i read an article in NYT yesterday (it always seems to start from an article) about racism. they had interviewed three aspiring politicians on their views on immigration and immigrants. i wont start to go through what they said in the article, but needless to say it was ridiculous. of course this is only my opinion, but i am fairly sure that most of you would agree with me (read the article if you have time and access to NYT).
but im not here to argue against racism or the politicians, i do believe my stance on racism is pretty clear to the most of you. what i came here to talk about was another kind of "racism", a kind that i myself am guilty of. an intellectual who argued against the three politicans in the article reminded me of something i talked about a long time ago with my co-leaders when i was a youth leader at a skriba. he said that he and his friends had been guilty of "reverse-racism", where a somali man who was drunk and very disruptive had disturbed their drinking at a bar, and instead of telling him to piss off, like they would have had it been a finnish man, they had asked him to join them and subsequently suffered the entire evening of his loutish company. i have realised that i am guilty of something similar to this, i am VERY anti-racist, and i am used to a multi-ethinc culture, having lived abroad a couple of years during my life, i also have friends of many varying races, even a couple of caucasians.
but nevertheless, what i noticed in that conversation long ago, was that i sometimes got the feeling that all black people are good people when i saw them (this only relates to strangers though, i dont notice a difference with my friends, or friends of my friends, dunno why that is). which is almost as racist as being overtly racist. its obviously not as bad as hating everyone of a different race, but it means that i notice the difference, and that it registers in my mind subconciously or conciously. and this is a big problem i think. there should be no difference, one shouldnt notice the colour of another persons skin. i think that most of us have at some point been guilty of such behaviour, and i can imagine that this is also the case for most moderate/liberal finns. i guess this is what you get for living in such a homogenous society. and i think the only way to rid us of this is to create a more multi-cultural society, and make diversity an everyday thing. and inter-racial couples are great, just blend all the races together and soon we wont have any races, and no racism.
so again i wanna bang on about understanding and compromise. try to understand your fellow person and instead of dismissing their views and thoughts, try putting yourself in their shoes and think about it from their point of view. just do your best to understand other people, and forget hate. and listen. listen. listen. i know i will. at least do my best.
-anton
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6 comments:
stop thinking of it in terms of race...i think thats the ridiculous part...a human race implies someone is winning and someone is losing...we're all the same species. the reason theres a difference in skin colour is an adaptation to the environment same thing with mammuths and elephants...one has fur and the other doesnt...to not notice you'd have to be blind...thats all there is to it...we're all the same species...theres no reason to hate...hateing someone for skin colour is like hating someone wearing a jacket because its cold where they come from...dont be hateing.
well firstly, race is just a word, meaning, and i quote: [A race is one of the major groups which human beings can be divided into according to their physical features, such as the colour of their skin]. it just happens to be the same word as for a competition, but thats not my fault, and it doesnt imply someone is losing or winning, its just a word thats been chosen by some oxbridgeians to define what it defines.
but true, true. and im not hating anyone, i didnt say i hate anyone, far from it, but i sometimes notice, and maybe i used my words wrong, maybe i shouldve said "pay attention to" instead of "notice", to make my point more clear. of course one notices the colour of someones skin, like they notice the colour of someones jacket, but it catching your attention is the key thing here. your brain acknowledgeing the fact that someone is of different skin colour is what i was trying to point out. if you know what i mean.
yeh sorry i got a little confusing now that i read back...i came across as accusing you...not my intention sorry.
and i dont mean that the word race was your idea. but i think its a stupid word to use in this context but i might be over analyzing. as for the noticing part...i still say of course people are gonna notice...but its what conclusions people draw when they notice that a person is of a different skin colour that matter. racism is ridiculous.
No races, and no racial diversity? I would not wish to live in such a drab and colourless world.
This anti-racism you speak of seems to be prominent throughout your entry. When politicians approach the subject of immigration in a conservative way, you immediately dismiss their ideas as being 'ridiculous', without actually stopping to consider the reasoning behind their arguments, or the social and economic consequences of mass immigration. The sad fact is that stereotypes exist for a reason. I agree that the concept of race itself is unimportant - I don't think there are any inherent differences in intelligence, personality, and so on - but race is directly tied to culture and nationality, and national identity and culture clashes are not neglegible. The rioting in France a few years back is a prime example of this. Not everyone is as tolerant as you are, and when politicians discuss the issue of immigration, it would be entirely irresponsible of them to neglect potential clashes, not to mention the environmental effects of overpopulation (though that's not really an issue in Finland) and increased unemployment (there is, after all, a limited amount of jobs).
I guess in a way I am the last person who should oppose immigration. I'm don't, when it comes down to it. But I am sick and tired of "anti-rascism", I'm sick of affirmative action and political correctness, of the stereotypes everyone is aware of and no-one talks about. It's a form of institutionalized blindness, really. We should recognize the negative consequences of immigration and attempt to find solutions to them, not blindly refuse to acknowledge their existence. Thoughtlessly dismissing stereotypes is just as ignorant and irresponsible as vehemently clinging onto them.
/ Ok upon reading through my rant I realize that I sound rather harsh and hostile; please know that this is only because I feel strongly about the topic, and not because you stood us up on Sunday. :) Cheers.
this is getting interesting :D
i have nothing against races or racial diversity...there could be other terms for it...its simply the terminology im not entirely fond of...it would be extremely boring without different "races" (for lack of a better word)
as for racism...i think its ridiculous to think less of someone based on the colour of their skin...immigration and culture clashes are for sure a problem and politicians do well to consider those problems, as long as they're solutions dont lead to people of one "race" having a harder time than another. As far as individual countries go in terms of opening borders for immigrants they need to be prepared for what might and might not happen in frances case...it would seem they werent, thats why immigrants are worse off in france...not so much because of racism (although that probably is part of it) but because, as you said, there arent an infinite amount of jobs etc.
my point (i think) is that racism and culture clashes are different things...they may sometimes tie into eachother. But just because someone does not agree with another cultures beliefs or values does not make them racist.
having said that, it might be that they tie into eachother more often than not.
im an idealist...ideally every person should be judged independently...i am aware of stereotypes and i am aware that there may be certain truth behind some of them...but decisions shouldnt be based on them...especially political ones (concerning immigration etc)
i had a good reason...i was watching "seabiscuit", brilliant movie.
im clicking "publish" now...lets see what happens.
damn. i knew this would inspire debate. :) well, im in a slight hurry now, but ill quickly write this here reply and then maybe ill write a more detailed response later today.
this is aimed at xiaoweis post...btw.
"No races, and no racial diversity? I would not wish to live in such a drab and colourless world." - what i meant with my comment on interracial couples getting children, was the blurring of lines, the differences between races wouldnt be so distinct. its not a realistic idea or suggestion of any kind, just an interesting thought i had. and furthermore, the penultimate sentence in the main paragraph of my post i said that we should make our society more multi-cultural and more diverse. and i dont think thats me wishing for no racial diversity.
now, as to you saying that i dont stop to consider the reasoning behind the politicans arguments.. how do you know that? dont attack me based on assumptions. i clearly stated that their arguments werent the point of my post, and thus stayed clear of them. i did consider their reasonings when i was reading the article, but thats the subject of another discussion.
as to the rest of your comment, im not even gonna get into it :D but i just want to point out that my post was about the reaction i sometimes get when seeing people of a different race, and thinking that their inherently good. and it was about me being annoyed at myself for this, and wanting to never acknowledge a difference. the post wasnt about immigration or any big issues like that. it was about this personal phenomenon, which i believe others have also expereinced. and i realise i might have written it badly, and not very clearly (as i am doing right now), but it was just a thought going through my head.
and no worries, i understand, like all of you should, this isnt personal against anyone. so, again, if i came out agresssive it has nothing to do with you, just your opinions, which are wrong. :D im kidding. now, i know ill stay clear of racial discussions in my blog from now on. though its finally good to start a discussion, since no-one seems to have cared enough about any of the other posts to start discussing them. (sounds self-pitying and sad, it isnt. dont worry.) hmm.. maybe ill write a post about that.. yup. i got it. damn. that is actually interesting. byebye.
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