Racism
And War: Overcoming
Us And Them
By Ramzy Baroud
22 September, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Racism is, among many things,
convenient. It provides simplified, definite and ready-to-serve answers
to complex and compounded questions. Racists, in turn, come from all
walks of life; their motivation and the root causes behind their contemptible
views of others may differ, but the outcome of these views is predictably
the same - racial discrimination, social and political oppression, religious
persecution and war.
The textual definition of
racism pertains only to race, but in practice racism is a consequence
of groupthink, whereby a group of people decides to designate itself
as a collective and starts delineating its relationship with other collectives
- or other people in general - with a sense of supremacy. When coupled
with economic and/or political dominance, supremacy translates into
various forms of subjugation and cruelty.
The adulation of the self/collective
and the disparagement of the other is an ancient practice, as old as
human civilisation itself. It is everlasting for the simple reason that
it has always served as a political and economic tool and will likely
remain effective so long as the quest for political and material power
drives our behaviour.
It is also pertinent to stress
that the need for this negative group designation is not always as straightforward
as "black" and "white". For example, less economically
advantaged Eastern Europeans seeking (and competing for) employment
in Western Europe find themselves lumped in the same group and subject
to all sorts of classifications. Equally convenient has been the caricatured
misrepresentation of "Arabs" by mainstream media, which serves
to further specific political and economic interests.
Ironically, an extreme form
of racism also exists in various Arab countries where foreign workers
find themselves placed in a demeaning hierarchy based on country of
origin. Western Europeans and Americans top the scale and are readily
accommodated, while Southeast Asians are often at the bottom. A very
qualified Indian engineer, for example, may find himself getting paid
a lot less than a French one with relatively little experience.
In some countries, like South
Africa, racism has wreaked havoc on society for generations. It manifests
itself in the refusal of some people to identify with their original
ancestral cultures because they fear that such affinity would negate
the fact that they are "full" South African citizens - a right
for which they fought a most arduous fight.
In Malaysia, which exhibits
considerable social harmony compared to some of it neighbours, racial
classification is still very much real. Despite the government's commendable
efforts to accentuate the Malaysian national model while carefully underscoring
Malay, Chinese or Indian sub-groupings, members of these groups are
wary of their statistical representation in Malaysian society. Some
react by stressing their number in comparison to the other groups, while
others tirelessly underscore the types of discrimination they experience
at the hands of the politically and economically advantaged.
While racism is universally
recognised, few individuals would admit to their own prejudices and
racist tendencies. Moreover, it would be self-deceiving to view racism
as a purely Western phenomenon. While the Western model of racism, influenced
by 18th century colonialism, is unique in many respects, group prejudices
based on class, race and religion are shared almost equally between
all nations.
The racism of those with
political, military and economic power is often violent and detrimental,
but it is important to remember that the underdog can be just as racist.
An Arab reader from London sent me an e-mail demanding that I explain
myself for collaborating on various projects with some well-known Jewish
authors. "You are either naïve or you are selling out,"
she wrote. It made no difference to her that these authors are anti-Zionist
and have been, for many years, on the frontline of the struggle for
Palestinian rights and justice. She simply couldn't break away from
a deeply ingrained racist belief that "Jews are not to be trusted."
Of course, this is not an
Arab, but a global predisposition; prolonged conflicts and wars tend
to validate and inflate already existing prejudices. Although the Israeli
educational system has produced generations of students saturated with
grossly misleading images of Arabs and Palestinians, the relationship
between Arabs and Jews hasn't always been negative. For centuries, both
groups lived in harmony; some of the best Arab poets of past times were
Jews and some of the most luminous Jewish texts were written originally
in Arabic. Unfortunately, conflict and war have a way of undermining
such facts; racism in Israel is so intense now that few dare use the
term "Arab Jew".
Even when it doesn't pertain
to race, most people seem to slide easily into greater tribal memberships
that divide the world into "us" and "them", often
using words of negation and often utilising religion. The "non"
factor becomes very useful here: "non-Muslim", "non-Jew",
"non-Christian", and so on. Such negations are never well
intended and always produce negative results. Less conspicuous terms
such as "non-democratic" (a neo-colonial equivalent to "uncivilised",
perhaps?) could be similarly loaded and dangerous and are often used
to promote and justify war.
It remains to be said that
a true fight against racism and various other types of group prejudice
requires first accepting personal responsibility in shaping one's own
society, and this includes the racism that exists within it. Martin
Luther King Jr. refused "to accept the view that mankind is so
tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the
bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality".
We, too, must uncompromisingly reject such pessimism if we truly wish
for peace, harmony and equality to replace war, social discord and injustice.
Ramzy Baroud
is an author and a journalist. His latest volume, "The Second Palestinian
Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle" (Pluto Press, London)
is available from Amazon and other book venues. He is the editor of
PalestineChronicle.com and his articles are archived
at ramzybaroud.net
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