I'm probably the last person to discuss controversial issues. They usually just end up with people yelling at each other and relationships can even be ruined by it. It's completely brainless and immature, so I just shy away from it altogether. However, I feel this particular topic needs to have my input on it. That topic: racism.
Racism is a hot commodity these days. You can't go half a day without someone reporting on racial remarks or violence. It seems to be everywhere we look. At least, that's what the media is telling us. I don't really buy into it though. Why? Because I don't believe in racism.
Let me clarify what I mean by that as I'm sure being a Christian, Caucasian male, I may get accused of being racist with this, but I'm not. I’d like to define my terms to start as I believe it’s important to do so. Racism deals with people who are prejudice against others of a different skin color than they are. If you are a “racist”, you believe that your skin type is superior over another. At least, that’s what it meant while I was growing up.
Nowadays, for some reason, the definition has been altered. Now, if you don’t associate with others of different skin tones, or even saying color’s names, it can be deemed “racist”. That’s just not what the word means. But, that’s besides the point. I’m sure you’re just wondering why I don’t believe in “racism”.
I don’t believe in it because I don’t believe in “races”. Science doesn’t believe in it either. What determines our skin color is called melanin. Melanin is just the term that is used for the cells that pigment our skin, hair, and eyes. The more melanin someone has, the darker their skin is. The less melanin, the lighter the skin pigment. There also is a rare mutation where someone doesn’t have any melanin or pigmentation at all, which we call albinism. Melanin is in your genetics and can also be influenced by where you live. To hate someone for their skin color is basically saying that you’re jealous for the amount of melanin that person has. Pretty silly, right?
That being said, just because someone has more or less melanin in their body, does not make you superior or them inferior in any way. We are all human beings. We are all homo sapiens. We are all one! God has only created one race and that is the human race. Just because we may appear different on the outside, doesn’t mean we’re on unequal levels. We are all on the same level, we just live in different parts of the world.
That brings me to my next point, and that it’s a ridiculous notion to even think about being prejudice toward people of a different ethnic group. That’s all “race” is anyway which is why I don’t like the word. It’s just someone’s ethnicity or heritage. So, if one doesn’t like someone of different colored skin, they’re really just trashing their culture. All they’re saying is, “I don’t like you because you grew up differently than me!” See how completely asinine this becomes? They’re not actually a “racist”, they’re a culturist. (I vote that we change it to this word.) So, there you have it.
Now, I’m not doubting that there is prejudice going on in the world as we can clearly see that there is. All I’m saying is that I don’t believe in the idea of being “racist”, as the idea itself is just ludicrous to begin with. It doesn’t make sense because it’s a made-up idea. It just means ethnicity, so maybe stop using the word?
Still, people are asking, is there a way to stop people from being hateful towards other cultures? To which I would answer, no. Honestly, there’s just not. Like many issues today, criminals are going to be criminals no matter what. The hateful are always going to be hateful. Bigots are going to be bigots. That’s just the way they are and no amount of protests, rallies, or awareness programs are going to change them. Only God can change people.
My only advice on how to combat this evil is for you to just stop hating and start loving. That’s it. We have to look to ourselves first. If you have children, teach them to love as well. Teach them the Bible’s “golden rule”. That’s the only way we can overcome this. We need to start teaching to embrace all cultures and walks of life. I live in America where this opportunity is taken for granted on a daily basis.
This is why I don’t believe in “culture appropriation” either. We need to be coming together, not segregated ourselves more. Learn more about one another, not push each other away. It will only help us grow as people. Sure, we may speak a different language, or have a different skin color, or wear different clothes, but we’re all together on this journey we call life. Let us all take a page out of Disney’s book and unite in this “small world” of ours. Who's with me?
Comments