What Reverse Racism Should Really Mean

by Mallory Ortberg · November 14, 2013

Matt and Mallory have worked together before. Most recently: Gender Studies Students Explain Lesbianism.reverse racismImages by Matt Lubchansky, who makes comics and occasionally leaves his apartment in New York. His work includes Please Listen to Me and New Amsterdam Mystery Company. He’s on Twitter, and doesn’t expect you to get his name right.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Mallory Ortberg

Mallory Ortberg

More from Mallory Ortberg →

40 Comments

    1. jhsaxena +27

      I want to use this as a reference. And then when someone starts to argue show them the Devil’s Advocate post.

      1. noodge4lyfe +34

        I feel like, eventually, I’ll have a lot of these things in sheet protectors in a trapper keeper I carry with me everywhere (the pink one, with the graphics), just as a reference guide to use in conversations with mansplainers, angry white people, and those who have traveled internationally.

  2. mollpants +15

    That part about skating backwards to B*witched…too effing true.

    (The rest of this too is on point and wonderful, obviously, as always.)

  3. LiterallyABee +45

    I imagine that the process of Reverse Racism is accompanied by a record-scratch sound effect and the sound of an MC yelling REWIND!!! with a lot of reverb.

    3. deleted9457019 +11

      Aaand now I have 11 months to figure out how to integrate this into “Reverse Racism: the 2014 Halloween Costume.”

      1. stuffisthings +52

        Just be white and carry around a rejection letter from the University of Texas and whine a lot.

        1. deleted9457019 +3

          Oooh, just the other day I found a piece of letterhead paper that the printer had failed to print our letterhead on (so appropriate weight and blank). Saving it for this right now.

  5. erindubitably +27

    Oh phew, I was worried at first this was going to be another terrifying ‘college students explain’ graphic.

  6. stuffisthings +18

    Unfortunately, I think the “reverse racism” power users have now moved on to the construction “the REAL racists” (meaning: Barack Obama, poor black people, liberals, etc.)

    1. abbeyroadmedley +19

      Sadly, I think you’re correct. I rarely hear the term “reverse racism” from those people any more — because that would be tacitly acknowledging that “regular” racism (that is, racism against people of color) is a thing that exists, and not is just made up by people “playing the race card.”

      These people also tend to be members of what I like to call the “Whoever Smelt It, Dealt It” school of racial theory, whose central thesis seems to be that if you point out or question racism (against an actual oppressed people) of any sort, YOU are the racist. (Or, you know, even mentioning the EXISTENCE of race as a PoC. This is how we get the”Obama and Oprah are racists!” crowd. Because they are black. And they may have mentioned this at some point.)

  8. stuffisthings +6

    Also, anyone who uses “Mau-Mau” as a verb should be immediately hacked to death by actual Mau-Mau fighters.

  9. PaigePoo +28

    GUYS this is helpful for me because I read a facebook post/comment thread this morning where someone wrote “white people are the most discriminated against race” WITH COMPLETE SERIOUSNESS, and other people agreed with this person. I cried at my desk, then I bought a Starbucks lemon loaf because humanity is horrible.

    2. LiterallyABee +12

      Gross. At least racist mofos are ever-willing to identify themselves for quick defriending, though.

    3. foiledthoughts +17

      And you can’t even really argue with them because it just feeds their persecution complex and they just feel vindicated. It’s the WORST.

      1. whizzdumb +10

        I would argue with anyone who shows up on my feed with such garbage. I guess it wouldn’t even be an argument because I’d just berate them to my heart’s content and defriend them so hard. I wish you could defriend extra publicly, like send a mass message: “Hey everybody I’m defriending this person because they are a horribly racist person…and you should too!”

  11. plspassthePinot +21

    Now when I think reverse racism I hear that guy from the cha cha slide — “Reverse! Reverse!” + the record scratch and its amazing.

      1. plspassthePinot +24

        … and every time someone is racist they re compelled into the entire cha cha slide, all verses, by themselves, regardless of circumstances or location.

        1. rkfire +18

          I think that a suitable punishment could also be finding themselves uncontrollably clapping to the beat ala the Cha Cha Slide forever, or until their hands become little bloody stumps.

  13. Angelan_ +6

    Wait wait wait. B*witched got famous internationally? They had like two songs! I’m so horrified.

  16. MalloryOrtberg +24

    Matt, one of my favorite things about you is your ability to convey “male terror” in so many different permutations.

    1. mattielubchansky +12

      Aw shucks. Well, I’ve got a lot of terror to work off of. Like in my heart, or wherever

  18. katy +5

    i misread that last tag as “yikings” (like “yikes” and “vikings” smooshed together) and laughed because i thought it pretty accurately represented that last panel