Racism in Germany is a serious and structural problem. The Berlin film “Ellbogen” is about 18-year-old Hazal, who tries to forge her own path. She fails because of the racist system. Not only in her job search, but also in her everyday life. This background research deals with everyday racism and the possible mechanisms for dismantling it.
When talking about racism, it is important to differentiate. There is of course overt racism, such as insults and physical attacks. But so-called microaggressions also play a major role. These are the everyday racisms that so many people are exposed to. These can include glances in public, racist ideas shining through or the generalisation of character traits attributed to a certain group. This form of everyday racism, microaggressions, are a large part of discrimination.
What these large amounts of microaggressions trigger in Hazal is shown very clearly in “Elbows”. These situations of discrimination, which initially appear to be “minor”, lead to incredibly negative feelings. The situations in which Hazal is exposed to microaggressions also become more frequent. These include the bouncer outside the bar, the funny looks from her classmates who make fun of her, her mispronounced name and the shop detective who accuses her of theft. These situations are a pure expression of the racist system. Several articles in the Tagesspiegel also report on these microaggressions.
According to T-online, 43% of people with a migration background have experienced discrimination in application procedures. 30% believe that they have not been given a fair chance. Women with a migration background find it particularly difficult to find work. This is where intersectionality, the interplay between different forms of discrimination, comes to the fore. Women with a migration background experience a very special form of discrimination. Both sexism and racism play a role here, leading to a very specific form of discrimination.
There is no doubt that these structures need to be broken up. A nationwide anti-discrimination centre has recently been established in Germany. According to its website, it is mainly concerned with educational work, writes reports to the Bundestag and conducts research to measure the prevalence of racism. However, it is also clear that there are no concrete measures for a structural change.
The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) is one of the only laws that can be used to take legal action against discrimination. §1 The aim of the law is to prevent or eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity.
However, it is difficult to prove that an application was rejected due to racist motives. The Anti-Discrimination Agency points to the following evidence: Contradictory reasons for a rejection, strange questions in the interview, strange wording in the job advertisement.
Unfortunately, not enough has happened on a structural level. But as a white person, you should still deal intensively with the topic, learn more and stand up against your own internalised racism and try to break down thought patterns yourself. Elbow” definitely contributes to reflection.
Disclaimer: I, as a white person, can of course only write about racism from a privileged perspective. Some book recommendations:
- Alice Hasters: Was weiße Menschen nicht über Rassismus hören wollen, aber wissen sollten
- Natasha A. Kelly: Rassimus
- Aminata Toure: Wir können mehr sein – Die Macht der Vielfalt
