It is interesting how the emergence of instantaneous and widespread communication afforded by social media has impacted public discourse. The issue of racism is a case in point. In the current climate, the utterance of any racist epithets or other visible signs of discrimination against people based on the color of their skin seems to be grounds for utter public outrage and widespread social media condemnation.
Some of this–much of it–is contrived, attempts on the part of powerful forces to keep us divided. While it’s important to recognize the extent to which social engineering is at play here, let us put aside the ‘set-ups’ and fake hate crimes that seem to be proliferating at the moment, and deal simply and squarely with those instances in which a person’s words or actions genuinely reveal an inner prejudice against people of a different race.
It is time for all of us to take a collective deep breath and start to examine, at a deeper and more nuanced level, how we really feel about racists, and how we might want to deal with words and actions tinged with bigotry and racial prejudice within our society.
What Is Racism?
Racism is defined as “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.”
This means, by definition, that someone can only be racist if they believe that their own race is superior. And by ‘superior’ here, we are not referring to statistically demonstrable ways that members of a given race scores higher per capita in specific areas than members of another race. We are talking about the belief that one’s race is inherently more worthy of esteem, is deserving of a greater share of the Earth’s bounty, or that the lives of one’s racial group are more valuable than those of other racial groups.
Now before we get into examining acts of prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism, let’s ask this question: Does the belief that “one’s own race is superior” in and of itself make one a racist? Presumably it does, since it forms the context of the intentions and motives behind racially-prejudicial words and actions. Clearly, then, if we are actually attempting to eradicate racism, simply trying to prevent certain words and actions from happening in our society will not suffice. What needs to change are people’s beliefs that their race is superior to other races.
And here is where it gets complicated.
Ethnocentricity
The human tendency towards ethnocentricity, the belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture, represents something that most human beings go through in their lives. Being grounded in the ethical and cultural mores we were brought up in, it is understandable that we would instinctively evaluate other groups or cultures based on how much they adhere to that which we value and consider proper. Given adequate guidance and informative life experiences, ethnocentricity is something that a person can grow out of. But if this bias is perpetuated within our cultural environment and we don’t have the kinds of experiences that will open our minds, it’s possible to remain stuck with this limited perception all our lives.
A lot of the outrage going on in our society involving things like immigration or profiling have a lot more to do with ethnocentricity than racism, but for the purposes of this discussion we can speak about these two things as one because they come from the same source: ignorance, the product of the human ego. The ego is naturally insecure, and so it devises ways for the individual to overcome a sense of inferiority by projecting that inferiority out in the world onto a person or a group that is different from us. When a person attacks others from a racist mindset, it does not prove the inferiority of the group that is being attacked. It only exposes the sense of inferiority within the attacker.
As a collective, our evolution is founded on our working together to gradually let go of our ignorance in favor of the truth, which is the understanding that at a higher level we are all one, and as individuals we are all equal parts of the whole no matter what our differences might be. We have to ask ourselves if our current collective approach to dealing with racist words and actions is fostering this evolution.
Our Condemnation Of Racists
Much of the discourse around racism today insists that ‘good people’ must provide swift and unequivocal condemnation of anything that resembles a racist act, or be called out as supporters of such acts. But this black-and-white, George-W-Bushian ‘you’re either for us or you’re for them’ attitude will never serve our collective evolution, no matter if it is about racism or any other prejudice.
Acts of racism are founded in ignorance, and perpetrators are in need of guidance. We can’t beat ignorance with a stick until it turns into enlightenment. When we oppose racist hatred with a hatred of racists, we are only perpetuating the hatred. All we are doing by condemning racism is relegating that ignorance back into the dark recesses of the offender’s subconscious mind, where it eventually will play out again in the world in unpredictable and sometimes violent ways.
Some may argue that people who have been publicly called out for racist comments are often remorseful and apologetic. But if this remorse is sincere–and many times it is not–then the sudden and remarkable shift in consciousness is not the result of condemnation and hatred. It is the result of the person realizing that their words have been hurtful or have contributed to the suppression of a group of people.
Should We Then Condone Racist Words And Actions?
To answer this question we have to move beyond the polarities of self-centered apathy and hateful condemnation. If someone’s words and actions are founded in the ignorant belief in the superiority of one’s race over others, there is no need to judge that person. This is not a ‘cop-out’ or a ‘spiritual bypass,’ because it does not mean we are condoning that type of behavior.
Our response to racist words and actions, if it is to contribute to our collective evolution, needs to be measured and neutral. Measured, in the sense that there are degrees to which a person’s words or actions are actually harmful to the targeted person or group. Neutral, in the sense that while we may observe that a person’s words or actions are unacceptable, that we don’t ostracize or demean the person committing them.
We will not make any progress if our collective work is simply grounded in calling out all signs of violation, and having elaborate ‘hate crime’ laws that are onerously enforced by the state and our media. Our progress will be found in our efforts to love and accept others as they are. Every situation is different, and there are no rules governing specifically what to do in the face of racist behavior. Sometimes it is mediating a fight and helping to diffuse emotions. Sometimes it is speaking up respectfully, sometimes it is not going along with a joke in poor taste. Sometimes it is simply being silent.
Looking In The Mirror
A humble approach is best. When we take a look at ourselves in the mirror, can we say that we are completely free of racist or ethnocentric thinking? If not, that is the place to start, rather than going onto social media and jumping on the bandwagon bashing someone for their words or behavior. We will eventually come to realize that any anger we impose upon others is a projection of our own unhealed emotions.
Besides that, are all observations about what is different between races, cultures, and ethnicities off limits? Is it no longer possible to have a bit of fun and laugh if someone makes fun of the particular idiosyncrasies of a given group we belong to? This song ‘Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist’ from the play Avenue Q in the video below might help ground us a bit on the subject of racial harmony:
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The Takeaway
While it might seem a worthwhile effort to ‘end prejudice’ in our society, we would do well to remember CE’s maxim change starts within. Staying neutral and unplugging ourselves from confrontational racial discourse not only gives us greater peace in our own lives, it is what will best help our collective evolve beyond racial prejudice.