their lives. We are currently seeing this with the increase of violence toward the Asian-American community.

Last summer, a man was arrested in Miami-Dade after authorities say he used racial slurs while pulling a gun on a Black homeowner. This aggressive behavior is one of many examples of heated emotion discriminately used to intimidate people of color. Why is the default to go right for the racial jugular? This automatic approach has become the preferred method of controlling an uncomfortable situation with the hope of maintaining power.

We saw this sick display played out last year with the Central Park birdwatching incident, which sparked a national outcry and set off the latest chapter in the Black Lives Matter movement. This particular incident helped to spotlight the increased racial profiling and vitriol plaguing our country over the last few years. So often these days do people use their privilege along with divisiveness as weapons to control a less than ideal situation.

Perhaps our collective view of the standard saying: “if you see something, say something” should be reimagined from its original intent. Let’s not encourage those with racist views to freely throw out whatever crosses their minds.

Use your words (or not)

In this country, in particular, many in the white community, are conditioned to fear Black people. Describing a person’s race or skin tone, unless it has some relevance to a discussion has no significance.

The first time I heard someone call me the n-word was in response to me calling him out for cheating. Apparently, he felt he was put in a position of embarrassment. Rather than accept ownership of the situation he caused, he doubled down and went right for an “oldie but goodie,” and threw out the n-word. Not a shock. Expected actually, as I have seen this far too often with people not having the wherewithal to keep their true racist self from entering the room.

When we attach biased thinking to verbal attacks especially in negative interactions or everyday encounters, we breathe additional oxygen into an ever-growing racist sentiment so prevalent in this country.

Fielding racial slurs come with being Black in America. There is little doubt that, at some point in your life, if you are Black, you will have been called the n-word or at the very least, been referred to as one. You will most assuredly be described in a less than flattering way if met with confrontation. This is the society we live in.

As long as we are a divided country hell-bent on sabotaging our own existence, the methods by which we destroy the unwritten social contract of respect for one another will continually be bastardized and practiced.

Thank you for reading!