The Normalisation of Casual Racism
Written by Mily Gu
The Normalisation of Casual Racism
Racial inequality is embedded in our daily lives up to the point where even we are unaware of when it happens. The off-hand remark, uncalled for joke, throw-away line or unnecessary commentary that leaves everyone feeling a bit stiff. Our generation says we are against racism; protesting for the Black Lives Matter movement, raising awareness for victims of hate crimes and cancelling racist celebrities. Yet why don’t we call out casual racism? Why do we sit there waiting for the awkwardness to fade away? Why are we not acting on something against our beliefs?
Psychology states that even if we have an attitude towards a certain subject, our behaviours do not necessarily align with them. This is known as cognitive dissonance - the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes. In this case, we all have a negative attitude towards racism, but we don’t act upon it. Sometimes we do, such as participating in Black Lives Matter protests or reposting a story about a victim of discrimination to raise awareness, but why don’t we do anything when it comes to casual racism?
In 2019, researchers from the Australian National University and Western Sydney University surveyed 4,600 primary and secondary students at government schools in New South Wales and Victoria on their experiences of racial discrimination in schools.
The study revealed that “40% of students in years five to nine from non-Anglo or European backgrounds reported experiencing racial discrimination by their peers,” and “one in three students from non-Anglo or European backgrounds reported experiences of racial discrimination in wider society.” (McGowan, 2019)
“what this survey gives us is some data on how common that is, and the burden it places on children and young people. We know racism and race discrimination are major issues and of course[,] they [a]ffect children.”
The consequences of racism shouldn’t be taken lightly. Racism is a “core social determinant of health” and “a driver of health inequities” as described in a policy paper on the role of racism in child and adolescent health American Academy of Pediatrics. Other research conducted indicated that “the emotional pain created by experiences of racism look very similar to the patterns of brain activity caused by physical pain.” Additional negative impacts of racism include ongoing feelings of sadness, anger and depression, low self-esteem, a constant fear of being verbally or physically attacked, etc.
Contrary to the data above, the same survey by the Australian National University and Western Sydney University found that “78% of students said they were able to make friends with peers from a different ethnic background, and most students surveyed said they would feel comfortable intervening if they saw a peer suffering racial abuse.” If these students did intervene and call out casual racism, it would not be negatively affecting such a large number of people. However, this is not the case.
When we’re sitting within our group of friends and someone says something subtly racist, we feel uncomfortable intervening, we’re scared to stand up. In fact, everyone else sitting there is, all waiting for someone to say something. This is known as the Bystander Effect. The bystander effect is the tendency for individuals to be less likely to help (in this case, speak out) another person in need when other bystanders are present.
Unfortunately, 2020 has caused us to witness the increase in racial inequalities due to COVID-19. Many East Asians living in Western cultures have experienced verbal and physical abuse, due to the false belief that ‘the Chinese are the ones to blame for the pandemic’. However, we can use this time to our advantage to take a larger stand against racism in general.
To effectively reduce the prevalence of casual racism in our modern-day society, we need to breakdown and counter the bystander effect. If every individual slightly changes their behaviour, we can make an impactful difference. Whether it’s a simple ‘hey that was rude’ or ‘that’s not okay,’ it is the start of reducing the normalisation of casual racism. The overarching result of this simple method will be a decrease in the prevalence of casual racism in our society and consequently fewer people being victimised and suffering the negative effects.
REFERENCES:
McGowan, M. (2019, August 27). Racism study finds one in three school students are victims of discrimination. The Guardian; Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/27/racism-study-finds-one-in-three-school-students-are-victims-of-discrimination
Why is racism a problem? | Australian Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). Australian Human Rights Commission; Retrieved from https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/why-racism-problem