Racism exists in every society in the world. It is a gigantic issue, and it interferes immensely in human relations. Wars started because of racist ideals, and the most cruel acts have been committed on its name. But many people also tried to fight and overcome racism and its subsequent segregation. But it is not just because black people now hold a much more equal position in society that racism has stopped existing. From Hitler to Martin Luther King, racism has been a present part of our lives, even more than we can imagine.
Here we have the pyramid of racism, and as we can see, racism has many levels. It is not only defined by acts of genocide and physical violence: that is an extreme form of racism that should be avoided at all costs. But more than that, racism is present in the little everyday jokes, or acts of subtle bias, as shown in the pyramid. (Take a closer look here).
We can only say racism is no longer a part of our lives when each individual who is a part of society goes through the process of change, and stops showing prejudiced attitudes towards others.
But how can one change from a racist to a respectful and tolerant individual? First, we must understand what racism is, and how one becomes racist.
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, racism is "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities, and that racial differences produces an inherent superiority of a particular race." In other words, a racist individual believes that a determined "race" is superior to another, (in my view an already flawed concept, because we are all part of the human race, and there shouldn't be a distinction between creatures of the same race), and that causes attitudes of segregation and disrespect towards the race considered "inferior". But there are several causes for why a determined individual or group believes that a race is superior to another. Some of them are deeply rooted in history, and are already a part of that group's culture. In my opinion, one major reason for that is the belief held for centuries by white Europeans that their race is superior to all the others in the world. That belief helped to explain many of the great events in history, such as slavery, or the occupation of other parts of the world. That has lead to many of the other causes for racism, such as upbringing, lack of knowledge or contact, and selfishness, which are all interrelated. If a determined group is racist, they will pass on their racist values to their children, who will learn them and eventually become racist. That is supported if there is a lack of contact among people from different "races" because people fear what they don't know or understand. As my point here isn't the cause of racism, I will move on, since the main idea is here, but I researched causes for racism in different websites, and some of them help understand these concepts better. This website has a good explanation of causes such as slavery, ignorance and self-esteem (very interesting) and helps understand the relation between them, as this one explains it more broadly, but focuses more on the historical aspect of racism, and in the social differences that also contribute to it. I like this website in particular because it also considers stereotypes, which is something we talked about in class.
But the main cause of racism on an individual level is ignorance. People fear the unknown, and lack of contact (or contact on an equal level) is a determining factor on how one sees a different race. So basically, if the cause for racism is lack of contact, contact is necessary overcome racist ideas (in this situation). The movie American History X gives a great example of how one can overcome racism by interacting with someone of a different race on an equal level.
The movie is about a neo-Nazi young man, called Derek, who kills two black people after they try to steal his truck. He goes to jail, where he is forced to work with a black man, although reluctant at first, but they eventually become friends. He is one of the main reasons why Derek changes his mind about his previous beliefs. The movie also tells the story of his younger brother Danny, and how he looks up to his brother, and starts going the same way. The movie explores many of the causes of racism, and while Derek represents how can one change, Danny represents how your environment can affect your beliefs. For a more detailed summary of the movie, see here, and for a detailed analysis, see here.
Here is a scene of the movie that is considered to be the beginning of the turning point for Derek:
This scene shows the interaction that causes Derek to change his mind. Both men are represented as equal, and are brought together by universal subjects, such as women. It is when that equality is made clear to Derek that he starts to change his attitude.
Another very interesting scene of the movie is the dinner scene, which explores the possible cause for Derek to become racist in the first place. It is his father teaching him racist ideals, therefore matching one of the causes of racism in individuals. Derek is an intelligent person, as described by one of his previous teachers in the beginning of the movie, but is carried away because of the environment he lived in, and his father's influence on him. It is only when he has contact with a black person on an equal level, as shown in the scene, that he realizes his beliefs were wrong, and that man is no less human than himself.
I would like to end the post by answering a question proposed in the beginning: how can one change from a racist to a respectful and tolerant individual? As happened to Derek in the movie, contact between the different parties is necessary (on both parts) to help overcome stereotypes, myths, ignorance, and pre modeled concepts, even those who are so old that are bigger than ourselves. Racism does exist, and it is closer to us than we imagine, but it is possible to overcome it if we keep an open mind and have the capacity to understand that we are all a part of the same human race.
