How Much Racism Is Enough?
What’s the threshold for feeling harassed?
Recently, I talked to a friend about the resilience of children. They told me about a big move they’re about to make, and they were worried their child would not adapt well to the change. I jokingly told them that I was a well-adjusted adult, even after all the racism I confronted as a child when I moved to the United States from Mexico. And I expounded on that with my experiences with racism when I moved to Pennsylvania after college, and then again when I went to Washington, DC, for my master’s, and then more racism in the workplace after that.
My friend replied that “not everyone” has been racist to me, as if I shouldn’t be complaining… Or as if I was making a big deal out of the few instances of racism I experienced. This was the privileged stance of my friend: a White, Christian, US-born citizen. It was as if there was some threshold of racism that needs to be passed before grievances can be aired, or before those grievances are legitimized.
Time For Introspection
Over the next few hours and days, I thought about that conversation. I wondered if there was a threshold for any kind of harassment or abuse, where we are to just “suck it up, buttercup” until the threshold is crossed. Once that threshold is crossed, we can complain. Only…
