Is “racist” the new cuss word? - Kiera Finnigan
Drew Barrymore has recently been accused of racism for posting a TikTok video of her enjoying the rain. The accusation alleges that the actor was copying the TikTok trend of “black men frolicking” started by a black content creator who, earlier this year, posted a video titled “running through a field frolicking”. The woman who accused Barrymore of racism said that she was “disrespecting and dismissing the boundaries of the black creator TikTok community”. This story highlights how using the accusation of racism loosely can diminish the meaning of the word, doing genuine damage to the cause of greater equality.
Unjustly accusing a person of racism has the power to feed into racial stereotypes. It was clear just looking through the comments of the accusing video of the user @amushroomblackly that everyone was on the side of Drew Barrymore; as most would agree that enjoying the rain doesn’t belong to a singular race, or culture for that matter. However, what was very striking were the comments under the article. One stated: “Never far from their mind is it” (in reference to black people). Although the majority of comments were not like this, it didn’t matter. It showed that just one person accusing someone of racism to create a domino effect that feeds into a stereotype that all black people think white people are racist. Our progression as a society toward racial equality is still new and fragile so false allegations of racism sets that progress back and encourages stereotypical thinking.
The main goal for anti-racism is to achieve racial equality, however, it seems that since the Black Lives Matter movement, sometimes it can feel as if we have taken two steps back in achieving this. Two years down the line and TikTok as well as most other social media platforms have become very toxic and cliquey around the subject of race. Too many people have become divided by race and ethnicity and many people are afraid of offending people out of fear of being “called out” or even “cancelled” as a racist. This is problematic because it prevents open conversations to be had about race in reference to what is actually acceptable and not acceptable. Moreover, it constricts the creativity of individuals on an entertainment platform because it can lead to self-censorship.
To cancel someone is a form of ostracism where someone is removed from their social circle, this tends to start on social media and in extreme cases, it can stem out into a person's everyday life. The accusation of Drew Barrymore being racist because of merely enjoying the rain is a prime example of an attempt at cancellation. If people hadn't been on her side, then this could have harmed her career which could have further affected her life because of her famous face. ‘Calling a person out’ can cause detrimental effects on a person’s life and yet people don’t seem to care because of being behind a screen.
It’s not about if this “cancellation” was successful or not, what is disturbing is the complete dismissal of the power that the label of “racist” holds. To call someone racist means by definition that they are “a person who is prejudiced against or antagonistic towards people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalised.” The more that we, as a society, progress with the goal to become equal regardless of race or ethnic background, the more that being called a racist will rightly shun a person from their society. Due to the events following the Black Lives Matter movement, we have arguably been more conscious about our individual races and ethnicities in ways we haven’t done for decades. As a consequence of this, some white people have been made to feel more guilty than they ever have been for just existing. Now it’s also clear that on the other side of this spectrum, some people of colour are developing victim complexes that they are oppressed and therefore cannot succeed. This could deconstruct the progress made towards the desired goal of equality. It could additionally, racially segregate society because people of colour are led to believe that things can only improve if white people have a will for it instead of having the capability to catalyse change themselves.
The racial cliques forming on social media are doing complete harm to our generation of the young and impressionable. There is a danger that they will grow up thinking that the only people who will ever understand them are people of their own racial or ethnic group because they are all united by the experience of prejudice. They will be divided by their differences in real or perceived oppression rather than their shared teenage experiences that they are all going through and can relate to. Experiences such as school, friendships and young love are now being overshadowed by racial and ethnic divides. It’s a fear that Generation Z will grow up being fearful and distrusting of different ethnic and racial groups because they are growing up on an internet that is becoming just like that in their most impressionable years.
If we keep on defining ourselves by our differences and are in competition about how we are disadvantaged as people, then we will never achieve equality. We will become a divided society where people cannot venture outside of what they were born as and we will never see beyond the shade of people’s skin and ethnic background. The name-calling of being a racist will only get worse as the scope for misunderstanding will increase, this will lead to a society where the accusation of ‘racist’ is so commonly used that it loses its meaning, making it harder for us to stop the genuine racists, as we will all become exactly what we accuse - a racist.
Kiera Finnigan is a Year 13 sixth form student at a London state school in Britain.