Why do minorities make a lot of noise about discrimination and racism? Read Mikey’s piece on what it’s like to live day-by-day in a non-white skin, and you might get a glimmer of an idea.

The root motivation is to signify someone’s otherness, label it, and thus negate the person. Assigning stereotypical traits — blacks are lazy, Asians are smart, etc. — gives the mainstream shorthand mental profiles, allowing for judgement calls with little or no specific information. In a very real way, it dehumanizes the individual.

The overriding point is that non-minorities believe that pressured groups should be able to brush off what’s perceived to be relatively few and isolated instances of racism: The loudmouth bigot or stray overheard joke. In reality, someone with dark skin or any identifying “other” features is bathed in low-level hostility every minute of every day. Subtle expressions dominate, with everything from averted eye contact to slower table service in restaurants constantly reminding of an enduring apartness. Those overt, obvious examples of discrimination are merely the punctuation marks to a broader, minute-by-minute running commentary.

To an extent, this is the nature of society: To encourage a majority-based communal front against any external presence, regardless of race, socioeconomic status or any other specific trait. It’s a complex dynamic, not wholly rational. But it doesn’t make it any easier for those on the receiving end.