Post Racialism...


The term "Post Racial is bandied about a lot, especially since Obama became President, but it really isn't very clear what it means. From what I can tell, it is supposed to mean that racism has been marginalized in America to the point that it is no longer a primary motivating force either politically, socially, or in business.
There is no doubt that great strides have been made in achieving such a goal, but there are two sides to a post racial society. The dominant culture/group needs to stop acting in a prejudiced manner, and the formerly oppressed culture/group needs to avoid crying oppression (racism) whenever they are subject to negative social power, such as arrest and the denial of advancement based on poor performance.
This can be difficult, and can take multiple generations to achieve. The biggest reason for this isn't really about prejudice, but about economics. An oppressed cultural group has difficulty amassing economic wealth and social/political power. Due to different social norms, different groups have a better or worse time succeeding in or dominant Democratic/Capitalist system. Having children before completing college, single mothers, and multiple children are all (in the short term) negative factors for gaining political, social and economic power (in the long term, in a democracy, this can also be very dangerous/destabilizing for other reasons). There is a limit to how much the dominant group can and will make allowances, especially when they have in fact for the most part given up their racist attitudes, and granted benefits to the previously disenfranchised group. Some of the dominant group goes to the point of wanting some sort of thank you (and some certainly resent the benefits that were granted). Of course, saying thanks for getting things to the way they should be is disingenuous, but I don't think that is the overall tone.
Still, there are people that had their life shaped by racism and racist attitudes. They may or may not have succeeded despite those impediments, but it seems less likely that they are able to see current situations and events without having it colored by their upbringing. Until those people can change their attitudes (and dying is one way that can happen), there will continue to be racist attitudes, and unwarranted cries of racism. And with immigration a continuing part of national demograpics, we will continue to import racist attitudes from other cultures.

I wouldn't say that racism is alive and well in America. But it it's not dead yet either (even if it was coughing up blood last night…).