9/24/2020 The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge - WSJ

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The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge

It’s meant to invoke guilt but absolves everyone, white and black, of responsibility.

By Harvey C. Mans ield

Sept. 18, 2020 2 42 pm ET

PRINT TEXT 458

A man protests systemic racism in Amsterdam, June 13.

PHOTO: PAULO AMORIM ZUMA PRESS

Systemic racism, also known as institutional or structural racism, is a

new phrase for a new situation. We live in a society where racism is
not, and cannot be, openly professed. To do so not only is frowned
upon but will get you into serious trouble, if not yet jail, in America.
Yet even though this is impossible to miss and known to all, “systemic
racism” supposedly persists. The phrase describes a society that is so
little racist that no one can respectably advocate racism, yet so much
racist that every part of it is soaked with racism. We live with the
paradox of a racist society without racists.

Systemic racism is unavowed and mostly unconscious, racist despite

itself. Those who use the phrase, mostly whites, are consciously
accusing their unconscious selves. To get a sense of what they mean,
think of African-Americans as they are, freed of slavery and
segregation but still somehow consigned to an inferior social position.
Everywhere they look, they see black faces on show but white faces in
charge. This is true even where they generally excel and surpass

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9/24/2020 The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge - WSJ

whites, as in sports and entertainment, and still more in business and

academia, where they are fewer. White supremacy seems to be true in
effect if not in intent. Look around and you will see it. MOST POPULAR VIDEOS

It is strange to describe an unconscious effect as racism, for an ism is 1. iOS 14: 14 Tips for
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an opinion, a doctrine, not a mere condition. A doctrine has adherents
who articulate it; it cannot be held unconsciously as can a prejudice.
Racist doctrine says that blacks are a naturally and inherently inferior 2. The Risks of Rushing a
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race. To criticize the character or behavior of blacks, individually or
even on average, is not racism. Criticism implies that blacks are not
living up to their potential, hence that they are capable of behaving
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well. Criticism implies an essential equality between critics and Ask Israel
whomever they criticize. This is contrary to racism.
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Racist doctrine is not really blame of an inferior race but implies a sort Love
of excuse. If you are innately inferior, there’s nothing you can do about
it—so no blame is reasonable. Nor, from the standpoint of racism, is it 5. Anthony Fauci on
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reasonable for the inferior race to resent being treated as inferior; Put Covid-19 Behind
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that’s all it is entitled to. It’s better to resign oneself to one’s fate,
whether one is superior or inferior. That is racism, and it is contrary
to the American principle that all human beings are created equal.

The idea of systemic

racism proclaims that
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racism is unjust but exists

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ourselves. How could this
happen? It is the bad result
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as good. The good behavior
of conscientiously striving
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to better oneself is joined
to the bad behavior of
always preferring oneself.
Thus any privilege one earns and deserves is tied to undeserved
privilege: A successful life if you are white comes out as white
supremacy. Despite your verbal rejection of that result, the system
behind your intentions brings it about.

The notion of systemic racism is designed to make you feel guilty

about this if you are white. But why should you? The system did it, not
you. You can’t change the system; that’s what “systemic” means. All
your good intentions have existed since America began, but they are
always tainted by bad consequences. The movement against systemic
racism must fail. How could it succeed where Abraham Lincoln and
Martin Luther King Jr. couldn’t? Systemic racism exists despite our
intentions; so it can’t be cured by changing our intentions—as by
protesting.

If, on the other hand, we are all responsible, then we should all behave
better. If that is possible, then we don’t live in the thrall of a system.
We somehow control our lives but don’t do a good job of it. We should
turn a bad job into a good job. To behave responsibly, it doesn’t help to
assume a systemic racism that acts against our intentions.

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Yet “systemic racism” is used as an accusation, not as mere

description. As accusation, though, it is no longer a system in the
required sense of being beneath our awareness. It is joined to the
demand for antiracism. If antiracism is possible, then all of us, whites
as well as blacks, are no longer mere victims of a system.

In fact, all of us are aware of the racial question, even those who are
not woke. Both sides of this matter are awake, but we differ. Our
compassionate intentions run up against our fear of running other
peoples’ lives, together with legitimate concern for our own well-
being and our children’s, and we resolve the conflict differently,
usually by partisan choice. Instead of submitting to fate, we argue our
differences over justice. This is what we do and what we should be
aware of doing.

Systemic racism has disadvantages as a way of thinking that outweigh

the specious advantage of not having to argue about justice. It tells
blacks that they are quite OK, and that it is entirely up to whites to
change their thinking and their behavior. This means that blacks must
allow whites to hold their future for them.

We recently mourned the passing of John Lewis, an activist for civil

rights. Civil rights come from America, and to demand them is to
imply that America would be OK if only it would assure for blacks
what it gives to whites. But if America is tainted by systemic racism
even to the principles of its founding, blacks will have to depend on
the goodwill of whites and can’t call on our common patriotism. That
is the implication of the slogan “Black Lives Matter.” The civil-rights
movement was led by blacks, and its accomplishments were theirs, in
cooperation with the governing white majority.

Systemic racism ignores the agency of black citizens, leaving them

nothing to do except to protest in the streets or cheer from the
sidelines. Meanwhile whites are told by the same idea that all their
past efforts against white supremacy have been in vain. Nothing they
have done has worked or could have worked. All along our history, the
Constitution and the Rights of Man we thought we practiced and
defended were nothing but the power of white men. All the heroes of
both races and their sacrifices were defeated by systemic racism and
went for naught. What we might do now differently from what we
have done in the past is left totally unclear. More affirmative action
and more subsidies—what can they do that will now help instead of
hurt? Call them “reparations”—will that do any good?

Another disadvantage of the idea of systemic racism is to deny the

value of prudence in politics. A democracy can react quickly if
attacked, but for a transformation out of white supremacy, you have to
have the support of a majority; you have to go by stages. First, assert
the goal to be achieved, the principle of human equality, as was done
in the Declaration of Independence. Then make a constitution so that
a free country can govern itself effectively. To ratify the Constitution,
it was necessary to gain the assent of the slave states.

The American founding couldn’t be perfect from the start; it had to

progress toward its goal. Prudence is the faculty that deals with
imperfection in order to form, as the Preamble put it, a “more perfect

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9/24/2020 The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge - WSJ

union.” To make progress effectively and democratically, prudence

seeks and finds necessary accommodations in compromise. Not all
compromises are successful, but the successful ones deserve to be
accepted, and those who had the prudence to make them should be
honored—not merely tolerated, let alone dishonored or canceled.

The cancel culture is a malignant growth from the idea of systemic

racism. Those who cancel stop accusing themselves; they step outside
of the system they denounce. After asserting the guilt of all whites,
these whites give themselves a pass.

“Systemic racism” is a bogus description that issues in an accusation

made in doubtful faith that contradicts itself. But it is held by many
fellow Americans, so let’s not dismiss it. It’s better to treat it
respectfully as a disputable opinion.

Mr. Mansfield is a professor of government at Harvard.

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Wiliam Reed SUBSCRIBER

W
2 minutes ago

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9/24/2020 The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge - WSJ
Oh dear, Professor Mans ield May have loosed the dogs of war towards his,
I hope, tenured position!

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Kenneth Johnson SUBSCRIBER

K
3 minutes ago

WSJ headline....."....Systemic Racism....."

Everyone is r@ci ally aware......because everyone is a member of a r @ce ....

except  'mixed race' individuals.
Get over it.

I don't want w hit es to be discriminated against.....because I'm a w hit e

person.
The same is true of all other r @ci@l groups.
That hasn't changed in millennia....and it's not going to.

Afr i can- am er i cans are not numerous enough (13%) to have 'only their
opinions' matter on this issue.
The other 87% have their views too.
Any other observations?

Like  1 Reply  Share  Report 

bill bratney SUBSCRIBER

B 4 minutes ago

I am going to respectfully disagree with your entire premise that systemic

racism"exists, that it is real, and that it is something I need to pay attention
too.  In fact, I am going to retreat to my God, my guns, my Constitution, and
my Bill of Rights.  

Like  1 Reply  Share  Report 

Joseph Breton SUBSCRIBER

8 minutes ago

Why does most of the 'systemic racism' surface in Democrat-ruined cities?

Like  5 Reply  Share  Report 

Ronald Horner SUBSCRIBER

R 11 minutes ago

The only real   systems out there is the Government  welfare, housing, free
lunch, food stamp, free bus,  systems.

Like  4 Reply  Share  Report 

WILLIAM HAFF SUBSCRIBER

W 11 minutes ago

"“Systemic racism” is a bogus description that issues in an accusation made

in doubtful faith that contradicts itself. But it is held by many fellow
Americans, so let’s not dismiss it. It’s better to treat it respectfully as a
disputable opinion."

It's hard to treat "systemic racism" respectfully when it is coming at you in

the form of a ist, a brick, a frozen water bottle, a laser pointer, a irework
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9/24/2020 The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge - WSJ
t e o o a st, a b c , a o e wate bott e, a ase po te , a ewo
mortar, or a Molotov cocktail ... and we are one short step away from
escalating that list to include sticks, knives, and guns...

Like  3 Reply  Share  Report 

Fred Scott SUBSCRIBER

12 minutes ago

The only proven systemic racism is the DOJ implementing Yale for
discriminating against white students. like we needed them to prove this. 
2020 has given us a new term, black privilege. 

This all stated with the arrest and resisting of arrest of George Floyd. The
DOJ states every year 2.9 million black people are arrested. These
sensational cases of the Michael Gardner's, George Floyd's, Freddie Gray
happen about every two years. So 5.8 million black people arrested in a two
year period and one case proves systemic racism among the police but the
5,799,999 arrest without incidence is the abnormality. You resist arrest like
every single one of these high pro ile cases you take risk. With 100%
certainty if these people had not resisted arrest they would be alive today.
Heck in most Democratic cities they would be back on the street with no
cash bail in a few hours.

Like  5 Reply  Share  Report 

robert whalen SUBSCRIBER

R 12 minutes ago

Prof.  Man ield's comments are apt but largely miss the point. One can, of
course, easily refute this nonsense but that only digni ies it. The charge of
"Systemic Racism" is a slogan, not a rational analysis, intended to
intimidate. 

Each year in both the USSR and Mao's China the national communist
oligarchy published a new set of slogans, e;g. "Reach and surpass the
United States" or "All power to the soviets." In addition to this, the ruling
clique manufactured new heresies to be denounced, such as "Left
deviationists" (Trotsky) and "Right deviationists" (Bulgarin.) There were
many such imaginary conspiracies (the "wreckers") to which party poo-
bahs gave a name and local habitation. These "conspiracies" had no
objective existence. They were bruited about as instruments of terror.

American liberals now utilize the same methods (e.g. HRC's denunciation
of "implicit racism" during the irst 2016 debate.)

This isn't a fallacy to be refuted. It is an evil to be destroyed.

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Joseph Breton SUBSCRIBER

11 minutes ago

Don't forget "Deplorables."  lol

Like  3 Reply  Share  Report 

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9/24/2020 The ‘Systemic Racism’ Dodge - WSJ

John PIXLEY SUBSCRIBER

J
12 minutes ago

Brilliant

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