(E) racism

(E) racism

Over the years I have seen this word "(E)racism" on shirts and other means of propaganda. I liked it, I still like it. We do not like racism because it is wrong and hateful. Judging others negatively based on skin factors or other reasons of identity is not right.

We, all of us, need to actively deprogram or remove the racist elements of our thinking and lives.

But, it is complicated. Why? Because the racial and racist stereotypes that almost all of us outwardly want to eradicate are too often perpetuated by our own ignorance of those racial issues. I will explain.

Racism is usually defined by hatred or discrimination against people other than someone of our "own kind". Some examples:

A white person could hate a black person, or black people, and not hire him or her.

A black person might hate a white person, or people, and make fun of him or her.

An English speaker might dislike Spanish speakers and denigrate them.

A Spanish speaker might refer to a gringo in a mocking way.

A Non-Muslim might refer to a Muslim in less than respectful ways.

A Muslim might refer to "infidels" in hateful ways.

Wait! I just switched to language and religious examples of hatred, regardless of skin color. 

Is that still racism?  Yes, it can still apply.

However, for the purposes of this idea, my overall point, should I reduce or shrink the scope to skin color racism rather than hatred of other cultures for differing languages and religions? Okay, let's call that bigotry and focus on skin color racism, which tends to be a more American and Western case of racism.

Fair enough? Perhaps we need to tackle cases of racism bit by bit, because perhaps like cancer, "cancer" is not just one disease but maybe 300 separate diseases. We have to analyze and remove one at a time.

Curing lung cancer might not help much with leukemia, or other cancers... We have to focus one on one to make real substantial progress to eliminate or at least treat the disease. And there are many types of hates.

Part of dealing with a specific disease, or type of racism, is to recognize that it has existed and to what extent it still exists. Define it, identify it, know how to improve upon it. Or "erase" it from our current vocabulary. Not forget that it did exist, but to eliminate it from our present and future.

The classic case of racism in the United States is the relationship between black people and white people. This relationship and history is foundational to who Americans are, to many extents. It should not be that way, but that is how we are, we recognize it. To this day this relationship and the characterizations from it are pertinent. It was not right, but millions of white people (or hundreds of thousands of landowners, at least), did own millions of black slaves.

We broke up as a nation about it, fought about, advanced laws to end it, and it has been a struggle ever since, well over 150 years later, to "repair" the harms done from that evil practice.

The vestiges of institutional and social racism, which impacts finances and economics, as far as being black and white have endured, too painfully and unnecessarily in my opinion.

In the two thousand teens we have:

"Black lives matter"

"I can't breathe!"

"Hands up, don't shoot!"

Apart from those refrains taken up by the black community and those that support them, there are statements against law enforcement, which on the surface may seem like black versus white, but in reality it is cultural more than skin color hatred. There are black police, of course, which seemed to be part of the issue being fixed in Ferguson, Missouri, and other places where blacks felt harassed and threatened.

So, in review, we are talking about white versus black racism, which can happen anywhere and everywhere within the United States. It can be institutional, social, academic, legal, interpersonal, and in all ways. We must stop it, end it, avoid it, learn to unlearn it.

It is still around. I wish to "erase" it. Never forget it, but we need to move on from black and white racism. Are there practices, thinking, and language that perpetuate racial hatred and prejudice today in 2019? Certainly.

Racial prejudice and racism are wrong in all places and times, especially as we define it now in the United States in the 21st century. I lived in the U.S. about 27 years of the 20th century, and now almost 18 years of the 21st. I have some points and observations to make about current racial hatred and racism.

1. Many white people, black people, and people of all mixed heritages of them both, and others have to share blame in maintaining racism this deep in to the 21st century. Many do not, good for you! When people reinforce behaviors, speech, attitudes, or general stereotypes as "black" or "white", we are maintaining and perpetuating racial differences, and racism. The "N" word? An instrument of Perpetuation of racism. Certain comedians? Yes, for sure they perpetuate these differences of black versus white.

Should we forget that the "N" word was used as a hateful racial epithet and tool of control, for centuries? No.

Should we forget that it was used by generations of modern, free black people, as a term of ownership and empowerment? No.

Should we recognize that people, at least North Americans, of all races and ethnicities have used the "N" word as a term of fellowship, solidarity, and being "cool" while not using it as an exclusive term for a black person? Yes.

Is it right to use the "N" word in conversations referring to people in the present? NO. No means no.

In 2019 it is a hateful word that should be eliminated, erased, from our current way of referring to others. Blacks, whites, anyone. Was it used in the past? Of course, and it will always be part of who America is and was. Don't remove it from books or plays. Remove it from your playbook today.

Like leather helmets with no face masks used to be worn in American football, the "N" word has a place in our history and culture, but it is not meant to be used to play football now. Stop it. Now.

Rappers? You are perpetuating the racism, I don't care what color your skin color is. By using it you are promoting racism, unless you are narrating something from the past.

In the present? No more. NO MORE "N" word. Not into this part of the 21st century. Not when referring to oneself or others.

Make sense? It empowered some people for a bit, I get it, but it no longer does. It is simply hateful and racist. Black or white or brown uttering it, it is wrong.

2.  Don't blame police for being scared of violent or threatening suspects, of all shades and shapes. People in uniform risk their lives every shift for the benefit of all of us: we, all of us, should show them respect and a healthy amount of "fear". They deal with crazy, violent, and chemically induced citizens all the time.  Like a child to a parent, we need to show them good attitudes and cooperation. No, police do not own us. They are not our bosses. The police are our servants that we have to utterly help to promote the peace of all. This is not a racial thing, but too many turn it into a racist thing.

3. Institutions and banks of all kinds must be "color blind". Should we forget that colleges, churches, clubs, courts, public schools, banks, neighborhoods, politicians, and, yes, the very governments of our past were racist? Never forget.

4. No matter what race, religion, perspective, obey the law and stop getting locked up.

Times have been hard on minorities, we know this.

But this is 2019. We are not that way any more as far as outright discrimination. Push forward and be egalitarian, non-racist in how we finance, work, worship, and play.

Sound hard? It is, it is complex and not a trite easy fix. But it is simplistic in how to work past the bad stuff.

Do not succumb to racist terminology or hate. Change your language, change your ways, change your mental energies.

(E)racism.

We can do it. Never forget the hate of the past, but do not perpetuate the self and other loathing of the present and future.