- 26 May 2019 00:10
#15007430
Times change, our perception of race evolves, and in turn so too does our perception of "racism".
Martin Luther King gave way to massive social change with one of his most famous lines, that being "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I have begun to notice something however. That is, that there seems to be a negative and unintended backfiring of applying this principle in the present day.
Many today believe that the epitome of being a non-racist is to judge all human beings the same and completely disregard the factor of racial background. That is one possible attitude a person can take, inspired by the words of Martin Luther King. This attitude however, ironically creates and perpetuates oppression, which I will try my best to explain as we go along in this thread.
Many others apply a second attitude which in my opinion lessens harm and is far more righteous. That is, we acknowledge the oppressed nature of certain groups, and based on that acknowledgement we adjust our behaviors so as to give them a kinder and more compassionate degree of treatment than we would for someone who is not part of an oppressed group.
Now, it seems that some of us have become very concerned with identifying "racism" in terms of technicalities - that is, treating it only by the use of the historical definition of the term which for its time would have been directly in line and in correlation with harm done onto other human beings. Many of us are concerned to hold on to this technical definition today even in the face of great harm perpetuated onto other human beings. Others associate racism to harm, which would perhaps explain the use of the term being extended towards fascists, sexists, homophobes, and others who promote aggressive forms of hatred.
Now suppose you're a police officer. We do know in fact, that police themselves admit to racial profiling as a tool to catch those who are more likely to commit crimes. Not all police organizations do this, of course not, but many do and in fact many who have worked in the police force will attest to it themselves, for it is no secret. But suppose on the other hand, you're a police officer and you recognize the disprivileged fate of a black man due to history, and based on this recognition you decide to be more generous and compassionate towards blacks than whites.
Which attitude is more racist: Attitude #1: "I am going to treat all people equally regardless of race"
Attitude #2: "I recognize that some racial groups have been oppressed, and so I will behave more leniently and compassionately towards individuals in that group"
?
Martin Luther King gave way to massive social change with one of his most famous lines, that being "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I have begun to notice something however. That is, that there seems to be a negative and unintended backfiring of applying this principle in the present day.
Many today believe that the epitome of being a non-racist is to judge all human beings the same and completely disregard the factor of racial background. That is one possible attitude a person can take, inspired by the words of Martin Luther King. This attitude however, ironically creates and perpetuates oppression, which I will try my best to explain as we go along in this thread.
Many others apply a second attitude which in my opinion lessens harm and is far more righteous. That is, we acknowledge the oppressed nature of certain groups, and based on that acknowledgement we adjust our behaviors so as to give them a kinder and more compassionate degree of treatment than we would for someone who is not part of an oppressed group.
Now, it seems that some of us have become very concerned with identifying "racism" in terms of technicalities - that is, treating it only by the use of the historical definition of the term which for its time would have been directly in line and in correlation with harm done onto other human beings. Many of us are concerned to hold on to this technical definition today even in the face of great harm perpetuated onto other human beings. Others associate racism to harm, which would perhaps explain the use of the term being extended towards fascists, sexists, homophobes, and others who promote aggressive forms of hatred.
Now suppose you're a police officer. We do know in fact, that police themselves admit to racial profiling as a tool to catch those who are more likely to commit crimes. Not all police organizations do this, of course not, but many do and in fact many who have worked in the police force will attest to it themselves, for it is no secret. But suppose on the other hand, you're a police officer and you recognize the disprivileged fate of a black man due to history, and based on this recognition you decide to be more generous and compassionate towards blacks than whites.
Which attitude is more racist: Attitude #1: "I am going to treat all people equally regardless of race"
Attitude #2: "I recognize that some racial groups have been oppressed, and so I will behave more leniently and compassionately towards individuals in that group"
?