Racism is Ignorance
Racism - noun
- A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
- ... discrimination.
- Hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Race - noun
- Any of the traditional divisions of humankind, the commonest being the caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negro, characterized by supposedly distinctive and universal physical characteristics: no longer in technical use.
- Dictionary.com
The Race Test
When you hear the word race, what does it make you think. Generally, people along the lines of color divisions. I am Caucasian, so I am a part of the white race. You are African, so you are a part of the black race (for the sake of this hub). How would you react if I told you that those suppositions completely false?
I am Caucasian, but I am not white. You are African, but you are not black. If you don't believe me, for my Caucasian brothers and sisters reading this hub, place your hand upon a standard white piece of printer paper, and then tell me just how white you are. I did that just now, and I tell you that there is a considerable degree of difference between the shade of my skin and the color of the paper that I compared it to. Therefore, I am not white.
The same is true for my African brothers and sisters. If you are African, compare your hand to something that is truly black (TV, cell phone, etc.) and then tell me just how black you really are. The fact of the matter is, you are not black.
Scientifically So
Caucasians are not white and Africans are not black. Therefore racism is ignorance. What I am saying is not just my individual opinion, either. It is scientific fact. There is no such thing as a white person or a black person. Those are man-made racial divisions. As a matter of fact, there really is no such thing as races. We are all the same color and the same race.
"You're mad!" you say. But am I? Science has determined that we all have one skin color: melanin. However, that color has lighter, darker, redder and browner shades, depending on genes and other factors. Furthermore, that means that there is only one race of humans on planet earth. That is why racism is ignorance.
The Real Issue is Hate
Racism is basically a pretext for hate. I have known quite a few racists in my life, and they have generally had a considerable degree of hate harbored in their heart. They would not only hate those of other supposed races, they even displayed discontent against those who they perceived to be of their own kind. They tended to be very stereotypical as well.
After seeing this, I came to conclude that racism was just a cover for hate. It gives those with hate in their heart an outlet through which they may convey that hate. After all, it is not very acceptable to say that you hate people because you have hate in your heart. However, once you stereotype and critize a group's culture it becomes somewhate acceptable—to other hatemongers, at least.
In my life, I have come to know good and bad people from all walks of life. I have had Caucasian enemies and African friends. The same is true vice versa. That is why racism is ignorance.
There is no one race better than the other. There is really no more than one race, anyway. We are all brothers and sisters of the same race: the race of humanity. The term races, in and of itself, is scientifically incorrect. Racism is just an outlet for hate. Not to mention, racism is ignorance.
