OPINION: Another look at racism
- Posted on Tuesday 8 November 2011 - 10:07By Hakeem Aderemi BabalolaIt is not the question of whether racism exists or not rather the question of our perspective as well as our politically correct approach - in dealing with it. The first step is to admit that we are in dilemma in our quest to stop and, or curb racial prejudice. Our approach has been counterproductive probably due to our parochial view on the matter.
In our quest to stop racism and in our haste to promote diversity, we often inclined to suppressing hatred speech – the dissenting voice.
We have full faith in political correctness and, indeed always end up in doing things right rather than doing the right thing. In the process we are guilty of the same unfair treatment melted to us by those we perceive as racists. We may have forgotten that two wrongs do not make a right. This is the current situation, forgetting that any stifling of freedom of expression or thought in one European country would have repercussions in others. As a result, whatever approach chosen or adopted to combat racism must include the right to protect any man or woman appears to be intolerant. Otherwise the genuine efforts to promote diversity may remain in jeopardy.
Perhaps the greatest problem of racism is its connotation. We may write a whole book to address the terrible problem, yet nowhere is this racism more visible than in the realm of perception. It seems we are confused or that the issue has confused us. Before going in perspective, it is highly necessary to define racism. Even before its definition, we should know that racism of various forms is found in every nation on earth. The forms that it takes may be different due to historic, religious, cultural, demographic or economic reasons.
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English defines it thus: 1, Racism (noun/disapproving) the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race; violent behaviour towards them. 2, it is the belief that some races of people are better than others.
While there is the need to take the first definition seriously because of the two key words – unfair treatment and violence; we should never lose sleep over the second definition. This is because our approach and critical understanding of racial issue as mention earlier can make a different and eventually help us reduce the tension it often generates. It is in our own interest to fully understand that a belief is a belief which does not transform into a fact.
We should stop making mountain out of the molehills whenever someone or a group of people wakes up one morning feeling superior. It is a human phenomenon that should not rattle us that much. It is an ego thing and we all have element of this in us. It is self-esteem and it should be seen in that perspective.
Just because some people possess the most colossal ego of modern times does not make them any worse than the rest of us. By the way, we are all plagued with prejudices. Being an egoist, after all, makes one succeed in politics. And aren’t we all political animals?
Jokes apart, the aim of this article is not in any way to support any kind of prejudices rather calling our attention to certain factors that might have been jeopardising our efforts in combating it. Of course experiences and facts have shown that racism exists; it does exist and we should not in any way condone it. It is a global issue.
Racial discrimination is on the rise in the EU member states, according to statistics prepared by different anti-racist organisations. For instance, RAA Sachsen, a group in Germany that offers counselling for victims of racist and violence motivated by right wing extremism, records 90 cases with 142 victims between January and June 2011. 23% of these cases is said to be racism. From 1991 to 2010, twelve death victims were recorded in Saxony alone. This is just to cite two examples which unfortunately mirror other European countries.
So we cannot deny the existence of racial prejudice. However, not every incident of what we perceive as racism can actually fit well into the category. And that is why the need to be prudently reasonable in our pursuit of solution.
Racial discrimination or prejudice like other grounds covered by EU anti-discrimination legislation (religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation) is usually a controversial, sensitive and difficult issue which can only be solved with open-minded approach. It’s simply difficult to prove and most importantly, it’s not in the interest of the real victim of racial prejudice whenever we misuse the word in its context.
Apparently misconception has been playing a major role; and this to the detriment of diversity. Inflammatory reporting on the issue by the media is another obstacle to be carefully tackled. To truly combat racism, we must first get rid of misconception which is largely responsible for our wrong approach in dealing with it.
We definitely need to have a better perspective on the word – racism. We need to ask subtle and pertinent questions that can further help understand the value and benefits of diversity which seems to be our aim and objective.
Who is a racist? We may be deceiving ourselves if we think this question as well as the answer is simple and obvious. Perhaps what we have completely neglected is the depth of our understanding of the issue which is highly significant and which must be tackled in any way we know. In fact, we must not rest until we are able to enlighten the public about the nature of racism; about the fact that, not all that we perceive as racism is racism.
The fact that racism is widely condemned with 170 signatories of the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination by August 8, 2006 is still a relief. This single act should be seen as what it is rather than what it is not.
Now, to answer the question of who a racist is, let us look at these examples as a case study of our misconception regarding racial discrimination. For, we might be chasing a shadow if we fail in our efforts to put things in perspective. We must not have a tough time keeping our perspective in this regard.
It is to the benefit of diversity if we can think clearly and sensibly about racial prejudice and consider it in relation to everything else. This would help balance the equation of knowledge as well as ignorance.
Is it the elderly white lady who stares at a black young man then squeezes her face when their eyes meet? Could it be the personal body odour she detests and not the young man in question? Perhaps this elderly lady could have reacted in the same manner to someone who belongs to her race in the same circumstance. Wouldn’t it be unfair to label the lady a racist?
Or, is it the Asian clerk assistant at the post office who in a rude manner tells an Arab customer to shut up while singing on the queue? Could it be that this clerk is simply being impolite or just having a bad day? Perhaps the clerk could have used the same insulting language to people of her race in the same circumstance.
Suppose a couple who are white frown at a Roman person for being in the same lift, and the latter immediately have the notion that they are racists! Perhaps this couple had planned to smooch inside the lift and the presence of a third person – dark or white or yellow – would disturb them. What sense does it make jumping into conclusion that the poor couple are racists? Also, is it racism if someone other than one’s race dislikes or created hatred for us? We can go on and on.
Meanwhile the point to be noted in the above cases is the fact that the ability to understand the nature of something matters a lot, and indeed can make a difference. And until pragmatic solution is adopted in this regard, we might be doing things right but not the right thing as mentioned earlier. Expecting every human being to accept others different from them is welcome but should never be the parameter to judge those whose views are absolutely different.
Doing otherwise is to defeat the purpose of diversity. Rather our watchword should always be to encourage living together in spite our differences. Again, wrong approach to solving racial discrimination would only jeopardise our genuine efforts. It is in this area that antiracial organisations should focus their attention and energy.
They should help educate the world so as to grasp the true meaning of racism. We should prevent people from taking undue advantage of the issue at hand. Preconceived notion that, “I am a victim of racism no matter what!” must not be allowed to stand and must discouraged.
To successfully and truthfully inspire great diversity, we must not suppress dissenting opinions. We must allow free speech while at the same time fostering tolerance. The best way to do this is to promote more speech not to limit it. Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, US Ambassador to Hungary says: “Exposing and challenging offensive speech, rather than suppressing it, allows for public scrutiny and response. In the market place of ideas, those ideas with merit will become stronger and those without merit will in time fade away”.
Racial prejudice is an old issue; as old as life itself. A new approach and our genuine concern may help us tremendously.
There should be a campaign for attitudinal change in our society. We just have to understand that not every negative attitude or aggressive behaviour is racially motivated. People make mistake; some people even have a serious attitude problem. So instead of rushing to judgement, we should tarry a little, and more often see it as an attitude of iconoclast or nonconformity.
Again, we should desist from “I am a victim of racism no matter what” mentality. Such thinking is neither progressive nor good for individual health and the society in general – especially when there’s absolutely no need for such cynicism.
Interestingly, experiences have also shown that some people exploit racial discrimination controversy to advance their own agenda; some use it to draw sympathy to themselves or their cause; while some use it as protection against their own failure. Policy makers – both the government and the opposition – should desist from perpetuating a highly volatile situation from which racism might develop. Politicians should be educated on the fact that polarising the issue is as dangerous as setting a time bomb. In the end, it benefits no one.
Furthermore the fact that racial discrimination is a complicated issue is another reason why we must always approach it carefully and diligently. Although Emmanuel Obikwu and Zaina Ukwaju once got £65, 475 and £30,000 respectively for unfair dismissal and racial discrimination, many cases of racism are being dismissed for lack of evidence or substance.
In March 2002, a British white teenager, Robert Stewart, was reportedly killed his cellmate, Zahid Mubarek, an Asian. Despite the fact that staff had intercepted a racist letter from Stewart before killing Zahid, prison authorities still considered Stewart only dangerous and not racist. Apparently, Zahid’s death could have been prevented had the prison authorities paid more attention to the fact of the moment.
The worst form of racism is perhaps that of the so-called official or institutional racism. Governments should encourage victims of violence and crime – including police misconduct – to lodge complaints.
Obviously, the media can play a significant role in the efforts to stop racism. In this era when the internet has become the global town square, the press should help promote multiculturalism and intercultural activities.
Unfortunately, the media especially local media has not been much helpful in the promotion of events that focus on diversity. It barely reports activities that bring different races together. And when it does, such reports often exaggerated causing more trouble than solution.
Being the fourth estate of realm, the media can influence the public enormously. Genuine efforts by the media to promote diversity can turn things around. Therefore there is the need to appeal to every local media organisation to help bring awareness to the issue.
Nothing much can be achieved if certain segment of the media in collaboration with certain politicians imbibes the spirit of obsession; igniting the fire of racism to score a political point. Inflammatory reporting must be avoided at all times.
The seriousness of the matter can be felt in the pronouncement of these three important personalities. Grigorij Meseznikov, President of the Institute for Public Affairs and a political analyst in Slovakia, recounts in one of his presentations at the Central European University that “radical nationalists are gaining influence,” adding that the rhetoric of political slogans is nothing but a tool for the mobilisation of voters.
In a similar manner, Swedish ambassador to Hungary, H.E. Cecilia Björner, once warned that certain parties among EU member states were promoting the politics of fear and intolerance which represents a threat to the democratic society incompatible with the principle of which the European Union is founded.
“Racism is a significant threat to the principle of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and it must be fought with firm and united voice,” says Björner during the International Day Against Racism organised by a local anti-racism organization ZARE.
Adding this to what German Chancellor said to be the death of multiculturalism makes the issue more frightening. “Multiculturalism has utterly failed in Germany,” she was quoted by the media. Chancellor Angela Merkel who was addressing a conference of the youth wing of her Christian Democratic Union party stated further that Germans and foreign workers could not live happily side by side without elaborating on the nature and causes of the failure.
Yet, to successfully prevent the incident in Norway in which Anders Behring Breivik, 32, who is described as a right wing extremist killed 69 people mostly teenagers on 22 July 2011, we need to fully understand the argument of those who do not believe in diversity. Do these people even see their behaviour as racially motivated? The most common argument fuelling racism across Europe is the fact that “our jobs are being stolen by other races…we need to look after ourselves first…they don’t fit in with our values…”
We can see that those we perceive as racists do not see themselves as such. They passionately believe they are protecting themselves. If we are genuinely interested in promoting diversity, we need to convince but not coerce those with the opposing views. We have to address those factors that may help allay their fears and challenges.
“You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to threaten you,” says Eric Hoffer, the longshoreman philosopher who wrote the classic The True Believer. It is our duty to understand the nature or the root cause of hatred. Says Gandhi in his heydays: “The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but it is fear”.
To allay that fear, there must be civic and political engagement of youth. We need to continue raising awareness of the significant and benefits of inclusion. Integration of minority and majority communities is a must practical approach to be adopted. The appropriate authority must not relent on the efforts to promote the inclusion of minority groups like the Roman in the political, economic and social life of the community in general.
Even in sports there have been accusations and denials. The most recent involving John Terry, Chelsea FC captain, who was caught on video but has strongly denied allegations of a slur on the QPR defender, Anton Ferdinand. The world is still awaiting verdict as at time of writing this article.
In closing, commendation goes to all local and international organisations that are not only bringing awareness to the campaign to stop racism but promoting diversity as well. Thanks to ECRI (The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance) for its constant, unbiased and accurate reports on different countries – from Sweden to Latvia to Cyprus to Iceland etc.
Slogans like STOP RACISM, ENJOY DIVERSITY; VALUE DIVERSITY, NO RACISM; OPEN YOUR MIND, ENJOY DIVERSITY; DIVERSITY IS A VIRTUE, SOLIDARITY A DUTY adopted by the UNITED for INTERCULTURAL ACTION is apt and powerful. Its yearly comprehensive reports on the activities promoting diversity and multiculturalism in all European Union countries should be emulated.
Mobilising children and youths using different techniques such as workshops, demonstrations, concerts, art projects, festivals, tournaments, cultural protests, poster campaigns, conferences, speeches and presentations, is a brilliant approach that will definitely direct us in the right path as we seek the better way to live with our differences.
Yes, together against discrimination
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