The End of Race Politics summary

Ready to get uncomfortable? Then let’s talk about racism. But before we get into the thorny debate of how to best solve the problem, we must first define it. 

So, what is race? Race is a social construct inspired by natural phenomena – the visible correlates of genetically similar clusters stemming from human migration patterns. However, the social construct of race has become untethered from the natural phenomena that inspired it. All humans have common ancestors, so it’s impossible to draw clear genetic lines between ethnic groups. So the racial categories society uses today are arbitrary and not based on science or reason. 

Now, what is racism? Civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. defined racism as “a doctrine of the congenital inferiority and worthlessness of a people” – in plain terms, the idea that certain groups of people are lesser because they are part of a particular ethnic group. On this view, racism can be held by and targeted at people of any race.

The civil rights movement argued for an ethical principle of colorblindness to combat racism.  They believed we should treat people without regard to race, both in public policy and private life. The principle of colorblindness recognizes our common humanity and that human well-being has nothing essential to do with skin color or ancestry. Advocates of colorblindness see racism as a problem but believe the solution is to consciously disregard race rather than promote racial discrimination and stereotyping.

Once upon a time, colorblindness was considered antiracist. But contemporary anti-racism has come to mean something very different. Many who call themselves "anti-racist" today are actually promoting a new form of racism that could be called neoracism. 

Neoracists engage in stereotyping white people as morally inferior, endorsing discrimination against whites, and redefining racism in a way that gives a pass to anti-white bias. In doing so, they betray the core colorblind principles that motivated the civil rights movement. 

For instance, popular “anti-racist” author Robin DiAngelo writes in her book White Fragility that she "strive[s] to be ‘less white’”, stating that to be less white means to be more empathetic and less arrogant. Her statement operates using a racial stereotype, implying that being white is tantamount to being ignorant about race, closed-minded, and lacking compassion toward the experiences of people of color. DiAngelo applies these negative traits to the general racial category of whiteness, rather than particular individuals. 

How has neoracism become our best attempt at anti-racism? The real test of anti-racism should be consistently opposing racial stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice no matter who is targeted. This means upholding civil rights principles like judging others by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. It means rejecting all attempts to justify racial prejudice or notions of racial superiority. 

True anti-racists embrace the conviction that we all share a common humanity and equality. They focus on supporting concrete policies that actually work to eliminate racism and improve people's lives, not abstract ideologies. Fulfilling that vision remains the urgent, unfinished work of the civil rights movement in our time.