- Mar 25, 2000
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I am dismayed by the racism in society, and by how many bigots are blind to their own nature. Having been raised by a father who was only mildly bigoted aside, and a mother and a stepmother who isn't a all, I it was easy for me to see the absurdity of such stereotyping and avoid embracing anything of the sort. In that regard, I found this commentary excellent:
[/quote]I was born in Bombay, India in 1962 but my family moved to Northern Ireland when I was four years old. I was brought up in N. Ireland (part of the United Kingdom). This short piece on the signs of racism reflects a lifetime experiencing the kind of "hidden" or "subtle" racism which the British have pioneered (in the same way as they pioneered the transatlantic slave trade carried out by European nations in the 17th and 18th centuries and imperialism in the late 19th century to the end of the second world war). As societies become ever more multi-racial and members of minority groups reach positions of power and influence, subtle racism will be the predominant form in all countries in the 21st century. It is a hugely more pernicious and dangerous form than the more explicit varieties because of a fundamental truth - the spirit of a person can only be diminished by loss, bereavement or defeat, in the long run the human spirit will always rise up and triumph in the face of overt oppression because no one can respect his oppressor.
Although people whose ancestors came from different geographic regions look different, no scientific or biologic evidence exists to support even the idea of race. Not surprisingly, it is rare, today, for a person to admit to being a racist. Despite the prevalence of racism (the belief that members of a particular "race" or ethnic group share common qualities), the word "racist" has acquired a very negative connotation and is even somewhat pejorative. It is even rare for people to openly espouse racist philosophy. Someone can be a racist regardless of their religion, intelligence, cultural level, social status, benevolence towards members of their own race or social motivation. Racists come from all races (sometimes the race which they feel they belong to may not be obvious). Racism is thus only implicit in behavior. What are the signs?
(click for the list)
[/quote]
I hope everyone here will read though the list and think about how to better identify bigotry avoid falling into such ignorance.
[/quote]I was born in Bombay, India in 1962 but my family moved to Northern Ireland when I was four years old. I was brought up in N. Ireland (part of the United Kingdom). This short piece on the signs of racism reflects a lifetime experiencing the kind of "hidden" or "subtle" racism which the British have pioneered (in the same way as they pioneered the transatlantic slave trade carried out by European nations in the 17th and 18th centuries and imperialism in the late 19th century to the end of the second world war). As societies become ever more multi-racial and members of minority groups reach positions of power and influence, subtle racism will be the predominant form in all countries in the 21st century. It is a hugely more pernicious and dangerous form than the more explicit varieties because of a fundamental truth - the spirit of a person can only be diminished by loss, bereavement or defeat, in the long run the human spirit will always rise up and triumph in the face of overt oppression because no one can respect his oppressor.
Although people whose ancestors came from different geographic regions look different, no scientific or biologic evidence exists to support even the idea of race. Not surprisingly, it is rare, today, for a person to admit to being a racist. Despite the prevalence of racism (the belief that members of a particular "race" or ethnic group share common qualities), the word "racist" has acquired a very negative connotation and is even somewhat pejorative. It is even rare for people to openly espouse racist philosophy. Someone can be a racist regardless of their religion, intelligence, cultural level, social status, benevolence towards members of their own race or social motivation. Racists come from all races (sometimes the race which they feel they belong to may not be obvious). Racism is thus only implicit in behavior. What are the signs?
(click for the list)
[/quote]
I hope everyone here will read though the list and think about how to better identify bigotry avoid falling into such ignorance.
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