Ask a white conservative if there's systemic racism...

...And guess the answer.

You get a resounding “no,” as Fox News did on Sunday when the question was lobbed to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC.

Of course, if you ask a white person — and not just Aunt Pitty-Pat — about systemic racism in our society, there’s a chance you’ll get a similar answer because we white people are reared to see only “society,” not racism. In fact, we are invested in ignoring racism because if we address that racism, we fear we will have to give up something. Dean Obeidallah said it better on Twitter:

If you press the average white systemic-racism-denier, you’re liable to get an answer like Graham’s, who said:

“America is not racist…we just elected a two-term African American president … the vice president is of African American, Indian descent.”

Oh, where to begin.

This University of Michigan study looked at America’s attitude about racism after the 2008 election. In fact, after Pres. Obama was elected:

More notably, those citizens anxious but not angry before the election displayed much larger declines in perceived discrimination. Finally, declines in perceived discrimination were associated with increases in negative opinions of blacks and heightened opposition to both affirmative action and immigration.

So after the 2008 election, people (like Sen. Graham) figured that a Black president in office meant that racism magically drained away.

Grahamand others cling to the false narrative of a post-racial America. The idea that one election changes the world was “rhetoric,” not “reality,” says this 2010 study.

Racism is baked into our culture, starting with our original sin of slavery. (Has everyone read “The Half Has Never Been Told?” You should.) Pretending otherwise is beneath the dignity of an elected official.

But this is Sen. Graham, and we’ve come to expect it. So, in the spirit of an old dog repeating old tricks, here’s to you, Sen. Graham: