Quote:
Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce
I thought systematic racism implied that rules/laws were in place to facilitate descriminating against POC. I think this no longer exists.
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There can be unwritten rules that establish institutional racism. Banks having unwritten policies that require greater collateral for POC. Renting preferences based on color or ethnicity. Systematic restrictions on polling places in predominantly minority precincts. Racial profiling. The list goes on and on.
And yes, there are still plenty of racist laws on the books. A Virginia commission discovered over 100 still on the books and being enforced. Laws are continually being drafted and voted into existence that have the intent to target or disenfranchise specific racial groups. Voter ID laws are a good example, as they clearly target specific groups of people for exclusion. You can look no further than SB 1070 in Arizona that is designed to target and terrorize people of Latin American heritage.
It's easy to tell ourselves that institutional racism is a thing of the past. That because we don't see or experience it means it isn't happening. That's where the term "white privilege" comes into play. We don't see or feel it because we are not the target group. If you were the member of a group who was subject to stop-and-frisk, heightened numbers of unwarranted traffic stops, had your voting rights infringed up, did not have access to the same economic tools of others, and carried the stigma of false negative stereotypes, then you might better understand the issue.