There are various reasons why a person can feel enmity toward other people. In many cases, this attitude can be explained by differences in opinions, religious beliefs, ideologies, behavioral norms, or even race. These distinctions can be viewed as underlying causes of conflict. There are some people who I perceive as enemies or at least as individuals whose values or views I cannot tolerate. In particular, I would like to speak about racists.
Their opinions are based on the premise that an individual can be superior or inferior to others due to his/her race. This ideology can deprive a person of his/her humanity. Although, I believe that people have a right to express any kinds of opinions, but I cannot reconcile myself with the supporters of racial ideology. The only strategy that one can adopt while dealing with them is to demonstrate the destructive nature of racism and its futility.
I did not encounter the representatives of this group very often. In the majority of cases, these people are not willing to express their views on race in public (Gorski unpaged). Yet, judging from my own experiences, these people are reluctant to justify their views of the importance of race as the indicator of a person’s inferiority or superiority. They want their beliefs to be taken for granted. Secondly, they are not willing to consider arguments that can contradict their worldviews.
Overall, the nature of racism is perfectly illustrated in the short story The Smallest Women in the World written by Clarise Lispector. The author speaks about the experiences of an explorer who comes across an African woman who he believes to be the smallest female in the world.
He does not perceive her as a human being. It is more likely that she is an object of curiosity for the narrator. Clarise Lispector describes his emotions in the following way, “it was at this moment that the explorer, for the first time since he had known her, instead of feeling curiosity, or exaltation, or victory, of the scientific spirit, felt sick” (Lispector 272).
The behavior of this person is also based on racial ideology according to which a person is a representative of some race, rather than a living and thinking being. These issues are also explored by Carter Revard in his poem Discovery of the New World. The writer speaks about the experiences of colonizers who look at creates that are completely different from them (Revard 99). In many cases, racist are driven by hatred toward the representatives of other races.
In her poem, Wislawa Szymborska shows that his hatred is not usually rational. This is how the author depicts this emotion, “She herself gives birth to causes which awaken her to life” (Szymborska unpaged). Similarly, racial prejudices cannot be explained by any rational causes. For instance, in his poem Theme for English B, Hughes Langston explores the feelings of a black students who is forced to think about his otherness.
The main character says, “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life” (Langston unpaged). However, racists are unable or unwilling to accept the humanity of people who can differ from them. They cannot understand these representatives of other races are “the same inside” (Swir unpaged). Overall, these examples are important for showing why racial perception of a society is unnatural and even destructive.
There are several motives that drive racists. In most cases, these people have to overcome their inferiority complex. They want to highlight the idea that they belong to a superior race. In this way, they want to raise their self-esteem (Murphy 96).
For instance, such individuals are willing to lay stress on the idea that only white people can be credited with the development of art or science. However, such arguments are usually used when people try to conceal the lack of their own achievements. Secondly, the actions and opinions of racists can be explained by xenophobia or the fear of cultural, religious, or racial differences.
On the whole, it will be impossible for me to adjust to their worldviews. This adaptation can be viewed as the compromise of a person’s ethical integrity. It seems that the only possible strategy is to raise their awareness about the destructive nature of racism (Bhavnani 4).
These people should see that this ideology can lead the complete destruction of a society. For instance, one can point out that racism is one of the factors that contributed to many wars that proved to be destructive for various nations and countries. In this way, one can influence their worldviews. To a great extent, this argumentation appeals to the rationality of an individual. Nevertheless, I will not be able to accept their views as something valid or tolerable. This is one of the main points that can be made.
This discussion shows that racism involves dehumanization of other people. This is the most destructive nature of this ideology. People, who support these stereotypes, are not willing to recognize and accept the idea the representatives of other races can have the same feelings, values, or ethical principles. This is one of the details that can be identified. One can only try to changes their views through education. However, it is very dangerous to accommodate to their behavior.
Works Cited
Bhavnani, Reena. Rethinking Interventions in Racism, Boston: Trentham Books, 2001. Print.
Gorski, Paul. “Language of Closet Racism: An Illustration.” Research Room. n. d. Web.
Langston, Hughes. Theme For English B. 1951. Web.
Lispector, Clarise. “The Smallest Woman in the World.” In Oxford Anthology of the Brazilian Short Story. Ed. David Jackson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 270-276. Print.
Murphy, John. Postmodernism, Unraveling Racism, and Democratic Institutions, New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Print.
Revard, Carter. “Discovery of the New World.” In Voices of the rainbow: contemporary poetry by Native Americans. Ed. Kenneth Rosen. Boston: Arcade Publishing, 1993. 99-101. Print.
Swir, Anna. “The Same Inside.” Narrative. n. d. Web.
Szymborska, Wislawa. Hatred. n.d. Web.