Why So Many Millennials Say Reverse Discrimination Is A Big Problem

The millennial generation is more racially diverse than the general population. But 46 percent of millennials think that the government pays too much attention to the problems of racial minorities, and 48 percent think that reverse racism against whites is a genuine problem. That’s according to results from a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, which asked 18 to 30 year-olds a series of questions on race, politics and religion. A majority of whites surveyed said that discrimination against whites has become as big of a problem as discrimination against blacks.

Writer Jamelle Bouie lays out his thoughts on why so many young, white people have these attitudes, touching upon everything from affirmative action at colleges to how schools teach history.


Second, we live in a culture where honest conversation about race is rare, especially among white people, where it’s surrounded by fear and anxiety. For many white kids, if not most, racial conversations are limited to a few units in elementary and middle school. Otherwise, they’re left to fend for themselves, which either leads to a sense of privileged obliviousness—i.e., you live and act as if this were a “colorblind” world, despite the fact that color matters for many people—or confusion and resentment.

Read more at: www.thenation.com

  • David Miles

    From my perspective there is a lot of truth to these comments.  While I do not have any research statistics to support this position, the Washington DC area is extremely sensitive to being politically correct on all fronts.  This includes religion, gender, age, personal believes as well as race, skin color and heritage.  People over react to the slightest comments and then it is broadcasted thru the media or social media and many times taken out of contacts.  Honest and thoughtful conversations are just not worth the risk!  As a net result, some issues are carried too far and create an unintended reverse consequence.  David Miles