Choosing Between Overt and Covert Racism
by Latoya Peterson
So, something Paula said is haunting me:
As messed up as this is going to sound, in a way it is a lot easier on my conscience to be called a “chink”, a “flat face gook”, “slitty eyes” or any other racial slur. When I’m called a name or when people pull back their eyes to try and mock mine, at least I can easily identify and have certifiable proof of their intentions. When someone unabashedly yells out “Yo ching-chong – where you from?!”, it’s pretty easy to tell where they stand and what they’re trying to do – and as a result, it is much easier to separate myself from the actions of the perpetrator. It’s the more covert, ambiguous and almost imperceptible acts of racism and prejudice that I find are far more difficult – both at times for myself and for certain others – to reconcile, validate and to believe without question. And as a result, I find it extremely hard to publicly address certain situations like the one last week with my husband when I feel that the only proof I have is the feeling that resides in my gut.
I touched on this before, when talking about feminism – how it is easier for me to deal with the overt sexism of some in the anti-racist movement, because I know to steer clear of those people. If a guy is going to say something like “women should know their place” or “since men have the most issues, they are most deserving of our attention,” they might as well be wearing a neon sign saying “leave me the fuck alone!”
And, for the most part, I’m happy to comply. What made a lot of the feminist blogosphere battles so frustrating was that we were facing covert “well, are you sure that’s what they meant?” racism – infinitely harder to prove, not so easy to judge, easy to second guess.
Sometimes, I wonder if my preference for overt racism comes because it is something to fight. As Paula said, I too can separate myself easily from the more blatant acts of racism – lines are clearly drawn. The ambiguous bits are harder, and much more frustrating, as many of the people who put that ambiguous kind of racism into practice are highly unlikely to think (much less admit) that their behavior is racist.
I watched the season finale of Entourage last Sunday, and found myself pondering the same question I’ve had since I started tuning in after True Blood – why the hell does Lloyd stay with Ari? I’ve missed a lot of the past seasons, but it appears that Lloyd has been revealed to be (1) secretly rich and (2) racially aware. There’s even a segment in the best of Ari Gold clips where Lloyd directly asks Ari to stop making fun of his sexuality and race. Ari responds that he can’t promise that, be he promises to always apologize afterward.
I’ve been playing around with screenwriting lately, so I find myself trying to deconstruct all the character motivations of what I am watching on television. Why do they make the choices they make? What motivates them? What would I do to change the character?
In reference to Lloyd, I wondered what I would do with his work relationships. Why does Lloyd continue to work with Ari? Why wouldn’t he decamp for someone else, or use his clout to betray Ari, or put himself in a different situation in general?
Then, it occurs to me.
Maybe Ari just prefers working with someone who will say it to his face.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Ishtar wrote:
Oh my goodness it’s like you read my mind. I was just thinking along those lines today.
Sometimes it’s hard to even believe my own experiences when the sexism is subtle and cloaked in smiles and innuendo.
Like you said…overt sexism I can dismiss to a large extent as coming from asshats. But the covert stuff usually comes from people who can be really nice in all other respects. It’s not always easy to spot and to deal with.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 9:06 am ¶
Rob Schmidt wrote:
I don’t think there’s any “hidden” reason for Lloyd’s staying that you missed in a previous episode. His motivations may be a complex mix of factors:
1) As you’ve indicated, he prefers the racist he can see to the racists he can’t see.
2) He partly believes that Ari doesn’t mean everything he says–that it’s all an elaborate act or a response to the constant pressure.
3) Ari is helping him advance in the business, which is a rare opportunity. It’s evidence that Ari’s words don’t match his feelings.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 9:49 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
I stopped watching Entourage several seasons ago after I got really sick of some stereotypes I was seeing there.
However, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Ari Gold is a great character creation.
I think I can explain his appeal. He combines extremes of amorality, lack of social inhibition and grandiose narcissism.
I think all of us know someone who has that lack of inhibition… it’s like they have absolutely no filter between what they think and what they say. They don’t alter what they’re saying to fit their audience or fit the proper social setting. They just blurt it out, and damn the consequences. As a result, they provide a really accurate mirror of common images and stereotypes. Interacting with them is like looking into a clean, plain mirror instead of distorted funhouse mirrors or veiled mirrors.
The other likeable thing about Ari is that he’s an equal-opportunity asshole. Although he’s constantly spouting racist and otherwise bigoted statements, you get the feeling he really doesn’t really like any kind of group, even his own one of white Jewish men.
The most unappealing narcissists are the hypocritical ones who weave fantasies and pretend they’re the wonderful, giving people that everyone else knows they’re not.
Ari is the other kind of narcissist, the one that knows exactly what they are but doesn’t give a damn. There’s an appealing honesty in that. Even when he lies, he’s honest about being an untrustworthy liar and scumbag.
However, I don’t buy the fact that Lloyd, drawn as he is (i.e. not a complete doormat) would stay loyal to Ari. I can totally understand Ari’s appeal in the short term. But working for someone like that over the long-term would drive me insane.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 10:04 am ¶
CVT wrote:
I think another “benefit” of overt racism is that it’s – oddly enough – a bit easier to change. If somebody is unabashedly racist, then exposure to different experiences can drastically change how they look at things. If somebody is covertly racist, they have deniability (with themselves, as well as with the outside world) and so it’s harder to get them out of defense mode and into a place of real learning. Strange thought, that.
I work in education – which is chock-full of well-meaning, covert racists. People that think they’re “helping kids,” but are really reinforcing stereotypes and acting on internal prejudices all the time. At least if somebody is obvious about it, we can get them moved on or do something real about it; and the kids can see it for what it is. The other kind? Just slowly chip away at the kids, until the “desired” effect is achieved – and they drop out or fail or otherwise fall out of the system.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 11:07 am ¶
Kavita wrote:
As someone who’s lived in the South and the Northeast, I’ve always said I preferred Southern racists because they were so obvious about it, at least I knew where they stood. But reflecting recently, I started to wonder if there wasn’t more to it. I’ve been educated at prestigous schools in the NE, and even though when I lived in the South I was just scraping by, I come from an upper-middle class family. As a light-skinned WoC, Southern racists didn’t threaten me very much. In general they didn’t hold positions of power that put me in danger. When I encountered them, I could brush them off as vestiages of a dying era. I tended to feel more pity for those people, holding on to backwards, outdated, ignorant views.
The insidious racism that I encounter in the North comes in different forms. I feel it on the job, from an older white boss who is clearly uncomfortable around me, or whenever I try to go through airport security. When I get it from the cops or store merchants, I can’t brush it off as easily. I experience it more as part of the system of power that constricts me, rather than just the pitiful opinions of some backwards hillbillies.
Also, thankfully I don’t really experience overt racism very often. I may get the occasional rude comment about my head-covering, but nothing too threatening. I contrast that to my Black male friends who experience overt racist oppression from the police, for instance. I don’t know if they would say they preferred that overt racism and its implications in their lives to the more covert version. I mean, it goes without saying, both kinds suck. But I’m just trying to think about how power, and perhaps class, plays into all of this.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 11:31 am ¶
emfole wrote:
Ari Gold is a blatant money-grubbing-Jew stereotype. racist all around, entourage is.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 11:40 am ¶
Gail wrote:
Overt and covert bias have different sources…Overt bias is grounded in hatred, an over-attachment to how things (e.g., skin, hair, eyes, accents) should be that results in blame and criticism directed at people who “violate” the rule. Covert bias is based in ignorance combined with apathy. The apathy part is important, and just as poisonous as hatred, because adding information to address the ignorance doesn’t fix the bias. The apathy lets people stay disconnected from their own and others’ feelings and experiences. How do we change it? I think it’s important to start noticing the apathy, bringing attention to it when it happens, without judgment, like: “wow, it doesn’t seem like you feel very affected my suffering. It’s good for me to know that about you.”
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 11:50 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
I think Ari Gold is perhaps not the best symbol of overt racism, because as others have noted, he doesn’t necessarily accompany racist slurs with hostile action.
But whether overt vs. covert is worse is pretty subjective and depends on the situation.
It may be easier to spot overt racism, but it’s easier to live with covert racism.
Covert racists don’t randomly physically attack you.
A few isolated incidents of overt racism might be easier to deal with than constant low-grade covert racism, but if you’re in such a crappy environment that you’re facing overt racism every single day, it’s physically dangerous, psychologically intolerable and practically soul-destroying. That’s the kind of stuff that will give you PTSD. It’s rare nowadays, but it still happens.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 12:35 pm ¶
Atropa wrote:
It really bothers me when progressives do stupid shit like say something that sets off my “that’s sexist/racist/classist/etc!” alarm, but isn’t immediately obvious because how do I articulate that? Especially to people who are operating under the assumption that intent matters?
Unless people have already reached the place where the ends are more important than the intent behind it, that’s not even a conversation worth having. It is my breaking point, where I decide to walk away and burn the bridge with precious few exceptions. But, that’s not really productive, now is it? It’s protecting myself. I don’t know what to do with that.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 12:44 pm ¶
Monie wrote:
Latoya ,
What I find infuriating is unacknowledged racism within the so-called White Feminist community.
During the recent Democratic Presidential primaries I found it so amazing that Hillary Clinton embraced the support of BET founder Bob Johnson.
Juxtapose that with the incident in which a MSNBC anchor referred to Chelsea Clinton using the term “pimped” and the angry response from Hillary.
So it was obvious to me that Hillary only considers her feminism to be for White women. Otherwise how could she align herself with a man that helped bring words like pimped into the popular lexicon.
It’s okay for Black women to be referred to using a term like pimped but not her precious White daughter?
I’ll never forget that.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 12:50 pm ¶
profe wrote:
I always felt it was like “Jaws.” Its the knowledge that you know it’s there but can’t see it in the water versus you know it’s there and can see it. Seeing a target makes it easier to combat.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 1:54 pm ¶
Jess wrote:
Do you guys ever get the esprit d’escalier moment with covert racism? Someone says something to you, and you think it’s odd at the time, but continue on. Then, you get home, and you think, “Wait… what was that supposed to mean?”
That’s what bothers me the most about covert racism. You’re never exactly sure what’s going on, so you can’t really do anything about it. At least with a crazy KKK member or something you know what you’re dealing with.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 2:28 pm ¶
Jeff wrote:
I think comment number 2 pretty much hits the nail on the head re: Ari/Lloyd. I’d argue that 95 percent of the time, he’s playing a convincing facade for a guy who in the end really does care about Lloyd, Vince, his wife, his friends, etc. Its a little meta I guess, but Jeremy Piven is really playing a character’s character in that show, which is part of the brilliance of the character, I think (even though its probably lost on most of Entourage’s audience).
That said, they do cross the line with the Lloyd jokes sometimes. There was one episode — can’t remember which, but it was midway though this past season — where Piven breaks character for just a split second right before saying something horrendously offensive, seemingly aware of the gravity of the line.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 2:36 pm ¶
Jamerican Muslimah wrote:
I have to agree about “preferring” overt racism to covert racism. What bothers me about covert racism is the shock involved. I never expect it and as someone already mentioned, the deniability factor on part of the offender is high. When I lived in South Florida I complained about the overt racism. However, having returned to the Midwest where people are in complete denial about their racism, I must say that I am more guarded.
For some reason covert racism hurts me more. Maybe because I trusted the racist offender to be different.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 2:40 pm ¶
Kim wrote:
I agree that outright racism hurts worse. While I’ve always been offended by racial slurs, the subtle jabs at my culture are worse. Perhaps it’s because subtle racism often comes from someone it shouldn’t come from – educated, smart people who are often friends or colleagues. Overt racism is more often from strangers, people I could care less about to begin with.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 2:59 pm ¶
Mike wrote:
A strange thought.
Maybe this is the race version of what animators call the “uncanny valley”. The uncanny valley is the idea that computer animation of humans look most unrealistic when it is almost a perfect human likeness. When animation is almost photorealistic it doesn’t hit the brain as “cartoon”: it registers as “human”. And the brain power used to interpret facial expressions declares it as unnatural or creepy.
Substitute “overt” for cartoon and “covert” for human.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 3:09 pm ¶
Suzy wrote:
Right on to CVT.
It’s like this post read my mind based on what happened to me yesterday – a guy on my bus was making some borderline statements about Natives not realizing that a mixed Native woman was sitting in the back of the bus listening to every word. I think the phrases that are the most dangerous are the ones that start, “yes, [insert racist event from history here] was horrible, but now….” and the person goes on to subtly blame people of color for their own victimization, or give numerous examples of why everything should be fine now, blah blah. That to me is the covert stuff that hurts the most, because the people so firmly believe they are right, and the acknowledgment/knowledge of atrocities/discrimination, etc. throws you for a loop because they actually know something about the topic (as opposed to blatantly racist comments with little background knowledge involved) and combined with how the backlash against anti-racism efforts has really sharpened in the recent past, it’s almost like there is more support for people to believe in this way. Also, many of the comments are not made in an angry way, so it is difficult to deal with the anger I feel in response.
I stopped the guy after we got off the bus and talked to him for a few minutes about the comments he was making and why they could be considered offensive. He apologized and said he didn’t mean to offend, which I sincerely hope he meant.. As always after episodes like that, I walked away shaking, my head spinning, and so angry! I guess it was because I feel like I always have to be the careful one — careful what I say in response to comments like the ones he made, careful in how I say it. And it makes me angry too that he might use our interaction as just another example of how “radical” people of color can be, or how crazy or whatever… just because I called him out on some comments! I guess I agree with some of the other posters — I’d rather deal with overt stuff than debate and discuss endlessly and still feel like you are slamming your head against a wall and not know if you are making real headway in changing people’s beliefs.
I just get so tired sometimes.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 3:23 pm ¶
Laura V wrote:
I am trying to find (but my google skills are weak today, apparently) a study I read on racism a while ago.
The study tested students for overt and covert racism, and then assigned working groups like this:
1. overtly racist white students with students of color
2. white students who did not test as racist with students of color
3. covertly racist white students (who often believed strongly that they were not racist at all) with students of color
groups #1 and #2 performed about equally well. group #3, on the other hand, did not. the researchers theorized that with overtly racist students, the students of color and the racists all knew the score, dealt, and did their work. but with covert racism, the students of color knew and felt the racism but there was no way for them (or the white students) to cope with and resolve the issue.
ARGH WHY CAN I NOT FIND THIS FREAKIN’ STUDY, GOOGLE?
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 3:28 pm ¶
mt wrote:
@ Laura V – could you post that study if you are able to find it? it sounds good! thanks!
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 4:08 pm ¶
Ashley wrote:
Latoya, I’ve had the same experience as you. It was the feminist blogosphere that made me “prefer” overt to covert racism. There was one infamous incident that I don’t want to rehash, but the Democratic primaries really opened my eyes as well. What’s even worse is that people are still fighting some of those same battles. I’m still hearing that:
- the fact that Barack Obama wasn’t regularly called racial slurs is proof that racism is less socially acceptable than sexism
- the only reason Barack Obama won is because sexism is more prevalent than racism
-Barack Obama is an overt sexist
In response to Tim Wise’s excellent article about White privilege, someone said “That was really good. But I think those are examples of Republican privilege, not White privilege.” Yeah, because I’m sure Barack Obama, gun enthusiast, would be treated the same way as John Edwards or Hillary Clinton, gun enthusiast. It’s going to be interesting watching the feminist blogosphere react to Michelle Obama on a regular basis. I’ve already seen a few people strip race out of discussions of her so that they can focus solely on her gender, claiming that a certain criticism is “obviously sexist but not really racist”.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 4:53 pm ¶
Big Man wrote:
I wrote about this from a different perspective over at my blog a while back.
http://ravingblacklunatic.blogspot.com/2008/05/speak-your-mind-honesty-will-follow.html
Once you get past the election specific stuff I discuss why people really don’t want everybody to be blatantly racist. Basically, once you’ve established someone is an unapologetic racist, what’s your next step? Particularly if they are in a position of authority?
Does it really make things easier if the police officer treating you like a nigger actually calls you a nigger? I don’t think so.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 7:34 pm ¶
Lauren O wrote:
What blog was I on the other day? I can’t remember if it was a friend’s personal blog or one of my regular feminist/anti-racist blogs, or something I just Stumbled Upon. It might even have been here, but I don’t think so.
Anyway, someone had made a post about covert racism, and someone had commented by saying something along the lines of, “Well, you can see racism in anything. You can see racism in white chalk on a blackboard. But we need to look past that and move on to bigger issues.”
It made me want to just scream!
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 8:24 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:
@Big Man: I agree with you… looks like we’re sort of in the minority on this thread.
It’s a common sentiment that covert racism is worse than overt racism. But what people are really saying is more like “short, easily avoidable isolated incidents of overt racism are worse than constantly worrying about covert racism”. But if we experienced overt racism in the same quantity as we experienced covert racism life would be unbearably horrible.
Also, overt racists don’t necessarily become enlightened when challenged. In fact, I think that’s pretty unlikely, although it’s dramatic when it happens. For every one violent Nazi skinhead that has a road-to-Damascus conversion to racial harmony, there are thousands of people who sloooowly move from overt racism into covert racism as overt racism becomes stigmatized… then they stay covert racists for decades and then just maybe, maybe maybe move on to a more enlightened stage.
Maybe I’m working with a different definition of overt racism, though. I don’t think of “casual” slurs in that regard… insults arising out of ignorance, arrogance and entitlement. When I think of “overt racism” I’m thinking of people who have a nakedly malicious intent to damage you, either psychologically or physically.
Posted 04 Dec 2008 at 11:16 pm ¶
Spinster wrote:
Give me overt racist jerks any day. The covert operators are the worst. And in my opinion, neither of them (overt or covert) have any desire to change even a little bit.
(Not that either is okay, but picking between the 2 evils……)
Posted 06 Dec 2008 at 11:45 pm ¶
DeeDee wrote:
As as African American I can totally relate to the challenges and obstacles felt when dealing with covert racism. Because of the history of my people in this country and the struggle and sacrifices my ancestors made for me to get to this point, I choose to look at covert racism as a game. A sick and twisted mind game, albeit. However, because it seems that my opponents have no rules of engagement, I figure that there are no rules for me to follow as well.
So when my white and Asian co-workers have made subtle jabs at my (alleged) lack of intellect, I simply remind them that that lack of intellect will only increase THEIR workload. Because “challenged” people shouldn’t have to carry the weight of the superior ones.
When men have made racist and sexist remarks to me, I’ve told them, without batting an eye, to go home and tell their wives the same thing.
And when some recent coworkers made jabs at me about the results of the Proposition 8 decision (I live in New York by the way) I had to politely remind them that there are people of all sexualities who have effectively gentrified neighborhoods, wielding power over people of color but don’t want to take responsibility for it.
Usually my comments are met with long moments of silence. Partly because I’m speaking truth and partly because a truthful response would require the acknowledgment of their hateful motives.
Don’t EVER doubt your intuition and gut feelings. They exist in your body for a reason; as a warning single. And if people can’t muster up a modicum amount of respect for you, then they simply don’t deserve that amount of respect FROM you.
Posted 07 Dec 2008 at 2:16 pm ¶
Alyssa wrote:
Latoya: When I read Paula’s post I couldn’t believe I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I was actually surprised when I read this post, because the very part you quoted is the exact part that I couldn’t get out of my head.
I’m not so sure that overt is better than covert racism. I’d certianly take the type of racism that happens now over having flaming bricks thrown through my window and being fearful for my life.
But the covert racism we face now a days is something compleatly different. I have to choose between laying down and taking it or making myself crazy trying to prove it even exists. Like may others have already stated, I don’t even know how to deal with the covert racism that happens.
Posted 08 Dec 2008 at 4:50 pm ¶
PureGracefulTree wrote:
Most of the arguments I’m reading from people who say that they prefer overt to covert racism have to do with points like “at least we know what to do with them”. I suspect that what we prefer is not the overt over the covert, but the relative simplicity of the argument and its solution. Although I was born after the civil rights movement in the United States, I suspect that its primary goal was to change laws—something that is observable and has an easily defined standard for success. The kind of thing we’re dealing with now has to do with perceptions, sometimes unconscious ones. And matters of the heart, not the law. I recognize that in some ways it’s simpler to deal with someone who’s a racist and doesn’t apologize for it, but simpler doesn’t mean better.
Posted 10 Dec 2008 at 6:09 am ¶