Racist Innuendos on Social Media: Skin Colour and Ethnicity Meets Context

Foreword (The Disclaimer)

Talking about racism, regardless of culture, skin colour, or ethnic background, is always a risky business. Moreover, I would like to propose a thought that might come off as controversial in this article. Therefore, I want to acknowledge that racial prejudice is real and affects countless people every day. My opinions are, in no way, meant to trivialize the struggle.

The Case of Instagram

When I began mulling about racism and the importance of context, I was on an Instagram reels binge. I think this social media application presents an interesting platform to assess one’s true feelings, especially regarding implicit bias.

(For those who are unfamiliar, implicit bias is a kind of prejudice that is unintentional or somewhat automatic, but it will still affect one’s responses, decisions, and general behaviour.)

Why do I think that Instagram is useful for evaluating implicit bias, especially on race issues?

Because it is one of the most superficial sites, and everyone is looking for a reaction, even if it is just from themselves. It is a place where people try to build an image or personality, even if the only one who sees this image is themselves.

People try to be funny, tough, beautiful, silly, independent, bad b!tches, dominating men, perfect, depressed, angry, smart… The list goes on. It is a place where people can be who they want to be with a little more maturity than TikTok.

Unfortunately, the image one creates will sometimes contradict the real person. If you have a PR manager, they might stop the different worlds from colliding, especially when it comes to sensitive topics.

But since most of us are just winging it on public platforms, the real person sometimes comes out, and chaos reigns.

This, I believe, is what happens in cases where a public figure, such as a beloved celebrity, artiste, or influencer, makes a comment that seems to go against their established image. Worlds collide!

What does this have to do with racism, you ask?

Don’t worry, I will eventually get to the point.

Understanding the Change in Racial Bias

A complete lack of racial bias is almost impossible to achieve, even for the holiest of people. In MY opinion, we all have some level of bias towards different races. These biases are not usually hateful or even hostile.

At least, not at first.

I have come to believe the bias (and the subsequent animosity) will increase, depending on the information and experiences one gets about or from that race. The input does not have to be in person. A lot of opinions are based on TV and other forms of media.

Let me give you positive and negative changes in the bias in two relatable cases.

Case 1: Black Gangster Shows

A lot of the popular TV series with a primarily African-American cast have some elements of gang violence. The shows are often quite exciting, but they do plant a seed of bias, even for people who have not interacted with black Americans before. So, when they do get a chance to do so, their original bias against the race will be higher than it used to be.

Case 2: Korean Romance Drama

Korean TV shows have become mainstream in most parts of the world. Like in Case 1, there is a standard narrative in the K-drama genre. A rich, cool, and handsome CEO falls in love with a cute and somewhat ordinary girl who is a little clumsy and eats a lot (but it’s okay because the CEO finds it adorable). I have no statistics to support my opinion, but I bet the number of girls who are looking for a Korean boy on the six continents has skyrocketed with each new series. And I will not even start on the K-pop effect.

The above is an oversimplification, and it is based on my thoughts and experiences. If you are keen, you can see the implicit bias in my examples. After all, I wrote what came to my mind first, and what came out is based on the content I have consumed.

The Shallow vs. The Overthinkers

People often post cute and funny reels designed to garner likes, reactions, and comments. In other words, everyone wants to make an impression. Unfortunately, making an impression means you must be creative and push the limits.

And the impressions, especially the comments, reveal the prejudices quite quickly.

I express a controversial, and perhaps offensive, thought I have had through personal observation after watching countless reels.

Shallow people, especially the beautiful and handsome ones, have the least biases.

Their interests are truly superficial because they see things through their lenses of self-interest. I mean, they will look at what you can do for them, instead of judging on a grand scale, such as race or even disability.

They see people based on who you are or can be to them. If a shallow person dismisses you or is mean to you, it is often because of their opinion of you alone (not more complicated thoughts).

Shallow people are often able to interact (hate and love) within and outside their race and even age without overthinking the implications.

The most problematic people are, ironically, those interested in promoting sensitivity towards racial issues, especially when it comes to racism in the media. They are always ready to ensure that everyone is respectful to each race or other grouping.

These overthinkers have their place in society.

However, their overthinking often reveals a clear bias in their minds.

The Intelligence of Influencers

Most influencers are intelligent but often have the shallowness described above. Their lens of self-interest primarily sees the impressions they will make with each post. Because it is their source of income!

Therefore, these people can make reels that come off as racist and offensive without any personal chills.

I am not saying these shallow people do not see race and colour.

I am saying they do not care about it on a personal level to the point they are willing to exploit it. They do not see it as a point of contention because the larger issues are none of their business. No race is guilty or innocent of not caring about racism in the influencer community.

Often, influencers of different colours will collaborate for the offensive reels.

Like clockwork, the overthinkers are always there to preach and contribute to the impressions by rushing to comment about the inappropriateness of the posts.

Some might have the best intentions at heart because they could be concerned about the build-up of bias when the races are portrayed stereotypically. I explained the problem of media and entertainment portrayal.

However, a lot of the overthinkers contribute to the bias because they will point out a racial problem that no one has noticed in funny posts.

A different group (but the same WhatsApp group) will over-praise how good it is to see the races getting along in harmony.

This is where implicit bias is revealed.

By fighting against racism, one can reveal their unconscious prejudices. Of course, I am not implying fighting against racism implies one is racist. Duh!

The Context of Racism Decisions

What I am saying is that people need to think about the context of situations before:

1. Taking up arms to fight racism.

2. Claiming that something is racist.

Context means that one needs to look at each situation, evaluate it and determine if it is a racism issue.

A lot of people have quick fingers that will start typing before their brains can process thoughts. I have noticed that some people will not finish watching or reading something before commenting about it.

They are shocked when someone replies to their comment and asks them if they finished looking at the reels or read the caption.

These are the kind of people who watched a movie remake instead of the assigned book before writing a school report. They have a bit of the intended idea, but they lack enough information to draw an informed conclusion.

If you want to be the judge, you should hit the books and study the case. Then, you can determine if you should be preaching. At the very least, when you spend a minute thinking, your fingers will not be typing nonsense.

The Real Controversial Opinion

Now, in some cases, the social media content can be racist.

This is where the real controversial opinion comes in. If you have read this far, you are a person of sheer commitment, will, and focus. So, I will give a disclaimer that I am a simple African sharing my thoughts.

I do not want to touch on serious issues like police violence. After all, we are talking about Instagram and reels.

We are talking about reactions.

Let me give a common scenario that applies to Black American women and Latinas. They do not like to be told they are being too loud in almost all scenarios, especially in a restaurant or movie. My opinion is based on TV shows and movies.

The reaction, when told by a white person, especially a man, is that it’s racist and misogynistic.

I am loud and tend to shout, especially when I am excited. Also, I can talk a lot during movies which is very disruptive. But I am okay with being told to lower my voice in an appropriate scenario.

I understand that my behaviour will interfere with other people’s experiences. Therefore, I try to respect other people. It does not mean I am bowing under the power because my tribe has rowdy women.

If you can take constructive criticism, you are a decent person who aims to understand that they do not own the world.

A Simple Exercise

Finding context can be difficult.

But I do like the phrase: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

So, if you are confused about racism and any other kind of prejudice, try a little mental switch of the primary factor, like skin colour.

What do you see with different coloured lenses?

For example, if a white woman is being loud in a restaurant and you are trying to have a meal, will you be okay with it?

Or does she become a Karen?

Yes, you can claim that your culture is loud and enthusiastic, and people asking you not to be loud is oppression.

However…

As a person from a country with numerous tribes and countless practices, you should know that your culture is often against another person’s culture.

So, always think about the time and place.

That’s context!