

One of feminism's greatest contributions to society was convincing the American public that rapists are not ominous figures hiding in the bushes, but men we know—our friends, sons, teachers, and pastors. That shift in our mainstream understanding of sexual assault was necessary to end the social cover given to perpetrators of sexual violence. We needed to know that people do horrible things, even the people we love.
So as the country reels from the attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, let's not forget that lesson and claim that racists are anomalies or outliers. Despite well-meaning reactions and hashtags to the contrary, this is who the United States is. Of course this is us.
[pullquote align='C']"This country was built on systemic racism and continues to engage in a self-serving revision of racist history."[/pullquote]
The pictures out of Charlottesville—angry white people, mostly men, carrying torches in the middle of the night, faces distorted by hate—are nearly indistinguishable from historical images of racist Americans over the years. They can call themselves "white nationalists" instead of "white supremacists" but let's be real: They look the same because they are the same. This country was built on systemic racism and continues to engage in a self-serving revision of racist history. That core of who we are has not shifted nearly as much as we would like to believe.
It's comforting to insist that racial hatred is not who Americans are, but at best it excuses white apathy—we don't have to interrogate our values if they're fine as is. At worst, it provides dangerous cover to violent racists.
Consider Peter Cvjetanovic, a college student whose image went viral this weekend, insisting that he's not "the angry racist they see in the photo." Or the mother of James Alex Fields, the man arrested for killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer after plowing his car into a group of counter-protesters; she told reporters that she didn't know her son was going to a white supremacist march: "I thought it had something to do with Trump." Fields' former teacher, though, says "he was very big into Nazism...he really had a fondness for Adolf Hitler."
ALSO BY JESSICA VALENTI
We Hold Sasha and Malia Obama to a Higher Standard Than the Trump Children, and That's Ridiculous
ALSO BY JESSICA VALENTI
Why Trump Is So Afraid of Trans People
ALSO BY JESSICA VALENTI
Trump Doesn't See Women As People, and That's Why This Keeps Happening—and Will Continue to Happen
Are we really to believe that Fields' mother didn't know who he was? That Cvjetanovic doesn't recognize his own racism? Or have white Americans so completely distanced ourselves from how ordinary racism actually is that we don't see it even as it stands beside us?
It's the same blind reaction that claims connecting the Trump administration to the racist violence in Charlottesville is an unfair conflation rather than a reasonable connecting-of-dots. We have a president with a long and clear history of racism: His family company was once investigated for refusing to rent property to black Americans. He launched the birther campaign against President Obama. As a candidate he stoked racial hatred with derogatory comments about Mexicans and Muslims; as president he's filled his administration with men who have widely criticized records on race, called for a Muslim ban, and refused to call out white supremacism by name until forced by public outcry.
[pullquote align='C']"Have white Americans so completely distanced ourselves from how ordinary racism actually is that we don't see it even as it stands beside us?"[/pullquote]
So yes, racism absolutely is American. It pervades our homes, our streets, and our government. Not in the past, not as some ephemeral evil—but now, everywhere.
The Republican party and those who voted for Trump want to insist that they are not part and parcel of the extremist violence we saw in Charlottesville. They rush to tweet out condemnations and distance themselves from men carrying torches—as if their support of Trump did not provide the fire.
We cannot end racist violence and white supremacy without telling the truth about who we are and what we've enabled. This is us. But it doesn't have to be.
Jessica Valenti is a contributing editor to MarieClaire.com—read her weekly column here.
Jessica Valenti is a columnist and author of five books on feminism, politics, and culture. Her latest book, Sex Object: A Memoir, was a New York Times bestseller. Valenti is also editor of the ground-breaking anthology Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape and the founder of Feministing.com, which Columbia Journalism Review called “head and shoulders above almost any writing on women’s issues in mainstream media.” She has a Master’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
-
Fashion Brands That Recycle, Resell, or Upcycle Your Old Clothes
Here's what to do with your unwanted pieces.
By Rachael Noll
-
What I Wear to Work: Emily Tisch Sussman
The podcast host of 'She Pivots' embraces brights, patterns, and pieces from her past.
By Sara Holzman
-
Tia Is Launching Fertility—and Preparing for a Post-Roe America
As women's healthcare startup Tia was gearing up to debut fertility care and a new clinic, the Roe v. Wade leak prompted CEO Carolyn Witte to accelerate plans to offer medication abortions, marking the most defining moment yet for the company.
By Tanya Benedicto Klich
-
The Supreme Court's Mississippi Abortion Rights Case: What to Know
The case could threaten Roe v. Wade.
By Megan DiTrolio
-
Sex Trafficking Victims Are Being Punished. A New Law Could Change That.
Victims of sexual abuse are quietly criminalized. Sara's Law protects kids that fight back.
By Dr. Devin J. Buckley and Erin Regan
-
My Family and I Live in Navajo Nation. We Don't Have Access to Clean Running Water
"They say that the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Why are citizens still living with no access to clean water?"
By Amanda L. As Told To Rachel Epstein
-
30 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to Men
If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, show them these statistics.
By Megan Friedman
-
Today, on Human Rights Day, the U.S. Must Abolish Child Marriage
In all but six states, American adults can marry people aged 17 and younger.
By Saryn Chorney
-
Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson's Relationship Is No More
After three years of dating, the power couple have decided they're better off as friends.
By Marie Claire Editors
-
Education for Women and Girls Is Crucial for Climate Justice
In an excerpt from her new book, 'A Bigger Picture,' Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate discusses the impact educated African women and girls can have on solving the climate crisis.
By Vanessa Nakate
-
It’s Time to End Equal Pay Days and Pass the Equal Rights Amendment
The passage of the ERA is a chance for our country to prove it truly values women.
By Hala Ayala