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Just as gender stereotyping and sexist language can block communication, so can racism. Although blatant racism and discrimination are no longer socially acceptable in most circles, a subtle form of such prejudice can still infect our thinking. While we may pay lip service to the principles of racial equality, we may still engage in symbolic racism, which is expressed subtly or covertly. For example, if we say, “In our [white] neighborhood we believe in family values,” the unspoken message may be, “You don’t, and therefore we are superior.” Or we might say, “We believe in hard work and earning our way,” when we really mean, “Why don’t you [blacks] get off welfare!” Thus we may excuse the vestiges of racial stereotypes by appeals to values like family stability or the Protestant work ethic. In such cases our underlying message may be, we honor such values and you don’t.
It may be helpful to view the impact that symbolic racism can have from
the perspective of someone on the receiving end. Television commentator
Bryant Gumbel commented on how it feels:
It is very hard for any white person to appreciate the depth of what it means to be black in America. . . . Racism isn’t only being called a nigger and spit on. It’s being flipped the bird when you’re driving, or walking into a store and being asked to check your bag, or being ignored at the checkout counter, or entering a fine restaurant and being stared at.
As you take the factor of race into consideration in your audience analysis, examine your thinking for biases and stereotypes that you may rationalize as value or lifestyle differences. Be sensitive about the language you use. When you are referring to a different racial or ethnic group, use the terms that members of that group prefer. Stay away from examples that cast members of a particular ethnic group in stereotypical roles that imply inferiority. And of course, avoid racist humor.
One language problem that relates to all three of these negative “isms” is marking, adding an irrelevant reference to gender, ethnicity, race, or sexual preference when none is needed. For example, if you refer to “Thompson, the African American engineer,” you may be trivializing her contribution by drawing attention to her race when it is irrelevant. Some audience members may interpret your remarks as suggesting that “Thompson is a pretty good engineer for a person of color,” whether you intend that or not. The following excerpt from a speech by Martina Navratilova, who was the world’s top-rated female tennis player for seven years, shows how marking affects people:
Labels, labels, labels—now, I don’t know about you, but I hate labels. Martina Navratilova, the lesbian tennis player. They don’t say Joe Montana, the heterosexual football player. One’s sexuality should not be an issue. .. . I did not spend over 30 years of my life working my butt off trying to become the very best tennis player that I can be, to then be called Martina, the lesbian tennis player. Labels are for filing. Labels are for bookkeeping. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.

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