Racism and what we can do
Written by Chindanai Pornsing | Edited by Pimnara Boondoungprasert (Fin) | Designed by Nada Rodanant (Neat)
Racism and prejudice are coming back. With the rise of Neo-Nazism and Anti-Semitism around the world, people have forgotten the terror of the Holocaust and the Jim Crow Laws. We have willingly ignored the systemic and casual racism that runs deep in our society. The murder of George Floyd, the Neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville, and the increasingly bold actions of the KKK have all pointed to a world that is beginning to forget.
Never again, Germany says, in remembrance of its dark and troubled 20th century and yet around the world Anti-Semitism has found its new home in a deep hatred of the Jewish people. Hate crimes and casual racism, the gunning down of innocent Jews in a synagogue, and the murder of innocent African Americans all point to the rise of hatred and intolerance -- in stark contrast to the accepting, open, and tolerant society in which many claim the 21st century is or ought to be.
The root of hate is simple. Ignorance. It is the root cause of hatred. Ignorance leads to fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to violence. This is the simple formula that has taken countless millions of lives. Hatred of a people, hatred of those one has never met or will ever meet. This blind hatred is possible only through ignorance. People fear what they do not understand. A classic example of a hatred of a people is the age-old fear of Jews.
The hatred of Jews comes from a laughably simple distinction between Jews and Christians. Historically speaking, Christians were not allowed to handle money in the Medieval ages so Jews were often chosen to become financiers, stewards, and administrators of money. This led to Jews becoming more and more wealthy. Soon, they started forming banks to lend out money. People took out loans. But what happens when you don’t have any money to pay those loans? Well, simply kill the lender! Cue mass genocide and extermination of Jews, all because they had the audacity to request the money they lent you back.
Once you learn and understand about the origins of hatred and racism, you find that the whole thing is complete bullsh*t. There is no secret intergovernmental plot run by a coalition of rich billionaire Jews to secretly pull the strings of world governments. Bernie Sanders isn’t some lizard Jew waiting to create a socialist dystopia and install himself as dictator. Barack Obama isn’t a secret Muslim planning to introduce Sharia law to America. These prejudiced and racist conspiracy theories all stem from a deep hatred that stems from a glaring ignorance of the truth, possessed by many and perpetuated by an influential few.
So what can we, as citizens of the world, do to stop this resurgence, this tide of racism from taking over. The clichéd answer is compassion and love. This is, in my opinion, weightless advice. Those reading this article are most likely not violently racist. We know that we should treat all people equally based on the content of their character regardless of social status, race, sexual orientation, religion, or stature.
The real challenge lies with those entrenched in prejudice. It lies in the real racists, the members of the KKK, the people who use the n-word, the people who think that one race is better than another. To turn these people around, one must do something that is not in the nature of most humans. Put yourself in their shoes. How do they think? What led them down this path? This requires a large amount of willpower and effort. To think like these people as what they really are, misguided human beings, is difficult. And yet it is the one way that has been proven time and time again to bring people out of racism.
There are, broadly speaking, two types of arguments: the first, arguing to convince a third party and the second, arguing to convince the second party. Arguing to convince a third party is a debate. Arguing to convince the second party is trying to convince the person you’re talking to.
It has been proven time and time again that facts do not change minds. People entrenched in said belief will not change when presented with facts to the contrary. Human brains simply cannot comprehend that they are wrong and will, therefore, shut itself down from any facts outside of its worldview.
To convince the person you’re arguing with, you must speak to them in their language. Trying to convince a racist Christian? Talk to them about the love and compassion that God has for all his children and that all humans were made in God’s image. Isn’t it therefore blasphemous to hate another human being as they are the image of God? Is it really your duty to judge homosexuals? It is God’s duty to judge, not yours.
All humans have preconceived beliefs and notions. These are avenues into their hearts. In an ideal world, all people would listen to facts without prejudice or bias, but our world is less than ideal. Our world is one in which we mustn’t convince the mind but rather the heart.
The fight towards a fairer, more just world for all will not be an easy one, it never has been. Countless have died for the dream of equality for all under the law and countless more have suffered for it. The arduous path towards justice is open to us now more than ever. It is up to us to take that path and fight for justice and equality.
To learn more about the roots of hatred and prejudice, I strongly urge you to watch the story of a black man who met and made friends with a Klan Imperial Wizard of the KKK, accepted a “certificate of friendship” from the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK, and led many high-ranking KKK members out of the KKK. The TED-Talk is linked below.
Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies. “Daryl Davis” TEDxNaperville:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORp3q1Oaezw
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/mar/18/fox-news-donald-trump-barack-obama-election
https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49988482
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52871936
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/01/george-floyd-protests-live-updates/
https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-06-01-20/index.html