Friday, November 8, 2013

Racial Reconciliation in a Racist Society

rac·ism
ˈrāˌsizəm/
noun
noun: racism
1.
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.

Many people when asked what a racist looks like will point only to things like the KKK member or a Neo-Nazi.  They believe that racism only occurs when people are discriminated against or when hate crimes are committed.  While I do not doubt that these things are inherently racist, they encompass only a small part of what racism really is: a way of seeing the world as being divided into "races" each with defining characteristics. To that end I set out to show that in fact the entire American society in which we live is racist.

 We are brought up and socialized from a young age to see race.  We are taught to believe in the stereotypes that our society and media transmits.  "Asians are like this..." "Blacks are like that..." Those who come to America from other countries are quickly introduced to our race classification system.  A Nigerian coming to America will quickly find qualities and characteristics attributed to him on the basis of his skin color whereas a white Albanian will also find characteristics projected onto her much to both of their confusion.  We forge mental patterns and expectations to how a "white" person behaves and how a "black" person behaves and how "Asians" behave so much so that we coin terms like "Wigga" (A White person "acting Black"), "Twinkie" (An Asian person "acting White"), "Oreo" (A Black person "acting White") to describe them.  I hope that the ridiculousness of such a practice is self evident as the way a person behaves has little to do with their skin color and everything to do with the society in which they found themselves being raised.  A "Black man" born and raised in Japan cannot do anything but "act Asian" (specifically Japanese).  Is he any less of a Black man than an African American kid growing up in the heart of Philadelphia? They have nothing in common but their skin color, but yet are perceived to share commonalities in racist eyes.

I don't want to say that there is no basis for stereotypes, however there are some huge differences between observing patterns or cultural trends and making sweeping generalizations based on race.  "Asians are good at math" is a racist statement.  "Asians tend to do better than their peers in the area of math due to the culture's high value on education" is an observation based on empirical data.  "Black people love soul food like fried chicken and watermelon" is a racist statement.  "Blacks living in the south of the US more prevalently enjoy soul food as part of their historical and cultural heritage" is an observational statement.  Do you see the difference? Anytime we try to attribute any characteristic, whether positive or negative, to a given skin color (i.e. race), we are being racist.

And to tell you the truth, racism affects every single person who can be attributed a "race".  The statement that "White people are ignorant of other people groups" is a racist statement and does much injustice to those "white folk" whom I have known who are aware of their cultural context, especially those who have not grown up in America or have been missionaries to other countries. Of course I, as a Vietnamese/Scottish man, have met my share of culturally insensitive Whites.  However, I have also met my share of culturally insensitive Blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, Asians, etc. to the point where I can say confidently that cultural insensitivity has nothing to do with a person's skin color and more to do with their culture of origin and upbringing. All people, regardless of their own background, hold the capability to be racist and more often than not hold views that would be classified as racist.

Now that we are all on the same page and in the same racist boat (i.e. American society), where do we even start in taking about racial reconciliation because the fact of the matter is if you've ever experienced hurt or injury due to racism, it is more difficult to not think about yourself and the world in terms of race.  When a prominent pastor makes an off color joke that is offensive to Asian people, I find myself hurt not because the joke had anything to do with me or was even directed at me with malicious intent, but I am hurt because I realize "That's how he must see me."  When hurts are dealt to me for no other reason other than my "race", they internalize so that "my race" is now part of my identity, something that brands me as different or deficient or in some cases superior somehow.  We must never forget that "racism" was invented for to sole purpose of justifying the maltreatment and abuse of our fellow human beings in a manner most convenient to their oppressors whether it be in Colonial America or Nazi Germany or South Africa during the Apartheid or even in India's caste system. It's the same psychological wounding as when a child is abused sexually and starts to think of herself as a sexual object because her sense of self is broken.  

It is truly difficult to transcend race categories when you are continually hurt because people continue to view race as something real just as it is difficult for those who have been abused to break out of a victim/oppressor mindset while the abuse is ongoing.  Likewise, those victimized on account of their "race" will go on to view others in regards to their "race" and perpetuate the same faulty worldview that sees race as a valid category for people.  Racial wounds can only be healed when someone comes along and says "Listen, you are more than your skin color.  The amount of pigment in your skin has nothing to do with your personality or your humanity although people have made you feel that way.  You don't have to fit into anyone's expectations of you based on their perceptions of who you should be.  You have likes and dislikes, personality, and style different from anyone else on this planet let alone the same "race".  If anyone tries to tell you what you are or who to be based on how you look, you tell them one thing: 'I know who I am and who God made me to be'"

The only way I see forward towards racial reconciliation is this: We must stop thinking in terms of race.  We all do it consciously or unconsciously in our snap judgments and you know what? That's OK! That's what we've been conditioned to do. What isn't okay is not admitting to it so that we can learn and grow.  Trying to pretend you aren't racist in America is like pretending you aren't a sinner!  We must be humble enough when we hurt others due to racist thoughts to say "Hey, I have to confess that I have always thought [insert race here] were like [insert stereotype here] and I admit that I assumed that was true of you too without even getting to know you.  I am sorry that I did that, but I want the chance to get to know you for who you are."  They may be hurt at first (or already hurt because they are the ones who had the courage to bring it up to you in the first place), but humility and confession leads to reconciliation and understanding. We all must learn to stop ourselves when we catch ourselves making assumptions about others based on the way their skin color looks and then correct our assumptions.  It takes vigilance on our part to weed out racism and to adopt a new pattern of thinking and grace to forgive others when they err.  That is why I believe Jesus Christ is the only one who is the king of reconciliation with grace enough to help us all come to see each other not in terms of our skin color or nationality but as fellow children of God for he is the only one who tore down the dividing wall of hostility that separated us from God and each other.  He alone transforms our hearts and minds so that the only race left is the only one He created "The Human race".

When people ask me what race I am, I don't answer them anymore.  In the world's terms, I am "biracial", but most people when they see me just flag me as Asian.  I grew up in a Vietnamese home and thus have some Asian values and tendencies, but I also have been through the American school system and have many "white" ones as well.  In my neighborhood were many Black and Puerto Rican families.  Being biracial and growing up in a multicultural environment you realize that you are never fully anything and a little bit of everything.  My behaviors are eclectic and mixed, borrowing from every culture I've come in contact with.  My experiences in life are few, but varied.  In any given situation people might say I'm "acting black" or "acting white", but in reality I'm just being myself.  I am not any race. I am John Dao. Pleased to meet you!