What, then, does it actually mean if someone calls you a racist today? That you were born white in an historically white nation? Well, it’s not immoral to have the wrong skin color. Does being a racist mean that you have certain privileges compared to someone else? Well, it is only the vice of envy which sees the advantage of another and considers it a slight against oneself.
Does being a racist mean that you asked your new college roommate where he’s from? Well, getting to know someone is not immoral. Does being racist mean looking deeper than skin color? Well, you’re supposed to be doing that. If this is racism, as the Left continually asserts, then there is no longer any reason for racism to bear any stigma at all, and it is only a matter of time before Americans at large begin realizing it.
In fact, it has already begun. Conservatives may have acquired the unfortunate habit of getting defensive whenever they’re splattered with the r-word, but given what it has come to mean, why should the accusation solicit any more than a shrug? While I wish his boldness were possessed by a candidate of better character, Donald Trump’s current popularity seems to be proving that accusations of racism are no longer something to fear—even for a public figure. The Left’s destigmatization of racism is clearly well-advanced already.
And the rest of us should let that stigma die.
Expedient politics have already turned the word into a parody of its former self, and losing it altogether does not mean turning a blind eye to the immorality it once signified. Neither do we need it to more broadly address issues of race relations.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member