A question about racism
May. 27th, 2004 09:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anigoI am a racist.
Woah, what an opening line, eh?
Dictionary.com says a racist is: The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
By that definition I am not a racist.
You see, ideally in my world, it woudn't matter where you came from, or what you looked like or anything like that. Regardless of these issues, when you applied for a job, you'd get it based on your merits. You wouldn't be teased, maligned, judged, anything.
Racism can go both ways. Racism is not serving a person first because of the way they look, or it's also giving a person preferential treatment for the same reason. I feel affirmative action is as much racist (and contributes to racism... but that's another paragraph) as not hiring somebody based on their heritage.
But here's my question.
I have been brought up in a society where people who are different are noticed. They stand out. (According to Statistics Canada, and some quick math, less than 1% of Nova Scotians are Black) And, yes, minorities tend to be given the short end of the stick. Now here's where my question comes in. If one is brought up in a society that thinks that people who look different *are* different (and not obscenely, there are no lynchings, there is no segregation) however one recognizes that this belief is wrong and refuses to bow to it, but still somehow finds oneself straying toward this thought... finds oneself judging and then admonishing oneself.... Is one still a racist?
If one makes every effort to ensure equality in her actions (and thoughts), regardless of sex, race, religion, whatever; however if one still finds one's thoughts (but not actions) straying? Is one still a racist? An argument to this is if ones thoughts are racist, ones actions must therefore follow, but I don't know if this is necessarily so.
However, if that's the case, how does one NOT be a racist?
And if acknowledging differences is a good thing, is one still a racist?
Which leads me to affirmative action.
Which I think is bad and counterproductive.
If you get a job because of your heritage, because hiring you meets a quota, yet I was the preferred candidate strictly on my qualifications alone, I think that is going to create animosity. Granted, the reason that my qualifications may be better than yours is because I may have been brought up in a privileged society and you may have not - but is the answer to right that wrong to create another wrong by giving you preferential treatment? Or is the answer to start from when you are young and give you the chance to get a better education. But would subsidizing your education, again give you preferential treatment? Where does it start? Where does it stop? What is the answer? Basing subsidies on race isn't it though. Nor is hiring quotas. Subsidies on low income may be one solution. Raising all underprivileged up to a higher level based on their economic status and not on their heritage.
I will support equality to my dying breath. You are as good as I, and I as good as you, regardless of how we look, or where our parents were from, or what god either one of us believes in.
But if, inside, I see a group of guys of a different race standing on the corner of Gottingen street and automatically assume that they're up to no good, (Assume, mind you - not act, not say, not anything) does that make me a racist? And if so, how do I fix it?
Nova Scotia has a fantastic contingent of black gospel singers. Is that racist? To say that they are black? Couldn't I just say they're gospel singers and leave the colour out? But that's part of who they are. You can hear their history in their voices and that gives them something special.
Above all of this I am a peaceful soul. I want harmony. I want equality. I want peace. Regardless of colour or heritage or anything. I want to live next to a person of colour (black person? African Canadian?) and be of the mind where I don't even notice his skin tone. He's just Bill. But I notice that the lady next door has brown hair. Or the lady two doors up is overweight... where does one draw the line?
Maybe racism is a Darwinian thing. Survival of our own culture. I dunno.
Comments?
Woah, what an opening line, eh?
Dictionary.com says a racist is: The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
By that definition I am not a racist.
You see, ideally in my world, it woudn't matter where you came from, or what you looked like or anything like that. Regardless of these issues, when you applied for a job, you'd get it based on your merits. You wouldn't be teased, maligned, judged, anything.
Racism can go both ways. Racism is not serving a person first because of the way they look, or it's also giving a person preferential treatment for the same reason. I feel affirmative action is as much racist (and contributes to racism... but that's another paragraph) as not hiring somebody based on their heritage.
But here's my question.
I have been brought up in a society where people who are different are noticed. They stand out. (According to Statistics Canada, and some quick math, less than 1% of Nova Scotians are Black) And, yes, minorities tend to be given the short end of the stick. Now here's where my question comes in. If one is brought up in a society that thinks that people who look different *are* different (and not obscenely, there are no lynchings, there is no segregation) however one recognizes that this belief is wrong and refuses to bow to it, but still somehow finds oneself straying toward this thought... finds oneself judging and then admonishing oneself.... Is one still a racist?
If one makes every effort to ensure equality in her actions (and thoughts), regardless of sex, race, religion, whatever; however if one still finds one's thoughts (but not actions) straying? Is one still a racist? An argument to this is if ones thoughts are racist, ones actions must therefore follow, but I don't know if this is necessarily so.
However, if that's the case, how does one NOT be a racist?
And if acknowledging differences is a good thing, is one still a racist?
Which leads me to affirmative action.
Which I think is bad and counterproductive.
If you get a job because of your heritage, because hiring you meets a quota, yet I was the preferred candidate strictly on my qualifications alone, I think that is going to create animosity. Granted, the reason that my qualifications may be better than yours is because I may have been brought up in a privileged society and you may have not - but is the answer to right that wrong to create another wrong by giving you preferential treatment? Or is the answer to start from when you are young and give you the chance to get a better education. But would subsidizing your education, again give you preferential treatment? Where does it start? Where does it stop? What is the answer? Basing subsidies on race isn't it though. Nor is hiring quotas. Subsidies on low income may be one solution. Raising all underprivileged up to a higher level based on their economic status and not on their heritage.
I will support equality to my dying breath. You are as good as I, and I as good as you, regardless of how we look, or where our parents were from, or what god either one of us believes in.
But if, inside, I see a group of guys of a different race standing on the corner of Gottingen street and automatically assume that they're up to no good, (Assume, mind you - not act, not say, not anything) does that make me a racist? And if so, how do I fix it?
Nova Scotia has a fantastic contingent of black gospel singers. Is that racist? To say that they are black? Couldn't I just say they're gospel singers and leave the colour out? But that's part of who they are. You can hear their history in their voices and that gives them something special.
Above all of this I am a peaceful soul. I want harmony. I want equality. I want peace. Regardless of colour or heritage or anything. I want to live next to a person of colour (black person? African Canadian?) and be of the mind where I don't even notice his skin tone. He's just Bill. But I notice that the lady next door has brown hair. Or the lady two doors up is overweight... where does one draw the line?
Maybe racism is a Darwinian thing. Survival of our own culture. I dunno.
Comments?