Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another.
After many years of research, historians managed to find the very origins of the concept of racism. In his TED Talk, John Biewen announced the name of the “First world racist” Gomes de Zurasa in the 1450s. He wrote about the African population and how inferior and beastly there were, but his reasons are even more shocking. De Zurasa was apparently commissioned by the Portuguese King to do so to allow but also justify the African slave trade. All of this for money reasons. This concept will be then followed by other countries and spread racism.
“And in a stroke of a pen, racism was created” John Biewen
Racism appeared in the 1450s which is more than 600 years ago which is even before Colomb discovered America who is the number one country suffering from that racism. How come it is still there?!
Black Life matters
What is different scares me and fear is the strongest emotion used to gain power. Sad but real. Growing up in France, I have developed a social identity related to the French culture, and my definition of “us” and “them” is different from someone that grew up in Asia for example. When I traveled for the first time in Asia, I could feel that difference I wasn’t like “them” first of all because of my language but also my habits: in France to greet friends we kiss each other it’s called “la bise” and its is completely normal for me but not for everyone — fun fact we are often looked in a strange way when we do that in other countries but it is just the way we are. This doesn’t make French people weird or better because we display affection opposite to Asian culture that doesn’t show affection, in no case, it means they love less. That is just their social identity.
Through many social experiments, psychologists managed to show that difference and the unknown scare and intrigue the human nature.
Bear in mind that fear is a very strong emotion that cannot be hidden and politicians understood it very well. “Divide and conquer” is a very famous strategy to win.
As sad as this sounds, racism remains very present and one of the main reasons is politics. A recent essay argued that constructing Mexican migrants as an existential threat to national identity encourages fear and racism against them from American citizens. Pretty sure that the very same politician man is using this politics of fear to describe Black people.
Do you remember during the first World War at Christmas, the French and German played together as it was the Christmas truce time? Many soldiers that survived wrote about the fun they had but also about the fact that after all, they were the same and not so different. True, they are the same: humans trying to survive, but could you imagine if both sides continue to realize that, that would have caused the end of the war and no one would have won and that would have been terrible for their government. Therefore, describing the other side as vile is easier and gives a purpose to war to carry on.
Asian hate
The first group of people that comes to mind when asked about racism are the Black people but they are not the same people suffering from it.
The recent pandemic has submerged the world of hate crimes against Asians because of the origin country of this type of coronavirus. One of the first reported was in London early in 2020 against a Singaporean student and the last one to date was 2 days ago in Atlanta.
Following the logic of the attacker, it would mean that that young man would be the cause of the coronavirus even though he is not from China and doesn’t seem to be living there.
How come this kind of thinking appears then?
Peter Westacott explained in a TED talk why Asians are not perceived as they should and this because of a lack of representation in the Media.
In order to remember many things and facts, our memory creates schemas that will categories things and people to access information quicker: for example, if I say apron, tray, coffee, drinks, and shirt, you will probably be thinking of a waiter or waitress certainly not to a doctor. This is a scheme, but to be accurate many information needs to be gathered to create that scheme and in case of poor or not enough information well the scheme is still created but it won’t be accurate. That is probably why when we speak about Asians the first in mind is Chinese but what about Japanese or even Korean? Peter Westacott pointed out that in his childhood the only representation of Asians in Media was Jacky Chan. Same for me, when I was little I pictured Asians as Chinese always trying to make everyone laugh but also really good in martial arts.
The lack of representation and coverage in Media causes inaccuracy and generalization results it. The fact is China might be the origin of a virus. It does not make the people from there the virus and generalizing Asians for Chinese is as wrong as saying that Italians are the same as Spanish and trust me this is wrong.
Things need to be straightened out. Atlanta shooting was a hate crime and hiding it won’t be the solution. Exposing and explaining what is happening is the only solution to stop it.
“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” Y. N. Harari
This book is highly recommended. It sets out to explain the origins of races and how people came to be divided.
Harari explains how the ability of Sapiens to cooperate in large numbers came from its unique capacity to believe in things existing purely in the imagination like gods, nations, money, and even human rights.
He, then, points out that it is these beliefs that brought discrimination — whether it is racial, sexual, or political. It is potentially impossible to have a completely unbiased society but that doesn’t mean it is negative. Basically, it is all fabricated for personal means (!).
The book is eye-opening on how our society came to life but also how little it is in the whole of world history. Some steps back are to be taken.
Fundamentally, we are the same — we are from the same species and moved to different parts of the world. Evolution showed that certain groups lost the expression of their melanin gene and some kept it and this because of their environment, that is all.
Other physical changes were added as an adaptation to climate and work requirements. This can be defined biologically. Fact: Black people cannot perform well in swimming and White are not the best at running. That is not racism it is a fact like saying that women can bear a child and men can’t.
Interracial babies are the healthier
Science showed it and this is because there is less possibility for both parents to have common ancestors!
Let’s be honest, differentiating people is bound to happen but it does not have to be negative. I can clearly see that my ginger and pale skin sister is very different from my other sister partner who is Black with Black hair. I’m not blind and I can’t be a hypocrite saying they are the same. They are different. Simple as I don’t expect my sister to go outside with me when it is sunny the same way as my sister’s partner but then differentiating and asking my sister’s partner to go out with me would make me racist? No.
No matter what we do it is in our psychology to describe people differently from us but be aware of not falling in the racism slot. Describing someone as black is a fact I am white so of course the first thing I’ll say about a person will be his colour. If I have to tell a friend where I am and there is a black person next to me of course I’ll say I’m next to a black person as the skin colour is what differentiate that person to me in order for my friend to see me.
Does that make me a racist? No.
Paul Taylor, an English humorist, interviewed Donel Jack’sman, a French Black humorist about the use of the black word in France and he himself said that describing someone is not racism what is is if you were to continue by saying mean adjective such as you are next a black person, hurry up because I’m sure he’s gonna attack me because I’m white, that — that is racism.
