Redefining racism in the Tea Party era

Monique Morris talks about the use and misuse of the terms “racist,” “bigot,” “prejudice,” and “discrimination” in a column for The Grio:

“I woke up the other day and noticed that everyone was a so-called ‘racist’—or so it would seem. The problem with this analysis is that it isn’t true. Over the past few weeks, a flurry of “racism” charges have been swirling around the public sphere, misinforming the American public about what racism is, and how we might address it. Bigotry is being confused with racism. Prejudice is being mistaken for discrimination. This misguided discourse is so popular because most Americans don’t know what racism looks like today—in the ‘post-racial’ society that claims to celebrate ‘colorblind’ or race-neutral policies that supposedly have erased all systemic barriers to equal participation and justice in American society.”