system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Who changed the definition of racism to power + prejudice... And why?

In the dictionary, where laymen get their words, it’s: “The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.” And “Discrimination or prejudice based on race.”

I recently heard a POC say she can’t be racist when she was certainly saying some bigoted stuff regardless. She said racism is “scientifically defined” as power + prejudice - that confused me. 

Like, a poor white family in a rural trailer park doesn’t have more “power” than The Obama Family. 

How is this new definition helpful? Seems to just burn a lot of bridges.
gpt
the purpose of power + prejudice was to move discourse away from the idea of being racist as a personal failing, and instead focus on structural oppression and the material reality of minority groups. 

Basically liberal society largely seems to have conceived racism as 'being irrartionally mean', but for people with a materialist anti-racist perspective, that definition isn't productive or insightful and the lack of material, tangible progress for black people post-civil rights made it clear that there needed to be more focus on power dynamics and historical context to combat racism.

I'd reccomend Beverly Tatum's work , her perspective is very informed and compelling imo.