Why I wrote Anti-racism for Beginners
<p>It was heartening to see a renewed emphasis on anti-racism (but disheartening to note the reasons — the death of George Floyd, for example) in recent times. It is a development I have very much welcomed. But, at the same time, I have been concerned to see some of the old oversimplifications come creeping back in.</p>
<p>Like other forms of discrimination, racism is a highly complex phenomenon and anti- racism is even more complex, given that it involves competing theoretical and political perspectives on how best to address the problems involved. Simplistic or ill-thought-through approaches can be highly misleading and therefore have the potential to do more harm than good. Now, I thought, would be a good time to highlight the importance of taking anti-racism very seriously, while also warning of the oversimplifications that have played a part in discrediting anti-racist efforts in the past by giving ammunition to opponents of anti-racism who want to dismiss it all as ‘political correctness gone mad’.</p>
<p><a href="https://drneilthompson.medium.com/why-i-wrote-anti-racism-for-beginners-44763a9726e4"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>