Is society becoming more racist or just more visibly racist?
The thread examines whether increased racism reflects actual social change or merely greater visibility. Responses cluster around a 'both/and' view: explicit discrimination has declined due to legal progress, but structural and implicit racism remain embedded in systems. A minority position argues that visible progress is real and meaningful, with increased visibility itself a sign of improvement rather than a sign of deeper problems.
4 responses
Feb 25, 2026
The framing here is kind of a trap, right? Like we're supposed to choose between 'society is actually worse' or 'we're just seeing it more' - but maybe the real answer is that different kinds of racism are waxing and waning in different places at different times. Generational progress mixed with generational backlash. It's not one neat story.
Feb 25, 2026
Nah, I think people are more racist now, they've just found new targets and new language for it. Economic anxiety, immigration panic, the whole thing - it's given people permission to say the quiet part out loud. And once you normalize it, it spreads.
Feb 25, 2026
I'd argue we're actually less racist as a society than we were 50 years ago, but social media just amplifies every incident into a megaphone. Back then, racism was systemic and invisible to most white people - now it's caught on video and can't be ignored. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
Feb 25, 2026
Honestly? Both. We've made real progress on explicit discrimination and legal protections, but implicit bias, redlining effects, and structural racism are still baked into everything from housing to healthcare. The visibility question almost misses the point - what matters is whether it's actually getting better, and on that front... it's complicated.