Monday, July 30, 2007

Racism is a twisted thing

Well, it's not really a thing, rather a process. Anyway, it is twisted nonetheless. For some reason, people feel comfortable sharing their racism with me and expect that I'd share their views. Here are some random strings of racism which I have encoutered lately:

  • - I won't go to any Chinese doctors, cause they do not know anything and I do not understand what they are saying anyway
  • - Indians are so racist!
  • - Oh, those Pakistani used to sleep with their dirty dishes in the bed, didn't even took their clothes or shoes off.
  • - This is what happens when they (Native people in Canada) receive everything from the government. They do not have to work and all they do is get lazy and drink the money that the government gives them.
End of sample. What do these examples have in common? First, they all identify people first by their ethnic/ racial origin, and not by what defines them as persons. Second, they assume that just because you are thus placed into a race/ nationality, your traits/ skills/ behavior are now known. Third, they assume a distinction, a separation between me, the speaker, and them/ you, the other characterized by negative traits. This is the way in which difference is understood today.

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