How To Deal With Racism

For lack of better words, racism is humanity gone awry. A racist is a misguided zealot. But it is important to note that some racists think they are fierce patriots. They won't think twice before killing for their pride. Most of the others are run of the mill trouble makers who thrive in harassing the weak. Using nationalism as a shield and wearing false patriotic colors, they go on about fulfilling their own personal agenda. But it is the first kind which we should be more aware of. Because that kind carry on their hatred for other people to their grave. Throughout their life, they poison people's mind, trying to increase their own kind.

A racist is proud of his race. No doubt about it. He is proud of his skin color, the shape of his eyes, his body structure. Everything. Before going further, let me make it clear that I am not going to stereotype anything. I am not writing this to sympathize with any race, rather I am writing this so that it will help you recognize the racists of every race. Yes, every race and community have some rotten apples. Some are vocal and fearless, others just a murmur but with a potential to be a devastating negative force when presented with the right situation.

Here comes the most important question that has been nagging my mind for a long time. Can racial pride be identified with patriotism? It got me thinking about how nations were formed. While there is no doubt that pride in one's own creed, kind and culture was the precursor of nationalism, it is the hatred towards others which is the glaring dissimilarity of racism over patriotism.

The small percentage of racists who think they are die hard patriots are indeed living in a fool's paradise. Their kind see every outsider as a threat. It is these racists who are of the opinion that their culture, traditions and values are under siege and they are doing a favor to their country by being hostile towards outsiders. Who is an outsider according to them? Not only someone from another country, but also their own countrymen who are different from them culturally, socially and in skin color. They have a superiority complex who see others as an embarrassment and a limiting factor.

And what about the other racists? They are in it for the fun of it. Or to take out some dormant frustrations. They are local goons who want to maintain their position through intimidation. These racists have nothing but their personal gains in mind.

A racist can never be a patriot. Anyone upholding their own race can never belong anywhere

Nobody is born a racist. Babies don't go about segregating their play area or making racial slurs. But disturbing as it may sound, racism begins at school for some. So what goes in between? What makes a child's mind susceptible to racism? The most easy and foolhardy reason is a racist parent. Their child is bound to exhibit signs of racism early on. This is the seed of playground racism. A child makes a racist remark, his friends find it cool and join in. Starting with jokes and jibes, some interactions end up being physical. Now when this happens, the oppressed child also starts forming an opinion and influences his friends. And a chain reaction starts.

So what about others who seemingly rediscover their racial pride in their teens or late in life. Peer pressure is the most common reason. There are some other factors like losing a job to a migrant worker, or facing humiliation in the hands of a boss who isn't of the same community or country. While the issue of migrant workers is a sensitive one, we must understand the fact that our own government and the company run by our own countrymen have made it possible to hire migrant talent. A laid off employee might hold a migrant worker the source of all his problems, but a deeper thinking lays bare the fact that its all about profit.

Another reason for "late bloomer racists" is religion. A person encounters some guy, disdain forms for the different traditions and values. It grows and transforms into hatred nurtured with silence.When such people meet like minded people, they form personal racist hate clubs.

Another reason might be an unpleasant experience at a foreign country, or from a person of different race. The frustration remains dormant till the person encounters someone from that race or that country in his own. They can't help generalize their unpleasant experience with everyone from that country.