SOC 209 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Intentionality, Lucy Liu, Condoleezza Rice
12 May 2018
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• 5 Fallacies About Racism:
➢ There are many misconceptions about character of racism.
➢ Americans are deeply divided over its legacies & inner workings.
o Much of this division is a result of the fact that many Americans
understand racism in limited or misguided ways.
1. Individualistic Fallacy:
▪ Racism is assumed to belong to realm of ideas & attitudes.
▪ Racism is only collection of nasty thoughts a racist individual has
about another group:
❖ Mexicans are lazy
❖ Black people are criminals
❖ Native Americans are drunkards"
▪ Someone operating w/ this fallacy thinks of racism as one thinks
of a crime.
▪ They divide the world into 2 types of people:
❖ Those guilty of the crime of racism racists.
❖ Those innocent of the crime of racism non-racists.
▪ In a society w/ signs of racial injustice everywhere, virtually
everyone can say they are not racist.
▪ Intentionality is in no way a prerequisite for racism.
❖ Habitual
❖ Unintentional
❖ Commonplace
❖ Polite
❖ Implicit
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Document Summary
There are many misconceptions about character of racism. Those guilty of the crime of racism (cid:523)(cid:498)racists(cid:499)(cid:524). Those innocent of the crime of racism (cid:523)(cid:498)non-racists(cid:499)(cid:524): someone operating w/ this fallacy thinks of racism as one thinks, they divide the world into 2 types of people: of a crime. In a society w/ signs of racial injustice everywhere, virtually everyone can say they are not racist. Intentionality is in no way a prerequisite for racism. Well meaning: not only is racism located in our intentional thoughts & actions. It also thrives in our dis-positions & habits. Also in social institutions in which we"re all embedded: legalistic fallacy, conflates de jure legal progress with de facto racial progress. De facto: based in fact: assumes abolishing racist laws (racism in principle) automatically leads to abolition of racism in everyday life (racism in practice), brown v. board of education: The landmark 1954 case that abolished de jure segregation in school.
