Things like racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. aren’t just being mean to someone because of their skin color, gender, or sexual orientation. They are results of years of laws, oppression, violence, and hatred, socially, politically, and economically, against certain groups of people.
What is systemic or institutionalized prejudice?
While the dictionary might define racism as "racial or ethnic prejudice or intolerance," we know racism in a real sense, especially in America, has much larger implications. From Jim Crow laws to modern police brutality, racism has been and continues to be a system for white people to gain and exert power over People of Color (POC). When any type of prejudice works becomes such a large part of history, or when any type of prejudice exists on a social, political, and/or economic level, it becomes systemic or institutional. These two words are often used interchangeably, although there are a few differences, which you can learn more about here. So, if someone is prejudiced against viola players, that is not systemic because viola players, on a large scale, have not ever and are not now oppressed. However, if someone is prejudiced against bisexual people, that is part of something systemic, as bi people and others in the LGBTQ+ community have been oppressed for years and continue to fight for equality even today.
When things are on an institutional level, there is an inherent power imbalance which cannot be reversed. Thus, reverse racism, reverse sexism, reverse homophobia (or heterophobia), and any other reverse prejudice along those lines is NOT real.
When things are on an institutional level, there is an inherent power imbalance which cannot be reversed. Thus, reverse racism, reverse sexism, reverse homophobia (or heterophobia), and any other reverse prejudice along those lines is NOT real.
Let's take a closer look!
Imagine that you have a classmate named Randy. Randy is a bully. Ever since kindergarten, he has been stealing your lunches and beating you up, and because you are smaller than him and have less social connections (sorry), you have never been able to fight back. You've told your parents, your teachers, anyone you can think of, but even those who have tried to help you have done so with little success. Then, one day, after Randy beats you up and steals your lunch (sorry again), you call him a mean name. Randy flips out. He says that you are bullying him! You argue that this is preposterous! He is literally holding your lunch as he speaks! But Randy protests that just because he is mean to you doesn't give you a right to be mean back. Besides, he never called you any names, so really, you're lucky! Isn't that ridiculous? Now imagine that you are a black person. Your people have been oppressed and hurt by white people for centuries, and you yourself have experienced tons of microagressions, harassment, and racism. Then, one day, you make a tiktok about how white people don't season their food. Do you see where this is going?
The fact is, POC, women, and other marginalized groups do not hold the social, political, or economic power to oppress their oppressors. Sure, everyone can be mean to anyone on an individual level, but that does not equate to institutionalized or systemic oppression. In a perfect world, everyone would get along and no one would be biased against anyone else. However, as we do not currently live in a society with equality for all, some groups of people are allowed to make jokes or comments that others cannot. This can seem confusing or even upsetting, but if you are feeling down that you can't insult marginalized groups while they can insult you, comfort yourself with the fact that you will be able to go through life (and probably succeed more easily) without ever suffering from the types of prejudices that they have to deal with every day! Ha! Who's laughing now?
The fact is, POC, women, and other marginalized groups do not hold the social, political, or economic power to oppress their oppressors. Sure, everyone can be mean to anyone on an individual level, but that does not equate to institutionalized or systemic oppression. In a perfect world, everyone would get along and no one would be biased against anyone else. However, as we do not currently live in a society with equality for all, some groups of people are allowed to make jokes or comments that others cannot. This can seem confusing or even upsetting, but if you are feeling down that you can't insult marginalized groups while they can insult you, comfort yourself with the fact that you will be able to go through life (and probably succeed more easily) without ever suffering from the types of prejudices that they have to deal with every day! Ha! Who's laughing now?
An example:
I'm sure we have all seen videos or posts on social media saying something like "men are trash" or "kill all men," and I'm sure we have all seen responses to them along the lines of "but what if the roles were reversed?" Well, first of all, they are! Unfortunately, we live in a very misogynistic (sexist) society. From things like the wage gap (women today make 81 cents to a man's dollar), discrimination in healthcare, the staggeringly low numbers of women in Congress, and the fact that every one in three women will at some point experience physical or sexual abuse, to things like catcalling, sexist comments, and hating on teenage girls, the fact is, women are still oppressed. Also, that's just in America! And while you might not see posts saying things like "kill all women," you will see posts making rape jokes, saying "make me a sandwich," and a hundred other sexist things that actually do bleed into everyday life and have horrible and violent consequences for women and girls everywhere.
There absolutely are legitimate problems that men face. Higher rates of suicide, being granted custody less often than women, being drafted into the military, and even more day-to-day things like being bullied for acting feminine are all issues that should be talked about. And, while those issues do relate to sexism, they are actually still not sexist against men. See, higher rates of suicide are the result of not allowing men to be emotional, as that is a trait associated with women. Believing men to be logical and nonemotional has allowed men to deny women leadership positions for centuries. Men not being granted custody of children is a result of women being forced into parental and child-bearing roles throughout history. While fathers are praised for knowing how to brush their daughter's hair or make a sandwich, women are constantly criticized for their choices as mothers. Military drafts applying only to men is a result of women being viewed as weak and irrational. So, these problems are not results of sexism against men (or reverse sexism) but rather the side affects of systemic oppression of women. Thus, reverse sexism does not and cannot exist.
This same logic can be applied to any system of oppression. Reverse racism does not exist because POC do not hold social, political, or economic power over white people. Heterophobia isn't real because straight people aren't oppressed legally socially for their sexuality while people in the LGBTQ+ community are.
There absolutely are legitimate problems that men face. Higher rates of suicide, being granted custody less often than women, being drafted into the military, and even more day-to-day things like being bullied for acting feminine are all issues that should be talked about. And, while those issues do relate to sexism, they are actually still not sexist against men. See, higher rates of suicide are the result of not allowing men to be emotional, as that is a trait associated with women. Believing men to be logical and nonemotional has allowed men to deny women leadership positions for centuries. Men not being granted custody of children is a result of women being forced into parental and child-bearing roles throughout history. While fathers are praised for knowing how to brush their daughter's hair or make a sandwich, women are constantly criticized for their choices as mothers. Military drafts applying only to men is a result of women being viewed as weak and irrational. So, these problems are not results of sexism against men (or reverse sexism) but rather the side affects of systemic oppression of women. Thus, reverse sexism does not and cannot exist.
This same logic can be applied to any system of oppression. Reverse racism does not exist because POC do not hold social, political, or economic power over white people. Heterophobia isn't real because straight people aren't oppressed legally socially for their sexuality while people in the LGBTQ+ community are.