By Shannon Marcoux
“Do you say sorta racist stuff but stop short of saying the N-word? Enjoy the refreshing taste of Diet Racism—the same sweet ignorance of regular racism but with none of the guilt or self-awareness. Because you’re afraid of blacks and Latinos but you’d never say that out loud.”
These are the opening lines of a video released by College Humor in August meant for those who think racism is a thing of the past. The video continues:
“For that busy, on-the-go professional who doesn’t have the strength to admit he’s been given at least a slight advantage by being born white…For the stay-at-home mom who hates affirmative action because she doesn’t remember that black kids had to be escorted to school by the army…Diet racism. Because you just don’t get it.”
Do you hold your purse a little closer when you pass a black man off campus at night? Do you say things like, “Oh God, they let locals in” when you see a group of Latinos at a party? Do you make comments like “If I were a minority, I would be at Georgetown?” Have you ever started a sentence with “I don’t want to sound racist, but…?” Then Diet Racism is for you as well.
It seems Fordham students love to drink up Diet Racism more than a pear cider at Beer Hall on trivia night. And, the problem is that we fail to see this so-called Diet Racism for what it actually is—racism. Racism, on both an institutional and personal level, is a problem at Fordham. I am not an expert on race and racism, nor would I ever claim to be. Furthermore, I am not a student of color, and I would not attempt to tell a story that is not my own.
That being said, I am going to focus on my own Fordham experience. I have never discussed racism in a Fordham classroom short of when I, or a like-minded classmate, chose to bring it up. Out of the 31 professors I have had throughout my five semesters at Fordham, three have been persons of color. These professors assigned readings that were largely written by white men and women. I was not asked to talk about race at new student orientation or core programming, nor will I be expected to talk about it before the day I graduate. Had I not participated in Urban Plunge as an incoming freshman or become involved in the Dorothy Day Center, I may not even have a basic understanding of what white privilege is—something that heavily impacts the demographic and socioeconomic disparities between Fordham’s population and that of the surrounding neighborhood.
For some students, Fordham is the most diverse school they have attended and for many students, this is the first time they are residing in a majority-minority neighborhood. It then seems absurd that such a student could graduate from this institute of higher learning without discussing race. So many white students, myself included, have been deprived of meaningful conversations on race because it is considered a thing of the past or too taboo to discuss openly. Because of this, we often do not even have the language to have a productive discussion on privilege or oppression.
I forget my ID all the time, yet I walk through the gates with ease. Meanwhile, the speaker of an event I attended, who happened to be a black man, and the professor that invited him, who happened to be a black woman, were stopped and harassed while trying to get onto campus. This seems wrong, but if we were to call it what it is—racial profiling—many people would be up in arms. Also, many white students are not incentivized to do anything to change this because it tends to benefit us.
Racism exists in the world. Most Fordham students would agree on that fact. It is harder for us to come to terms with the fact that racism exists on campus as well.
Enduring this racism is not optional for students of color, so having productive discussions on race should not be optional for white students. These conversations occur on campus (I certainly do not wish to discredit the great conversations that do occur in classes, clubs and other organizations) but every single Fordham student should be required to participate in at least one meaningful discussion on current issues surrounding race at some point before graduation.
As white students, let’s stop drinking Diet Racism and start discussing the fact that racism exists on campus, as uncomfortable as that may be to swallow.
