In the past, the author used the term “structural racism” to describe the race-based organizational components of society, but since 2020 he has decided to use the term “systemic racism” because it is more commonly used today. After all, a scholar must be aware of what is happening in the larger community; otherwise, who is the audience for what is being written? He offers a warning to readers of this section too. While some readers might perceive that Bonilla-Silva is accusing them of being racist, he wants them to think about what role they play in society. That is, systemic racism is not maintained by “racists” but by “passive” actions of the majority of white people (56).

Social scientists tend to use terms like “race” and “racism” as though they were self-evident. They tend to promote the idea that race as a concept exists naturally and that racism exists because of perceptions of superiority. Thus, a few bad apples create racism. The problem with this is that it is historic and continues to reinforce the idea that “race” is fixed rather than an invention of Europeans following interactions with groups outside of Europe.