Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Colorblindness doesn't help

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism is a belief or ideology that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another race or races. The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines racism as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race, and that it is also the prejudice based on such a belief. Actually racism is a system that sanctions a specific brand of group privilege. The concept of race, is scientifically flawed since no trait is genetically linked to one single group. In modern society race was accepted as the root of social inequalities and thus as 'natural' by the economically or military dominating group. By withholding for instance education to one group and fostering this in another the social precondition for inequality is created. Wealth, opportunity and status then flow to the dominant group, not out of merit, or hard work. In India it goes to the Brahman's caste, in the Western world to white males… Not because these groups are innately better, but because of the fundamental inequality of generations underlying our present society. Treating everybody as equal today is actually not sufficient, colorblindness does not solve the problem of racism, poverty and inequality in our society. It is our society which needs to become just and equitable, with equal chances for all and extra stimulation for those who need it.

3 comments:

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  3. I feel not obliged to engage with an anonymous comment. Try and see 'Blue-eyed' an interesting experiment, nowadays also given as training for high level CEO's...

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