Before delving into this topic let us first define "racism." According to Webster (the epitome and author of white racism), racism means:

1: belief that certain races of men are by birth and nature superior to others 2a: discrimination against the members of one or more races based on racism b: race hatred and discrimination.

By the end of this essay we will have dismantled the concept of "reverse racism" and proved it to be a phrase concocted by the act of self-centeredness, arrogance, and the very essence of racism itself. And will ask all Black-Americans to totally ignore such a concept when hearing or reading about it simply because Blacks cannot ever be considered racist in a society where we will probably never have the means to act on this belief the way it was [en] acted upon us.

Do not be a fool. With words it is easy to label a person a racist because according to the definition all one has to do is believe they are superior to someone else thus making them a racist. But in the realm of American society and historical practice, the definition does not fit simply because the word takes on a more in-depth meaning when it is acted upon by acts of slavery, blatant oppression, and discrimination. From the racist mindset came these horrible acts.

Now if Blacks were to be considered racist in the equivalent form as that of white, we would have to have practiced either of the above atrocities on another race. This is why it is important to understand that Blacks can never be labeled racist in the real sense of the word, but by definition only. In other words, if Blacks are guilty of racism it can be in mind only and never in deeds. However, whites that claim Blacks practice reverse racism would have people to believe that we practice racism in the same form as they did and continue to do. This is the flaw and misconception of the entire theory.

Example, if I cheat on my wife and get caught, she and everyone else could definitely label me a cheater. I would be guilty of cheating and by the definition of a cheater - one who practices the act of adultery and or fornication with someone other than their spouse - and there is no doubt about my innocents. Now if my wife turns around and cheats after, and only after I did, whether she does it out of spite or because she planned it, she would also be a cheater by definition.

However, if I cheat and have children by the other woman and live with the other woman, and treat my wife like a second hand rug and ignore our children to pay attention to my new children, these are acts as a result of cheating. If my wife never does these things with the person she cheats with, is she a reverse cheater? By definition yes, but by the actual practice, no. She can never be compared equally to me when and if she is ever referred to as a cheater. Who cheated the most or who cheated the worst?

But if I am trying to get others and her to believe that she is a cheater by the same standards as I, that would make me an extremely exaggerated liar and fabricator because she never went to the extremes that I did when cheating. In my act of cheating, not only did I commit adultery, but I also birthed bastards into the world, committed fornication by living with the other woman, openly neglected my responsibilities as a father, and disrespected my wife's woman and motherhood.

If my wife did none of that but cheated only, how can she ever be considered a cheater but by definition only? No person within his or her right brain would look at me and believe that my wife is a cheater more than I. And if my wife believes that she is a cheater because I said she was and by definition of the word cheater, she is not thinking clearly either. Same with reverse racism.

If a Black person believes that they are capable of reverse racism by the same standards as whites where it pertains to racism, they are very sadly deceived. And if there are any people in their right mind that would believe Blacks could ever be racist along the same standards as white, they too, have lost their ability to reason. Back to the drawing board white people, this will never stick except in your own minds. Which brings us to the point of self-centeredness and arrogance.

To force oneself to believe that a Black person can be racist along the same lines as whites is ludicrous. A Black person may believe they are superior but unless they have the same history for acting upon their beliefs, there can be no comparison. A deep-seated guilt has laid itself upon the consciousnesses of whites to the point that they are desperate to make someone else the oppressor. This is all that is happening.

In the example of my wife and I, out of sheer desperation, guilt, and shame would I go to such lengths to make her out to be as bad as I? This says a lot about my character. It says I am so selfish and so concerned about my own image that I would take drastic measures to destroy someone else just so I could feel better about myself. It also says that I am so arrogant that I will dismiss all that I have done to her and ask all witnesses to my acts to ignore what I have done and focus on her faults. What kind of person does that make me?

Black people: do not accept this into your brain as a possibility, that we are somehow guilty of "reverse racism." It is impossible based on the track record white racism. Any argument that may arise at the office or in the classroom can easily be refuted by pointing out that there is a huge difference in the dictionary's definition of racism and the actual practice of racism. We can be labeled as racist by word only, but never by deed.

© 2003 by AfroStaff