Thread by @MetroUK

Responding to racial abuse can be difficult to unpack. Do you ‘rise above’ and be ‘the bigger person?’ Or do you get angry, lose your cool, and lash out in response?

✍️ @Nmozz

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For victims of racism, it can feel like an impossible predicament. If you stay quiet, you may feel as though you’re letting someone get away with unacceptable behaviour.

It’s also common to replay the incident over and over, berating yourself for not responding.

Black, Asian, and ethnic minority groups are frequently punished for reacting to racism with anger or hostility. In 2019, the football team, Padiham FC, an English non-league side, were fined more for protesting racism than the club whose fans shouted the abuse.

Since the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston was toppled in summer 2020, it has forced us all to consider how racism affects victims, and how to respond to racial abuse.

Clinical psychologist Dr Roberta Babb believes that focusing on the reaction to racism, rather than the racism itself, is an old and ineffective tactic.

‘Focusing on the victim diverts attention away from the cause of the racist behaviour. As the spotlight is not on them, there is less pressure or motivation to understand and change racist behaviour.’

Using common stereotypes like the ‘angry Black woman’ is a convenient way to depict rage as a morally inferior reaction to forgiveness, or that ‘getting over it’ makes life easier for those who are implicated in creating and perpetuating racial inequality.

But this anger can be used as a force for good, depicting rage as a morally inferior reaction than forgiveness or ‘getting over it’, makes life easier for those who are implicated in creating and perpetuating racial inequality.

But could letting go be a more powerful way forward?

Dr Babb says: ‘Letting go does not mean that you forget what happened to you, or have to let go of their accountability for their actions by absolving them.’

Coping with racial abuse can throw up a lot of emotional and negative feelings. It’s OK to just feel angry and not do anything productive with that emotion.

It’s important to decide whether you want to or can forgive the person responsible, and Dr Babb adds: ‘Your decision is your decision and can be changed in the future should you wish to.’

To read an in-depth take on how to deal with racism, click the link below 👇

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