Which Meaning?

As the campaign for president goes along, we can expect to hear more accusations of racism directed at people who criticize Obama. It will be useful to consider what different people mean by the terms “racist” and “racism” and which meaning is being used in the campaign.

In its most precise sense racism means the doctrine that the members of some races or ethnic groups are inherently inferior or superior to other people solely on the basis of belonging to the group. A racist is a person who adheres to such doctrines. Example would include Nazis, Ku Kluxers, and members of some black identity or black nationalist groups. The terms are used in this way mainly by people who think about the exact meaning and shades of meaning of the words they use.

In a looser sense people use the term “racism” as a synonym for racial prejudice or bigotry to refer to opinions or actions  disparaging, condemning, judging, or disapproving of  a person only because he belongs to a particular race or ethnic group.  Used in this way the word is less precise and ignores the important distinction between the merely prejudiced and the doctrinaire racist. It  is often so used by people not thinking quite as clearly as they might.

Far less precise is  the use of “racism” as a label for anything that is or might be viewed as insulting or annoying to black people. Here things ranging from criticisms of affirmative action or serious discussions of statistical differences among groups in education, crime rates, or economic attainment all the way to gross ethnic jokes, use of taboo words such as “nigger”, and actual prejudice or discrimination get  rolled together into a vague amalgam.  This usage is common among  both political hacks and people careless in their thinking and receptive to indoctrination.

In a similar way, the word “racism” is sometimes used to mean any public criticism of the actions, ability, or opinions of any black person, irrespective of whether the criticism is based on the person’s race. This is  done mainly by fools and scoundrels.

Then there is the labeling as “racism” of any public criticism of the actions, ability, or opinions of any black person, provided that he is also a  leftist (leaving  the Herman Cains, Clarence Thomases, Thomas Sowells, and so on of the world as fair game).  This is common in politics and the traditional news media and is  done chiefly by scoundrels.

It is a safe bet that many of Obama’s cheerleaders and sycophants will make ample use of this last definition during the campaign.