The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence has been making use of a handbook called “dismantling racism 2006” put together by a consultancy called Dismantling Racism Works.

Here’s a passage:

“Racism = a white supremacy system.

“Racism is different from racial prejudice, hatred, or discrimination. Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the major institutions of society. By this definition, only white people can be racist in our society, because only white people as a group have that power.”

The language does say “in our society,” and it’s obvious that whites are still dominant in America, though one could argue that it’s the very rich who are increasingly important. But people of all races in America sometime express racist views. Obviously. That’s because racism and other sorts of bigotry against entire groups go with the human species. The consultant’s rhetoric is outstandingly inane, and, well, racist.

If you want to see racism, you may look anywhere around the world, from the pervasive racism expressed by many Chinese and Japanese toward other ethnic groups, the racism of members of some African tribes against ones whose members may have different facial features than theirs (remember Rwanda?); the racism of Arabs toward black Africans, the Malays toward Overseas Chinese, Turks toward Armenians and vice versa and on and on.

Oh, here’s another line from the handbook: “All Europeans did not and do not become white at the same time. . . . Becoming white involves giving up pieces of your original culture in order to get the advantages and privileges of being in the white group. . . . This process continues today.”

Tens of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses went to pay for such insights.