Reverse discrimination, as defined by Merriam- Webster is the practice of making it more difficult for a certain type of person (such as a white man) to get a job, to go to a school, etc., because other people who were treated unfairly in the past are now being given an advantage.
We hear about it online in social groups, through the media or talked about it amongst peers or in the classroom setting. How many of us have actually seen it in first hand, been a victim of it or participated in it? How do we define it? And, is it really real? The hierarchy of the United States has historically benefited whites and in a lot of ways, that has never changed. But as a Hispanic minority, I know that discrimination extends beyond the borders of white vs. black. As a female and a minority, I have experienced racism and discrimination. But I have experienced it from other minorities. Groups that I thought should and would feel my pain. This is where it has become confusing for many.
Because cultural diversity is now a part of all of our lives and places that were not as culturally diverse before are now increasingly diverse, one would think that the barriers we have faced for a long time would begin to crumble. Now, it seems that new barriers are forming as new ethnic groups begin to perceive their group as higher than another or seeking retribution against another group. Schneider et al., states that in North America modern forms of racism are often difficult to measure because most displays of bias or negative attitudes are subtler. It isn’t “socially acceptable”. However, what happens when one group feels they have been wronged and their internal feelings are displayed in a non-verbal way through, body language, facial expressions or tone. What about the white woman who chooses to date black men and the negative reaction she receives from members of the black race, or the Hispanic woman who is treated unfairly at the DMV by the black receptionist? Is this considered “reverse discrimination” or simply….discrimination? What are the criteria?
Many will argue that discrimination from one minority group to another minority group does not exist. Discrimination is defined as the behavior directed at others on the basis of category membership (Schneider et al., 2012). And perhaps while some of what I experience as a minority is prejudice, it certainly can feel like discrimination. When I am treated differently in a public establishment, not allowed to do the things that other minorities of a different race/ ethnicity are being allowed to do or talked to in a way that is very different from others in this establishment, to me, this is discrimination. Here is a race that has been at a historical disadvantage and in some cases, holds a certain negative attitude towards the white race because of this but because I look like I am part of the white race, although my name says otherwise, I am treated differently. I am a Hispanic female with two bi-racial children- African American and Hispanic. Clearly, there is an internal conflict of “I am not sure what you are, but you look like someone that has done me wrong.”
So how do we overcome?
Utilizing the contact theory to overcome this type of discrimination can be useful but it is necessary during this process to tease out the negative associations from the positive associations with one group. We must try to understand where the negative thoughts and feelings come from. Allport (1954) argued that if people with different group characteristics could get to know each other and work together, prejudice, stereotypes and the impulse to discriminate would decrease dramatically. However, there are certain criteria to meet in order to be successful- equal status contact, common goals and support by relevant institutions. Let’s use the very small example of the DMV. In this case, every person that walks through the door has a common goal- to take care of something related to his or her driver’s license. The government can support the agency’s diversity by requiring training of employees on diversity. The agency can also require that each receptionist ask a few preliminary questions of those in the agency seeking help- this opens the door for conversation and the potential for one group or individual to identify similarities between the group or individuals. By allowing those employees of the agency to hold on to their perception of races outside their own, the barriers are perpetuated by those meant to help tear them down.
Racism, discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes will forever exist in our society. What we need to be better at is extending this across all groups in a two-way manner so we can break down the barriers that exist as a result of historical knowledge. We cannot overcome the terrible acts of racism on blacks if we allow the same acts to go that we are trying to eliminate between two different groups of minorities.
(n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hierarchy
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.
Penn State- Lesson 6. Intergroup relations/ diversity. Psych 424.
Interesting read.
I would have to state discrimination is malleable and changes by the circumstance. It is like a stalker in a slasher flick, waiting to jump out at any time. It is such a touchy topic I simply will not discuss it with anyone but my closest like-minded family. In fact, with my blog I addressed kind of the same topic but my narrative was without conviction and bathetic because I didn’t want to offend anyone; on either side of the issue.
Everybody is a victim of discrimination; everybody is suffering from some injustice if you let him or her tell it. I read many years ago that affirmative action was the best thing that ever happened to the ego of the majority group because every time they don’t get something it was not because someone smarter or better got it, it was because they had it stolen from them by (fill in the blank). On the other side, the majority males do get the shaft quite a bit. True story, I had friend who had a job where he could hire his friends for good paying jobs. When white males used to press him for the jobs and repeatedly call or show up to inquire about applications they had submitted, my friend would tell them that he could not hire them because he had to fulfill a quota. The jobs were actually going to other white males, his friends, but the other white applicants thought they were shafted by affirmative action yet again. Affirmative action overwhelmingly benefits army vets and white females but the myth persists that minorities, defined by ethnicities, are major benefactors.
Overall, society has evolved into an every person for himself kerfuffle. If the middle class would soul search about the truth they’ll garner enough power to make things legitimately fair and prosperous for all. Race has been used to mislead people at the expense of the common good for a very very long time.