This is touchy and difficult question and concept. Racism is acting on a set of beliefs that based on the concept of race. So what is race? That is hard to explain, and becoming more fluid. Scholars are not sure they want to pin down the concept of race in 2013. It is an historical concept, but seems to have outlived its usefulness. Prejudice is common, and we all live with some form of it, regardless of were we come from. Acting on prejudice is a problem, and so it is best to be aware of ones prejudice and work to negate actions that may be based on that prejudice.
When prejudice becomes mainstream and moves in to the actions of institutions (companies, governments, schools, and any organization that has authority), if prejudice becomes embedded in the practice of this institution, the effects may be devastating. For example, women not being allowed to attempt to gain a place in combat roles in the military means that women will not advance beyond a basic level. If one is judged without being given a straight chance to prove their abilities, they are limited incredibly.
With this in mind, we come back to the question of black culture celebrated in television, magazines, and other cultural sources. Is there anything racist about BET? A television show that demonstrates black culture is seen as a threat to the hegemony of white culture. But why? Is it racist? No. By promoting only black culture, it is not committing a crime, nor is it really threatening to hold back any white actor. Is BET an entry point for white actors hoping to make it big, duly qualified, but unable to because the producers and execs at the channel don't find the actor to be dark enough? Not likely to happen. A celebration of a particular culture does not negate the pride other cultures should be allowed to feel about their own. The KKK is more than welcome to celebrate white culture and offer up scholarships for white children. There are white ethnic holidays (St. Patrick was not black, and neither were Lincoln and Washington, or Columbus, although he did speak Spanish).
So, what if we had a commercial on television dominated by white people? Would that offend anyone? What if we had a magazine full of white people? What if we went in to a store and all the pictures on the walls were white? Or just a vast majority, with a black person or Asian person tossed in to even it out, so it doesn't seem like a KKK convention? Would it surprise anyone that the KKK has a television channel? I just looked again, and although I won't post their link directly, it doesn't take a lot to google them. The following is from their television channel, a section for youth.
Andrew would like to talk to kids for a few minutes
each week. He is proud to be a white Christian boy in America, but he knows
that because of his minority status, the odds might be stacked against his
people. Kids will enjoy hearing a few comments from Andrew as he warns them of
things to watch out for because he cares!
The language attempts to mimic the voice of ethnic minorities in the American past who attempted to rally together without institutional power. Unfortunately, Andrew does have institutional power largely on his side, and the deck is not stacked against him. He just doesn't like to share.
So, no, BET is not reverse racism. Can a black person be prejudiced against whites? Yes. Also very likely is prejudice against a fellow black of a different shade, suprisingly. We are more complex in our dislikes than we are credited with being. The real question, when dealing with racism, should be who has the power to enforce their prejudice. You don't have to like me or what I write. As long as you are not in my classroom, you will never have to fear whether my prejudice is being used against you. That is truly the only realm where I have the power to use my prejudice. Lucky for those who are in my classroom, I am very aware of my prejudice, and work hard to keep it in check. We all live with prejudice. The key is learning to balance your feeling with your reality. To take a deep breath, walk up to your prejudice, put your hand out, take a risk, and pull the mask of the boogey man off. Ultimately, if we truly believe in a just God, we believe that humans by nature are good. So, don't be so afraid of them. Don't look for the worst in people. Instead, until you get burned personally, treat me as a human being. Give me a chance to disappoint you.
