General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Author faces backlash for reporting black Metro employee for eating on train; book deal halted [View all]Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)because many people, white people in particular, refuse to accept that racism plays a part in these things unless the perpetrators are decked out in swastikas or confederate flags.
The lady who did this may not normally be racist, could even have a picture of Martin Luther King on her bedroom wall (although I kind of doubt it), and racism could still have factored into her decision because it often takes on subtle forms that sometimes even its practitioners aren't aware of.
There is no proof of any racism behind her actions. But in my experience, things like this tend to happen to black people far more than white people. So it's always something we should consider. I wonder if this author did some serious reflection on herself if she could honestly answer yes that she would have done the same thing if this worker had been white? Of course we will never know. But it is something we as a society should ask and keep in mind if we're ever to move forward.
And I'm aware that the author in question here is Jordanian. That does not mean she can't be racist. Racism exists in all ethnic groups, White people just have more experience with it and have historically had the power and the guns to back it up.