Are You Racist?

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Yes, racism in America traces back to slavery, but slavery ended 150 years ago. What perpetuates racism?

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The end of slavery hardly ended the attitudes related to it. Let’s not forget the Jim Crow laws, segregation and the Civil Rights movement - nor the brutal and violent opposition to ending segregation.I’ve no doubt that the attitudes are passed on. How could they not be? And I’ve no doubt that general xenophobia reinforces it. Or that there are some on the right encouraging racism, and growing in influence.

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Sure, but what kept white resentment alive?

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Resentment of what ?As you point out a racist system was put in place and that would largely maintain the same sort of attitudes as slavery did. I don’t think we need go beyond that to explain why the end of slavery didn’t make an awful lot of difference.Then there’s the fear of those seen as “inferior” rising up and competing and even winning. That may well be an attitude that made the Tulsa race massacre as bad as it was.I think that racism - at least in the more severe cases we’re talking about - is largely about a desire to feel superior. (I don’t think it’s true in the very mild cases - they’re more xenophobia).Also it’s about justifying the way of things as natural and right. In a racist system many will justify it by adopting racist beliefs,Some will see it as wrong - I’m sure some did - but many will not.

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Me either, but for 150 years across at least six generations without weakening?

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The figure of 150 years is clearly wrong. Replacing slavery with a grossly racist system did not create anything like a clean slate.

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Enough to explain why racism is still so entrenched?

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I never claimed it was. Nor does it need to be since racism was so thoroughly ingrained into the society.

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I think only that they're "on the right" is new

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I think the recent increase in racist rhetoric is notable (even if it is not “new” in an absolute sense) and the increasing influence is something that should be of concern.

There’s some nuance to that. In Britain most of the slavery was off in the colonies - slavery in Britain itself had a rather dubious legal basis (it had no statute law authorising it). It was economically important (wealth from the colonies and the slave trade), so I don’t think that economics is that decisive a point.So, in Britain it was, I think largely a case of “out of sight, out of mind” - until the abolitionists spread word of the horrors. In the American South the whole thing was right there. Racism tends to focus on the visible minorities.