Are you a race-baiter?

OPINION: TheGrio’s short quiz will let you know when you are playing “the race card” or engaging in “identity politics.”

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.  

Have you ever been accused of engaging in identity politics? Do white people frequently assume that you’re a professional race card player? Do you have a talent for baiting racists?

For years, talking about race has been frowned upon by Fox News analysts, conservatives, and people who “don’t care whether you are Black, white, or purple.” Although violet Americans have rarely weighed in on the issue, anyone who mentions race risks being classified as a “race baiter.”  

But what is race-baiting?

Also known as “playing the race card” and “identity politics,” race-baiting is an accusation usually leveled by white people who are skilled at clutching pearls. Discussing Black people, Asians, Hispanics, or any of the other demographics that compose the multiracial democracy is allowed — as long as they don’t make white people uncomfortable. But if you talk about racism, white supremacy or discrimination, you are out of order

To be clear, it is perfectly fine to talk about race — as long as they are not about the white race. 

For instance, news outlets routinely characterized the 2020 demonstrations over the death of George Floyd as “Black Lives Matter protests” even though they were not organized by one organization. Yet, referring to the Jan. 6 insurrections as “white protests” might get you tagged as a “race-baiter.” It is fine to talk about the history of African-Americans. But teaching about the stuff that white people did could get you banned from teaching because “Black history” is fine, white history is “uncomfortable.”

Aside from the salty flow of white tears, an objective measurement for race-baiting has always eluded sociologists, political scientists and people who know what “MLK would have wanted.” Thankfully, the researchers at theGrio Institute for Racial Equity and Diversity (TIRED) have teamed up with the Organization For Worldwide Home for International Truth, Equity & Solidarity (OFWHITES) to create a handy-dandy quiz that will allow anyone to determine whether their conversation could slide into the zone known as “race-baiting.” 

1. I am:

• A. Black
• B. Non-white
• C. White
• D. An American 

2. Do you see race?

• A. Yes. I am not visually impaired. 
• B. Yes. Race is part of a person’s history, legacy and culture.
• C. Yes. I can recognize someone’s race and still treat them with love and respect.
• D. I’m colorblind. We’re all the same inside.

3. A majority-Black neighborhood is called:

• A. A Black neighborhood
• B. Urban
• C. Diverse
• D. Dangerous

4. A majority-white neighborhood is called:

• A. A white neighborhood
• B. A suburb
• C. A conservative district
• D. A neighborhood

5. Which one of these would Martin Luther King Jr. not condemn?

• A. “The white moderate who is more devoted to order than justice.” 
• B. “White people who sincerely oppose segregation and discrimination, but they never took a real stand against it because of fear of standing alone.” 
• C. People who “sit down comfortably by the wayside and wait for the white man to voluntarily give us our justly deserved freedom.”
• D. Black people who are angry at white people.

6. It is perfectly fine to vote for someone who shares your:

• A. Faith, because they will fight for your religious values.
• B. Geographic area, because they will fight for your community. 
• C. Economic background, because they will fight for people in your financial situation.
• D. Race. But not because of their race. That would be racist. 

7. How do you describe the people who voted for Donald Trump in 2020?

• A. Uneducated people (50% of people with no college degree)
• B. Old people (51% of people over 50 voted for Trump)
• C. Rich people (54% of people who make over $100,000 voted for Trump)
• D. White people (58% of white people voted for Trump)

8. Who owned slaves?

• A. Every culture in history.
• B. Black people did, too! 
• C. My ancestors didn’t! Plus, it was it was different back then!
• D. White people.

9. Which one of these facts is considered “critical race theory” is incorrect?

• A. Most of the Founding Fathers owned slaves.
• B. Most white people did think the civil rights protests were “justified.” 
• C. Race is something white people made up.
• D. Enslaved people benefitted from slavery.

10. Which of the following is a race-based policy?

• A. Legacy admissions to a formerly segregated university
• B. Property value-based school funding in redlined neighborhoods
• C. Gerrymandering
• D. Diversity, equity and inclusion

11. What was the cause of the Civil War?

• A. Slavery
• B. States’ rights
• C. Northern aggression
• D. White people

12. The Republican Party is made of:

• A. Conservatives 
• B. Evangelical Christians
• C. Rural
• D. White people

13. Which one of the following is “playing the victim”?

• A. People who complain about police brutality.
• B. People who complain about racial discrimination.
• C. People who complain because they feel uncomfortable.
• D. People who complain about police brutality racial injustice or feeling uncomfortable (unless they are complaining about Jan. 6 victims, affirmative action or CRT).

14. Who is responsible for systemic racism?

• A. The Democrats.
• B. Black people are racist, too!
• C. It does not exist.
• D. Not all white people.

15. Which of these subjects is “controversial” or “racially charged”?

• A. Referring to North America’s disparate indigenous cultures as “Native American.”
• B. Referring to subjects of race-based slavery enslaved people as “African.” 
• C. Referring to people from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central America, etc. as “Hispanic.” 
• D. Referring to “white people” as “white people.” 

16. Is America a racist country?

• A. It was, but we’ve made some strides.
• B. It was different back then.
• C. No.
• D. What about Obama? And Oprah? 

17. Which one of these is true?

• A. White people kill more police.
• B. White people use more drugs.
• C. There is no correlation between crime rates and who is killed by police violence.
• D. “If you would just stop resisting …” 

18. Which of these movements had the support of the majority of white Americans?

• A. Anti-lynching
• B. Civil rights
• C. Black Lives Matter
• D. Swag surfing

19. If you combined all of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, books and articles, how many times did he talk about a “colorblind” society? 

• A. None.
• B. Less than one.
• C. 284 multiplied by zero.
• D. I’ve only known the “I Have a Dream” speech.

20. Which of the following subjects can be comprehensively discussed without talking about race?

• A. History.
• B. Politics.
• C. Economics.
• D. Ummm … OK, maybe we should talk about the weather. 

Answer key

The answers don’t matter. 

Unfortunately, the only way to avoid being branded as a race-baiter is to completely ignore the subject of racism, inequality and white supremacy altogether. 

And that’s why Sen. Tim Scott is a role model.

Michael Harriot is an economist, cultural critic and championship-level Spades player. His New York Times bestseller Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America is available everywhere books are sold.

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