Monday, 7/14/97 Seeing racial differences is necessary,
beneficial RACISM: Learn to love your consciousness of others’
ethnic makeup
The column you are about to read is written by an avowed racist.
Consider yourselves forewarned. You wouldn’t know it by meeting me;
in fact – as my close friends would attest – you wouldn’t think it
even if you knew me very well. Had my friends known I was a racist,
they would never have associated with me in the first place.
Racism, most of them agree, is one of the most vile and
contemptible poisons that still infest our society today. How,
then, did my own despicable views elude my closest friends –
indeed, even my own parents? None of them know that I am a racist.
Come to think of it, none of them know that they are either. Are
you? I suppose that I have been able to conceal my racist views
largely because I don’t exhibit any of the behavioral tendencies
that typify your run-of-the-mill racist: I am not a member of the
KKK, I never use the term "nigger" to denigrate someone, I am
pro-affirmative action, have several friends of different ethnic
extractions than myself, and I am generally quite fond of good
people, irrespective of racial/cultural differences. I am a racist
for precisely the same reason that I think I am not; that is,
because the very thought of not being a racist occurs to me already
makes me a racist. You disagree, I see? Do you disagree because you
think that the contention – "notion of race occurs to me, therefore
I am a racist" – is flawed, or, perhaps, because you find it
slightly discomforting that, should there be any truth to the
statement, then you fall into the category of that dreaded word:
RACIST? Today, we have broadened the definition of racism to such
an extent that virtually everybody falls into the category one way
or another. When a black person encounters a white person, he is
not supposed to perceive the color of his skin, just the fact that
he is a human being. If he does make note of the color of his skin
(mentally, as we all do) then he is considered a racist. We are all
racist. By virtue of our very sight we are racist. If I put two
pens – one black, one red – in front of someone, and asked him what
he saw, not one person can deny seeing the color of the pen. In
other words, nobody would proclaim, "I see two pens – two pens of
like mind and spirit, substance and capability, two pens that will
not be judged by the color of their ink but by the length of their
durability." Clearly not. Similarly, when we go to the store, we
don’t merely see two fruits, we see strawberries and peaches. Both
are fruits, but they are distinctly different. Why, then, is it not
OK to see (and acknowledge seeing) the myriad of cultural and
racial differences without being labeled a racist? Because we are
racist, and there is no getting around it. Nor should there be.
Racism, in its essence, is the acknowledgement of differences
across races and cultures. It becomes destructive when, and only
when, the differences are seen as either inferiorities, or
deficiencies of character. This usually occurs because of
ignorance. Admission is the first step to recovery. We must begin
to acknowledge that certain races, religions, or cultures are
indeed superior to others in certain areas. Thenceforth, we can
begin to respect and learn from our comparative advantages in each
area. That Asians are, on balance, more adept at the natural
sciences than most cultures is largely due to the society from
which they come. In a similar sense, black folks have, on balance,
more athletic prowess and aggressiveness that enables them to
thrive and prosper an way that perhaps Caucasians lack. Today,
these differences are a sore point of contention and hostility,
engendering a fractious society in which polarization among
ethnicities frustrates any attempt at social cohesion. Cultural
exchange and ideological tolerance must be examined more closely so
that every person that calls himself an American will also be proud
to call himself a racist, as there is nothing wrong with certain
groups being better than other groups at certain things. Together,
we will all become good at most things. What about stereotypes?
They’re great. They generalize, but they’re true. White people are
generally seen as uptight and rigid. They are! Black people (No,
not "African-American", one need not come up with euphemisms when
one views "black people" as a positive moniker. "African-American"
is for true racists) are generally better dancers and basketball
players than their Asian counterparts, who excel in scientific
thought. By and large, all of these stereotypes are true. I have no
problem sharing with my Asian friends my view that their race is,
in general, better at math and science than most other races. The
problem arises when cultural/ideological differences become a
source of resentment and point of contention. This, I believe, is
largely the root of all the polarization on campus that we see
today that also translates into discrimination and bigotry in
larger society. This form of discrimination and social inequality
spawned affirmative action and other social programs designed to
reconcile the social inequities that pervade our society. Nothing
was solved, however. The problem – not racism, but racial
subjugation – persists and festers not because people in society
are racist, but because people in society are supposed (forced,
really) to be non-racist. Racism in this country is an issue
because we choose to make it an issue. I am not suggesting that our
society is one devoid of bigots and racial inequality. On the
contrary, racial prejudice and ideological intolerance in this
society is, in my opinion, chiefly responsible for the violence and
crime that seems to be increasingly political in its nature. What
do we do? Step 1: Lose the bullshit euphemisms. We’re all American,
so "Black," "Asian," and "Latino" will be just fine. (Let’s not get
to the point where racial sensitivity is so high that we will be
calling each other "Asian-American-Human-Female-Catholic.") Step 2:
Begin broadening our social playpen in a deliberate effort to
include those people with whom we have least in common, fear or
hate. If you feel uncomfortable around gays, get a gay friend. I
assure you the discomfort will recede. Step 3: Enact a law that
will require everybody over 20 years of age to adopt at least six
children of different racial/cultural background than themselves
… OK, OK, I’m going too far, but you get the idea. Fear springs
from ignorance. I suspect the same can be said about hate. That’s
about it for my sagacious maxims, so I will end with one by Carl
from Sling Blade, who so eloquently remarked, "Alright, then." Avi
Lidgi