Why promoting your own culture makes you racist
I am a South African, In my country racial tension are far from over.
As a South African, if I were to promote my own race. I would be flagged as racist immediately. To me this is just. This law is really great. No problem with it. What I do not agree with is that other races are allowed to promote their race openly without any troubles.
*Hate me if you like for this post, but I will speak the truth... *
I never refer to myself as white, or a white man. Because the moment I do I become racist. When you boast or promote your own race or appearance without realizing it you are immediately discriminating anyone who is different.
Now let us say I ran a campaign: "Buy white" or "support white businesses" or "We only do business with White owned businesses". It would be ridiculous right? I'm not allowed to say it. Yet in South Africa I have seen people milk these phrases in their favor. No matter how you try and sugar coat it, these practices are racist.
It does not mean that we do not require correctional practices enforced by government. It does not mean that the past should be forgotten or erased. We should however be very careful when enforcing double standards on society.
You cannot have different standards on people based on their physical appearance. You cannot say one person needs 90% to study and another only 70%. You cannot say you have to hire one person based on physical appearance if theres another whose far more suited and qualified for the job.
Rather promote the notion to support local, or your area of residence. Support the poor communities. Get involved, change lives. But to actively promote your own race to me is racist.
In South Africa, this is our problem:
Situation:
"Man punches car guard over misunderstanding"
News Reads:
"White man punches Black man"
In SA, racism sells. And that is why the cultures are moving further away from each other. That is why the problems will get worse long before it gets better. Because most people only want racism to go away when it suits them.
I do not often post about racism, because I see good and bad in all people.
But I do feel that as everyone who wants to see the world living in harmony, has to speak out at some stage.
I believe in what Morgan Freeman said:
instead of letting nationalism fire up conflicts, it could be used to make peace. its kind of only way imo.
SA is the place with a lot of so called bad blood. Same as the place i am living. Religion, national, race and tribal melting pot.
Thats a resource of todays world, places like this, where you can trigger regional conflict or civil war with just bit of cash and influence. War sells.
Considering history, patterns and repeats, some part of the world desperately needs deals between nations/confessions/tribes and removing fear and war mongering rhetoric from everydays life.
Like in Bosnia, where war happens every a bit, since ever. There is 3 tribes, and if they make a deal of neutrality and 100 years of peace, this whole region would go forward, giant steps.
That would make most of politicians lost their jobs, warmonger and criminals would have to search for another market, retire or GTFO in any way they want. Today, thats what keeps all the idiots in power is creating fear from others, and working together with their
colleaguesfrom other 2 tribes, staging events, provocations and boosting eachothers influence in their poor, war damaged population.Removing threat of war would send those people off the power, and off the screen.
it cant be reached in existing system. only possible is to make deal, tribe with tribe. not state with a state. noone believes in states anymore. make it a matter of honor, not matter of democracy, diversity or world`s progress.
its simple, lets not fight for 100 year. just to get rid of people who are in power now, and lets try working together and making something good. USe that peace to educate people, so we never again come to this situation.
but i also think that area is closely monitored, and theres small chances to make something like that happen. they have all the power, and i think we cant even imagine what are they ready to do to keep their power.
I could not agree more... One of my greatest wonders of life is: We know what peace would look like, Everyone wants to be happy, but why is the world such a mess then? I guess people do not want to share the world. Everyone is still fighting over ownership. One would think humanity would move away from tribalism. Maybe there's progress. But not much from what I see.
Maybe we do have a brighter future. I am hopeful. But its true what you say. People of influence moneytize human suffering (War, poverty, racism). If they need to make people suffer to line their own pockets. They would.