Reverse racism is a myth.

What people don't understand about racism is that it relies solely on the societal concept of the hierarchy of race. From the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century, there were a few prominent white men in the scientific community with ideas about what we now refer to as race — Linnaeus and Blumenbach were probably the most influential, and certainly the first two to come up with the basic idea of there being four or five — even up to seven — "races."

Blumenbach based his concept of race on factors like skull shape, "humors " (as in, blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy) geography, and posture. He created a hierarchy in which white people were at the top and black people were at the bottom, and this hierarchy was accepted not only in the scientific community, but in society.

Now, science (and common sense) says that race isn't a biological reality. The factors that affect skin color, hair type, and other physical features are numerous. They don't come from some magic "race gene." Suffice to say: race doesn't biologically exist, but instead is a social construct of man used to place white people above others. This social construct has been ingrained into every factor of American society.

American society was built for white people. American institutions were designed to help white people to succeed. This hierarchy has been in place in every aspect of our society. That didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation or the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Racism is not just calling someone the N-word, racism is part of a system of oppression that started centuries before any of us were born, a system that is still going strong in our society. Racism relies on this system. It can't function without it — it doesn't exist without it. Unfortunately, this system is perpetuated by the very people that it serves, the people at the top. White people.

Because racism is part of a system designed to benefit white people, it cannot be used against them. The word you're looking for is prejudice — biased opinions or judgment that has no basis in reason or experience. It's not the same thing as racism, and it's possible for anyone to experience it.

The idea that racism can be "reversed" and used against white people by people of color is reliant on the concept of a society of racial equality, where there is no social hierarchy and everyone is in an equal position of power when it comes to race. We don't live in a society of racial equality, and racism cannot be "reversed."

Be grateful. You don't want racism to be perpetrated against you... right?