What’s Wrong with Racism?

Many of us can wish, dream, imagine, even fight for a future in which racism can only be found in textbooks and museums.

We are opposed by those who are either racist or apathetic. These people imagine a future that is much like today, and much like the past. Racism still exists.

So what? What’s wrong with being a racist?

For those of us who feel the pain inflicted on those who are oppressed for no fault of their own, we know racism is bad. Whether it’s skin color, gender, ethnicity, or physical challenge, none of these things have anything to do with a person’s true character. A person’s true potential.

Not so, says the racist. They firmly believe that such outward characteristics tell them everything they need to know about a person. This makes it easier for them to choose who is friend, and who is foe. It makes it easier to decide who should be helped, and who can be hurt.

Being a racist means that you don’t have to think as much. It means you can easily make friends with other racists, and belong to a like-minded clan. It means that it’s easier to decide who to help, and who to hurt. Yes, being a racist makes life easier.

So why don’t all of us take the easy way out? Why aren’t we all racists?

Because the easy way isn’t the best way. Taking the easy way home from work might mean missing out on wonderful scenery along the way. Or meeting someone new. Or discovering something wonderful.

Racism is the same way. Every child that is denied an education is a potential doctor who could save a racist’s life. Every woman who is harassed and abused could have been a real friend, instead of living in continuous fear. Every man whose life is crushed by an unyielding knee could have been contributing to society, instead of becoming another symbol of racism itself.

What’s wrong with being racist? It makes one person’s life easier. And it hurts the rest of us.

A racist society can not be the best possible society. A society that does not confront racism can not become the best possible society. And those of us that want the best possible society must fight racism.

Looking Back at Racism

Looking backwards, we see that Racism raised its ugly head about 500 years ago. It was a great invention for the eggheads of the time, because it brought in lots of grants and consulting for them.

What if we looked back on Racism today? From a vantage point in the future?

How far into the future? So far ahead that Racism is no more. By that I mean people consider melanin content in the skin to be about as important in judging character as the size of our earlobes. Totally not important.

Future generations will laugh, knowing that our prejudice was driven by fear and ignorance. The concept of there being subsets of the human race is already something we’ve been proving even today, but it’s taking a long time to convince everyone. Sort of like taking a vaccine to stop a pandemic. Some people resist no matter what.

Future students of history will see that there are many innocuous ways we continue Racism. Every time we refer to someone as “black” or “white” propagates the illusion. Capitalizing the word “Black” is even worse. These words justify the myth that there are different types of people.

Future people will know that there is only one race, the human race. Every person is unique, complex, and the result of thousands of generations of ancestors.

Future people will also know that the qualities that make for a good person have nothing to do with the size of their ear lobes, or the amount of melanin in their skin. Qualities like respect, love, and empathy.

So, what will Racism look like in the future? For our children’s children’s children, it will only be found in the history books.

That is, only if we start eliminating it today. And then it will be history.