Covert Racism - Covert Vs. Overt

Covert Vs. Overt

Race itself is socially constructed and one "theory" which is still the most popular today, was promulgated by Judge Tucker that there exists natural, physical divisions among humans that are hereditary, reflected in morphology, and roughly but correctly captured by terms like Black, White, and Asian (or Negroid, Caucasoid, and Mongoloid). It has been proven to have been used to suppress and exploit the out group or "racialized others". The idea of race is multi-dimensional and multi-layered with unclear boundaries or rules. All humans belong to the same single species, Homo sapiens. Pure races do not exist in the human species, despite all the obvious physical differences among people from all over the world. The racial categories developed in the 18th century are simply labels for discussing and comparing the differences among members of the human race and used to facilitate slavery and colonialism. To classify people and distribute privileges and freedoms using visible but genetically insignificant traits, like skin colour.

The concept that discrimination can be based on "race" presupposes the existence of "race" itself. However, the US Government's Human Genome Project has announced that the most complete mapping of human DNA to date indicates that there is no distinct genetic basis to racial types. Based on this evidence, "racial characteristics" logically cannot exist either, such as group differences in eye color or human hair color.

According to the Human Genome Project, skin color does exist as a matter of science. So, that which is commonly referred to as "racism" could be more scientifically referred to as "skin color-aroused discrimination". The term "skin color aroused discrimination" has the benefit that it is based on verifiable science, is not based on disproved notions of science, and does not perpetuate a false belief in the disproved concept of biological "race".

Covert racism, sometimes called "color blind" racism, is less obvious but can be equally oppressive as overt racism. This "laissez-faire" form of racism is not governmentally sanctioned like the overt Jim Crow laws of the 1950s, and it is not always blatantly obvious. Covert racism comes in many forms including unnecessary politeness to a racial group, the use of political correctness.