It’s important to acknowledge it doesn’t exist
For some people, reverse racism is an unfeigned issue in society. They believe racism can be flipped around and made subject to the people who do not have to worry about their skin color making them susceptible to discrimination.
Essentially, they hold the belief that the roles can somehow be reversed and the oppressor can become the oppressed. It is important, however, to acknowledge that this isn’t true — racism doesn’t work like that.
Yes, racism does involve someone feeling superior to another race, but that is just the tip of the enormous iceberg that follows the complexity of racism.
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Would they love me as much as they love my culture?
Black culture is the centre stage, it's jampacked in innovation and an abundance of creativity. It is a diverse culmination of our music, hair, cuisines, talents and style. Its magnitude is responsible for society's popular culture.
Black culture is everywhere, in the galore of varying fashion trends and styles, all genres of music and slang that is used universally. Black culture is the root of popular culture we can't deny it, the influence is impeccable. Black culture is alluring, drawing millions to it, people love it. …
Whitesplaining reaffirms racism and white supremacy
Imagine someone correcting you on your own emotions and lived experiences. Denying you of your own feelings, making you feel as though you are in the wrong. They twist your words, jumble them up and tell you that you're ''too sensitive'' and ''taking things too far'', all on the basis of something they've never had to deal with: racism.
To be so angered by me vocalising my experiences of racism in this world, they often resort to a tactic that acts as a blanket to their fragility: whitesplaining. For you to tell me, a Black woman, that I'm overreacting when…
WEOC Profile
Get to know me
Hello, everyone, I'm Petiri, and I enjoy writing about Race, Culture, and Society. The main purpose of my writing is to inform and educate society on the issues marginalized groups have endured and continue to live through. I often write opinion pieces and personal essays on the Black experience. These topics include Racism, Colourism, and Featurism, just to name a few.
My name means: Where we are
Zodiac: Capricorn
Interests: Watching basketball, reading, and listening to music.
Favourite artists: Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Chloe x Halle.
Favourite writers: Malcolm X and Angela Davis.
I would describe myself as: Ambitious, Helpful…
How this translates into our one-dimensional standard of beauty
Plastic sits inside of the screen that we spend countless hours staring into daily. Plastic is the rectangular judgement looking glass that we stand in front of every morning, afternoon and night, is made from plastic. To some, plastic is what they see through on their feeds and timelines when scrolling.
As a society, plastic consumes our minds and our perceptions of beauty, we use plastic as a tool to judge ourselves and each other. …
#2 Educate yourself
Unconscious bias is present everywhere, it sits within our minds and we don't even realise it at times. Our unintended preferences are created from the narrowed and stereotypical representation of different groups in the media, thus affecting our judgements of those around us.
In research conducted by the University of San Fransisco, California reveals unconscious biases as social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organise social worlds by categorising.
To address your unconscious biases…
The response to Meghan Markle's interview highlights what we have to face as Black women when we speak out.
Upon the release of the Sussexes interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7th. Meghan Markle has received a wave of gaslighting. That being in response to her statements regards to her mental health and racial issues within the British media.
Let’s please acknowledge that the Sussexes were quiet when Meghan was being bullied by the British press and while she was pregnant with her first child. Amidst all this, they were silent. But now that she decides to speak her truth, they are suppressed, silenced and bullied for their lived experience.
As Black women, we will not be silenced nor…
It is incredibly toxic and damaging.
They said I was Black on the outside, white on the inside. Black but not too black, a perfectly poised token for you to blindly glorify me as. The term ''Oreo'' was assigned to me and lingered on my mind for years. Some may think it's a compliment, when in fact it showcases society's narrow and monolithic view of Black people.
The term ''Oreo'' was assigned to me because those around me saw me as the Black girl who had stepped out of their pre-assigned stereotypic characterisation of those who looked like me.
What is an Oreo in society?
Being an Oreo is associated with being…
Let's dismantle these microaggressive comments
As black women, we encounter an abundance of remarks that are clearly offensive to us as a whole. However, society doesn't realise that some of the remarks they make towards us are derogatory, when they may think they are harmless in effect.
From my personal experiences, I can account for why these are disrespectful and wrong. It may be simple to say "just ignore it'' or ''it doesn't matter, they didn't mean it like that'' from an outside perspective, but as someone who has heard these remarks first hand, it is far more damaging than that.
As a society, we…
Assessing the societal shifts as it pertains to racial features
For a long time now natural ethnic features have been looked down on by society, often being described as undesirable. Bipoc have faced tremendous amounts of ridicule and discrimination towards features that they were born with. Despite this, there have been two instances that stand out to me, that show society accrediting non-people of colour for their transformation of these features as a new aesthetic and standard of beauty.
Let's discuss the societal shift towards bigger/fuller lips and Asian eyes.
This shift particularly focuses on featurism, the angle that looks into the lens of other ethnicities' features as being commended…
