by Eric Blair | |
The devil you know or the devil you don't know |
Some would argue that racism is currently worse than it was before with the only difference being that racists are now forced to hide their perceptions of superiority but in the society today, is it only Caucasians [Whites] that are racist?
The answer to that depends on what you think qualifies as racism and according to some reports on racial discrimination you can’t be racist if you don’t have the social advantage of being the majority, holding the most power. Although we disagree with those reports, one thing we agree with is the fact that racism is still very much alive.
We do not believe that whites have the only racists in the world because even if they were all racists, they are not the dominant race in many countries around world. Going by definition, racism is an individual’s believe that a certain race is superior to other races and this definition is not exclusive to only whites in the world. If you are Semite [Most Arabs are categorized as Semites although not all] and you believe your race is superior to other races based on characteristics, abilities, and qualities, you basically check all the boxes of a typical racist. You don’t have to be in power to enforce your beliefs to be a racist, this is very much different from what other articles with an agenda would tell you.
A few years ago, at University, a comment was made by a fellow foreign student who was Arab, he said to me “white girls are only good to play around with, but when you want to have a serious relationship, look for an Arab lady”. Of course, he is entitled to his opinion but that does not change the fact that a comment like that was racist. This was racist because he implied that when you want to have a serious relationship, the characteristics, abilities, and qualities of the Arab ladies are superior to those of the White ladies. He did not have to be white to make such a comment although it is possible he also did not find anything wrong with his comments.
It is possible to be racist and not really know it because the media mostly focuses on white racists. Studies conducted in 2011 at Tufts and by Harvard Business School revealed that many whites feel that they now suffer disproportionately from racism and blacks do agree that racism against blacks have reduced over time however, blacks did not perceive that the anti-white bias is on an increase. In other words, they do not agree with the whites who perceive that they now suffer from some form of racism also known as “reverse racism”.
Although the system in America could be described as favouring-the-whites since they are the majority, suggesting that because these systems benefit mostly whites exclude minorities from being racists is incorrect as racism is a belief. It is more than just having the power to execute oppression and a belief can easily be implanted in the minds of the young ones who would one day be in positions of power.
We do not believe that whites have the only racists in the world because even if they were all racists, they are not the dominant race in many countries around world. Going by definition, racism is an individual’s believe that a certain race is superior to other races and this definition is not exclusive to only whites in the world. If you are Semite [Most Arabs are categorized as Semites although not all] and you believe your race is superior to other races based on characteristics, abilities, and qualities, you basically check all the boxes of a typical racist. You don’t have to be in power to enforce your beliefs to be a racist, this is very much different from what other articles with an agenda would tell you.
A few years ago, at University, a comment was made by a fellow foreign student who was Arab, he said to me “white girls are only good to play around with, but when you want to have a serious relationship, look for an Arab lady”. Of course, he is entitled to his opinion but that does not change the fact that a comment like that was racist. This was racist because he implied that when you want to have a serious relationship, the characteristics, abilities, and qualities of the Arab ladies are superior to those of the White ladies. He did not have to be white to make such a comment although it is possible he also did not find anything wrong with his comments.
It is possible to be racist and not really know it because the media mostly focuses on white racists. Studies conducted in 2011 at Tufts and by Harvard Business School revealed that many whites feel that they now suffer disproportionately from racism and blacks do agree that racism against blacks have reduced over time however, blacks did not perceive that the anti-white bias is on an increase. In other words, they do not agree with the whites who perceive that they now suffer from some form of racism also known as “reverse racism”.
Although the system in America could be described as favouring-the-whites since they are the majority, suggesting that because these systems benefit mostly whites exclude minorities from being racists is incorrect as racism is a belief. It is more than just having the power to execute oppression and a belief can easily be implanted in the minds of the young ones who would one day be in positions of power.
In Nigeria for instance, parents who can afford it usually send their children to study abroad and one of the most common advice they give would be for their children to make sure they do not end up in a serious relationship with a white male or female.
This is so common that no one sees anything wrong with such advice however, if such comment was made by a white parent to their kids, everyone raises the racist-alert eyebrows immediately. In other words, this could be described as a selective perception of racism making it only racist when it is done by whites and normal when it is done by a different race. So clean out your thoughts, avoid judging people’s qualities based on race, try to see things from the perspective of others and realize you don’t have to be white to be a racist. Please leave your comments below. Cheers.
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This is so common that no one sees anything wrong with such advice however, if such comment was made by a white parent to their kids, everyone raises the racist-alert eyebrows immediately. In other words, this could be described as a selective perception of racism making it only racist when it is done by whites and normal when it is done by a different race. So clean out your thoughts, avoid judging people’s qualities based on race, try to see things from the perspective of others and realize you don’t have to be white to be a racist. Please leave your comments below. Cheers.
More: Nigeria: A crawling baby at 55
More: Alcohol: are there any health benefits