Why Racism is Dumb
The world is a funny place. Perhaps it's a sad and pathetic place. I guess it depends largely on the optimism or pessimism of the individual viewer. I guess I've seen things both ways. We all live tangled in a web of lies, fooling ourselves into believing we are not isolated. In the end, we are all born alone, and we will die alone. We are all separate beings, though we may try to hide that isolation, even deny it, by falling into groups. These can be "clicks" in high school, religious and moral groups, or our cultures. All of these groups help to make us feel less lonely, create a sense of togetherness. This may or may not be bad thing, but it is very easily to lose ones identity in any of these things, or lose other things. Culture and race is something that can easily help dispel this feeling of loneliness. Identifying with a group that one is securely born into can always provide a place to return to when the world rejects a person, which it invariably does at one point or another in life. Along with providing a sense of brotherhood, belonging to a race or culture, or any group for that matter, can impart a sense of importance or pride.
People are proud of their heritage, proud of the accomplishments of the people in their race that came before them. This person from this race did whatever, they have proven that "we" (the members of the race or group) can succeed. We have role models who are like us. I see all of this going on in this age of racism barely hidden behind the guise of political correctness, I am forced to wonder why?
It seems to me a sad form of commentary for this day and age that pride should be taken in a person's race and culture. It seems more like arrogance more often in my eyes, and it also seems very small minded. What exactly is there to be proud of, being of a certain race? What have you done to become that race, perhaps passing some qualifying "race exam" which placed you in the race you are. If you are at all like me and any other person I've ever met, you did nothing to be the race that you are, in fact, you had no choice in what race or culture you would be born into. Why should a person be proud of something that they had no power in doing or achieving (if being born into one race over another is an achievement.)
Perhaps, then the cultural background is something to be proud of. The traditions, etc. which the individual upholds is a basis for this racial pride. Still even that seems to be shaky ground. The cultural background a person has is again something they are born into. They are taught the ways and traditions of their race, and uphold them. Is that really a basis to have pride for? Following along? These traditions were neither created nor enriched by simply being followed, simply sustained, the person but a vehicle for this. The traditions may be beautiful, and worthy of continuing, but it seems to me that if a person derives beauty from a cultural tradition it is not them that should be proud, but rather the (probably long dead) instituters of that tradition. These followers of tradition have done nothing to enrich it or add to it, they have created nothing and thus have nothing to be proud of. So exactly what is it that people are so proud of? Do they realize that they would be just as proud of another race if that was the race they were born into? Which brings me to another point...
Lets just say you are born into a race, and you don't particularly care for the cultural heritage you are expected to follow. The traditions may be loud and celebrational, but you as a person like quiet, solitary, subtle things. Well, I guess you should just forget about your inner feelings and jump on your racial bandwagon, feel whatever the people who look most like you feel. Become imprisoned into a set of morals, a form of art, dance and expression, a way of cooking, a way of talking and thinking, a way of cooking, a sense of style, and a group of accomplishments that you had nothing to do with to identify with because you chose... wait no, were born into the race that those things are assigned to. Doesn't something seem inherently wrong here? Cultural background just becomes one of many forces that crush the individual into a mold which they may not fit into.
Why in this age of supposed understanding of other races do conventions like this continue to exist? Certainly, a part of it is a desire to preserve these cultural traditions and practices. I guess that is an understandable desire, many of these traditions are beautiful, and should be preserved for the ages to enjoy. However, to oppress people into one mindset, and not let them expand their horizons into the traditions of other cultures is not a justifiable means to that end. It crushes the spirit within that led to the birth of those traditions, and a stubborn attachment to one's racial heritage (that being the only one that the person can belong to) often causes other traditions to be shut out, or made to look inferior Because, in doing this, forcing racial and cultural traditions on people, we are drawing the lines that divide us ever clearer. Racial pride always seems to come with a slight (if not totally inflated) feeling of superiority over other traditions. These are often traditions that are not understood, and certainly not understood from a viewpoint that they would be an equally viable tradition for an individual to follow. We are forced to identify with a group of traditions, a cultural attitude, and a sense of self defined by the culture we are born into. And, as identity within a race grows, any other cultures that have pride can represent a personal attack to an individual (?) within another culture, after all, we are the ones who should be proud. Another thing that our race presses into us, which can be very detrimental to harmony is a specific set of values. A culture that for one reason or another values silence and or subtlety may have heroes in it's myths and traditions that quietly overcomes villains that are portrayed as loud and stupid. Thus loudness becomes equated with stupidity and perhaps evil. Now, the person from this culture travels halfway across the world, and finds another group of people. He sees bright colors, loud music and celebrations, an overall boisterous culture. How does this person's culture teach them to judge this culture? Well they have none of the virtues (subtlety, quiet) of his home culture, and they do have traits of the villain. This person's culture teaches them to dislike (at best) this new culture. If this person unquestioningly trusts the values of their culture, they will be very predisposed to hating this new culture. The possibility that the values of their culture may not be the only "right" values, and in fact, the opposite of their culture's values can be just as "right" as theirs would not enter their mind.
The idea that values must me absolute is a very mistaken one, but many individuals in a culture are led to believe this. They are brought up with the racial arrogance that they are right and everyone else is wrong, often without exploring these "lesser" cultures. What if all things are truth if taken from varied points of view? What if the individual hidden somewhere within each of us would like the values of another culture more if only they heard them. Ahhh, I don't know. maybe not. Settle back into the chains of a race role and the comfort of feeling that you are right. And life goes on, unchanged.