Backwards Berkeley

One of the most interesting things I've noticed- while going to a university that prides itself (among a lot of other things) on its history with progress, free speech (we have a café dedicated to this) and such things- is that an attitude of openness and acceptance has still allowed for some extremely closed-off perspectives, though they're closed off in a different way from what you might anticipate.

What I'm talking about is something I've decided to call Reverse Racism, not because it's actually "backwards" or even because it pertains specifically to race. I'm just referring to the reversal of a long-standing situation in American culture. Anybody with any awareness of American history and current affairs knows very well that inequality is a long-standing and institutionalized affair, easy to slip into and slow to dislodge. A significant portion of our cultural attention is dedicated to educating young people about past injustice and, in this way, to prevent it in the future. This is a profoundly worthwhile endeavor; every person ought to have a right to a life of equal potential, and to lose out on such an opportunity due to an accident of birth or locality is absolutely tragic. What is not so great is how certain young people in my generation have processed and interpreted the messages we glean from studies of history and awareness of modern happenings.

Inequality is still very much a real thing, and I have not the least wish to downplay its existence or disparage the efforts to eliminate it, so don't get the wrong impression. I just want to raise awareness of the more sinister side of efforts to eliminate cultural injustice, both regarding race and other aspects of life.

I could go on extensively, but I'mma just make this short and concise to save words.

I am white. I am not inherently racist, nor is my life inherently easier or my problems less serious.
I am a man. I am not a misogynist.
I am slender in construction. I am not weak, nor am I elitist or judgmental as a result.
I am not a member of the LGBTQ community. This does not make me a homophobe.
You do not achieve equality by simply reversing the polarity of unjustified prejudice. Help offered honestly in the endeavor for peace and progress should be accepted, no matter the identity of the benefactor. March in a parade with us, not a crusade against us.