The problem with race and words related to
race is the lack of a precise meaning and the attachment of strong emotions to
certain terms like racist.
We can turn to dictionary definitions to
find out how people generally use the words, but there will still be local
applications that are far from what academics mean. Racist and racism mean
different things, but it is certainly an insult in a democracy.
Race and Links to the past
Before the 20th century,
scientists thought there were different races of human beings. People used to believe
humans could be identified by race based on physical characteristics and people
believed that traits like personality, intelligence, and morality were the
result of their race.
The problem is, it is difficult to make a
case for different races of human beings. Surface differences like shapes of
facial features and skin color are not scientifically linked to traits like
personality, intelligence, and so forth.
Besides, it is common knowledge that two
people in love who have different physical appearances, mate and produce
offspring who share characteristics of both parents. It doesn’t take a lot of
pairings before many people have a mixed heritage.
Racism
Nowadays, racism refers to negative actions
toward people considered to be of a different race. The negative actions include
prejudice, discrimination, and antagonism. See for example lexico.com.
Racist
Calling someone a racist is an insult and
usually means that a person has a pattern of acting in a prejudicial,
discriminatory, or antagonistic way toward people of another race. Racists view
their group as superior to groups labeled as of a different race.
One problem with the word racist is that
human beings are often wary of people who do not look like they belong to the
same group. Groups can be defined by skin color, but they can also be defined
by cultural markers like languages, foods, clothes, and religions.
Another problem is the failure to consider
ranges of beliefs and subtleties. People use the word racist as if it is an
all-or-nothing thing. It isn’t all-or-nothing. Extremists make it look like
all-or-nothing, but nonextremists may still hold less extreme beliefs that can
make a difference if they are in a position to make laws, policies, and
decisions about hiring, serving, or treating other human beings who look or appear
different than people from their usual group.
Context
In the United States, race is often defined
in terms of black and white–an obvious reference to skin color. Sometimes another
race includes people identified as brown. Sometimes race refers to the perceived
continent of origin like Africa, Asia, or Europe. If you live elsewhere, you
may have different ways people refer to races.
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What
Matters?
Fairness. In
a nation or organization, the principle of fairness, usually considered as
equality, is germane to peaceful relationships between people who appear to be
from different groups. It is difficult, though not impossible, to change
attitudes, but it is possible to enforce laws that require the equal treatment
of all human beings when it comes to the benefits and punishments present in laws
and policies.
Unfair
treatment breeds discontent and even violence.
Language. The
language of leaders also matters.
Leaders
can use insults to “paint targets on the backs”
of people they do not like.
of people they do not like.
Leaders insult groups of people based on
where they live, where they came from, or other characteristics that make it
seem that the disgusting behavior of a few people from a certain place, or
having a certain characteristic is true of others from the same place or having
the same characteristic. Leaders can inspire people to greatness or terrorism.
Integrity. Let’s
be straightforward. When leaders attack a few people, who acted in a deplorable
way as if all people who are like those bad actors are also deplorables or less
than human, society has a problem. People will be divided and fear those who
look like bad actors. Integrity means refusing to suggest that all people who
look like a criminal or “bad actor” is just as bad.
Vigilance. It
will take strong opposition leaders to attack the language (not the person)
who seeks to divide people into preferred and not preferred groups. Social
leaders who care about living in a peaceful and nonviolent society will need to
constantly speak out against attempts to divide people based on rhetoric that
identifies certain groups of people as targets and simultaneously engenders
hatred toward those targeted people. Free speech is of critical importance to a
just society.
A free press is vital to bringing cases of
discrimination and injustice to the public. However, one must also fight
against both an over-zealous press and poorly informed writers on one hand and
powerful leaders who discount carefully researched press reports on the other
hand. Just societies will always need alternative voices from vigilant people.
Groupishness.
Human beings constantly form special ingroups and reject some people who are by
default in an outgroup. Any progress in racism won’t solve the problem of human
nature in other areas of a culture. Sexism, genderism, ageism, ableism, ethnocentrism, and other "isms" are among the ways people band together and make life better for themselves at
the expense of another group. Even in societies that purport to offer liberty
and justice for all, enforceable laws have been important to protect the rights
of certain minorities. Sadly, if your group is not listed as a protected group
in law, you might not be able to count on justice or fairness. Of course, even
if a minority group is listed as protected, it does not mean they will be
protected when no one is looking.
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