Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Are African Americans victims or perpetrators of racism?

Racism has for a long time in the United States of America been considered a matter based on White supremacy against the ‘poor Black victims’. A recent look at a site ‘rent-a-negro.com’ gave me a completely different insight on what drives racism in this country and just how it is driven. Typically, racism is defined as discrimination against a person or persons by another based on one’s skin color or ethnic orientation. In the recent past, this has greatly changed as we have seen a rise in the ‘victims’ themselves being a part of this process. The site afore mentioned offers the opportunity for any person looking to either create a good impression at work or even at a social event to literally pay to have an African American person with them. The home page of the site has the definition:
“Rent a Negro.com Serves today's changing nations by allowing you the chance to promote your connection with a creative, articulate, friendly, attractive, and pleasing African American person. This service comes without the commitment of learning about racism, challenging your own white privilege, or being labeled "radical." In fact, rent-a-negro.com allows you to use your money and status to your advantage! In addition, your dollars go to support the African American community.”
This definition alone raises a lot of questions of the ethical nature of such a business (or lack of it). According to the content of this definition, the site has no intentions of helping the African American community as they state that “in addition, your dollars go to support the African American community.” What a filthy way to help a community! I’d say that African Americans suffer more of inferiority complex than they do of poverty, it is about how they feel, not how much they earn that matters most. The site helps them with money yes but what does it do to their humanity? It turns them into “goods” they are used to make the same people they claim to undermine them feel better and prosper. Is it not a modernized slavery? Is it a solution to racism? I don’t think it is; the site clearly states that one does not have to be worried about learning about racism or being challenged of their “own white privilege.”
As anyone would expect, the site is run by an African American otherwise it would be a whole racism saga all over the United States. I can’t imagine how the media would frame it and how big a deal it would be if a white person were to run this kind of business. The name of the site itself uses the “N” word that is illegal and almost insulting to use to refer to an African American. This site leaves me wondering if truly African Americans want some change based on their color, and the true meaning of racism. Racism is all about who says what to who and who does what to who; the site still uses the skin color, it exploits black people but it is not racism because a black person does it. Does racism has to be between people of different color?
A functionalism would say that both race activists and human rights activists are failing to do their job well; it is very inhuman to start a business like the one in this site regardless of who runs it or who owns it. Activists should consider targeting both the African American communities as they do target white people. White people might be unconsciously racists due to what they see African Americans do around them. For instance, how would someone respect you if he/she can afford to rent you, use you as she/he feels? The site shocked me and left me wondering if African Americans are victims or perpetrators of racism.

Reference:
http://rent-a-negro.com/index.html

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