MADELINE- I don’t know what it’s like to be oppressed because of my race. I don’t get suspicious looks at the airport. I don’t get watched closely in stores because the manager thinks I’m going to steal something. I don’t have to become nervous when I see a white policeman. I don’t know how it feels to be a victim of racism.
However, as I talked about in the first post, I do know what it’s like to be surrounded by racist mindsets. The vast majority of the people I grew up around were racist. Over the past year or so, I’ve recalled many of the racist remarks I’ve heard and thought deeply about them, and I think I realize what the number one obstacle to overcoming racist tendencies is:
No one except for the extremists outright believes that one race is superior to another. I never did, and neither did anyone around me. I would even occasionally hear a “I don’t see color” or “everyone is the same on the inside.” Yet, we would still hold terribly racist beliefs. How is this possible? We assume that if we theoretically believe that all races are equal, we are in the clear, and none of our other beliefs could possibly be racist.
And that is where the problem is. Racism is not some on and off switch, where if you stop believing that racism is correct, all racist tendencies automatically stop as well. Racism is more like an infection. An infection can spread to every part of your body, and even if you cut off the root of the issue, the place where the infection started, the rest of your body is still sickly. Similarly, racism affects so many facets of your being: the kinds of jokes you tend to make, your perception of beauty, your first judgments of people, your political beliefs, etc. You can’t simply assert that racism is wrong and expect every part of you to be well. You need to evaluate every part of yourself that might be diseased, and work to heal each one, so that you truly be healthy again. If everyone would recognize this, the struggle against racism would a lot easier.
However, as I talked about in the first post, I do know what it’s like to be surrounded by racist mindsets. The vast majority of the people I grew up around were racist. Over the past year or so, I’ve recalled many of the racist remarks I’ve heard and thought deeply about them, and I think I realize what the number one obstacle to overcoming racist tendencies is:
No one except for the extremists outright believes that one race is superior to another. I never did, and neither did anyone around me. I would even occasionally hear a “I don’t see color” or “everyone is the same on the inside.” Yet, we would still hold terribly racist beliefs. How is this possible? We assume that if we theoretically believe that all races are equal, we are in the clear, and none of our other beliefs could possibly be racist.
And that is where the problem is. Racism is not some on and off switch, where if you stop believing that racism is correct, all racist tendencies automatically stop as well. Racism is more like an infection. An infection can spread to every part of your body, and even if you cut off the root of the issue, the place where the infection started, the rest of your body is still sickly. Similarly, racism affects so many facets of your being: the kinds of jokes you tend to make, your perception of beauty, your first judgments of people, your political beliefs, etc. You can’t simply assert that racism is wrong and expect every part of you to be well. You need to evaluate every part of yourself that might be diseased, and work to heal each one, so that you truly be healthy again. If everyone would recognize this, the struggle against racism would a lot easier.
