Racism And War: Overcoming

[the "racism" "shouting 'racist, duduk' 23 times in my parliament is different from the term racism
defined in recognised dictionary
===================================

Racism And War: Overcoming
Us And Them

By Ramzy Baroud

22 September, 2007
Countercurrents.org

Racism is, among many things, convenient. It provides simplified, definite and
ready-to-serve answers to complex and compounded questions. Racists, in turn,
come from all walks of life; their motivation and the root causes behind their
contemptible views of others may differ, but the outcome of these views is
predictably the same - racial discrimination, social and political oppression,
religious persecution and war.

The textual definition of racism pertains only to race, but in practice racism
is a consequence of groupthink, whereby a group of people decides to designate
itself as a collective and starts delineating its relationship with other
collectives - or other people in general - with a sense of supremacy. When
coupled with economic and/or political dominance, supremacy translates into
various forms of subjugation and cruelty.

The adulation of the self/collective and the disparagement of the other is an
ancient practice, as old as human civilisation itself. It is everlasting for the
simple reason that it has always served as a political and economic tool and
will likely remain effective so long as the quest for political and material
power drives our behaviour.

It is also pertinent to stress that the need for this negative group designation
is not always as straightforward as "black" and "white". For example, less
economically advantaged Eastern Europeans seeking (and competing for) employment
in Western Europe find themselves lumped in the same group and subject to all
sorts of classifications. Equally convenient has been the caricatured
misrepresentation of "Arabs" by mainstream media, which serves to further
specific political and economic interests.

Ironically, an extreme form of racism also exists in various Arab countries
where foreign workers find themselves placed in a demeaning hierarchy based on
country of origin. Western Europeans and Americans top the scale and are readily
accommodated, while Southeast Asians are often at the bottom. A very qualified
Indian engineer, for example, may find himself getting paid a lot less than a
French one with relatively little experience.

In some countries, like South Africa, racism has wreaked havoc on society for
generations. It manifests itself in the refusal of some people to identify with
their original ancestral cultures because they fear that such affinity would
negate the fact that they are "full" South African citizens - a right for which
they fought a most arduous fight.

In Malaysia, which exhibits considerable social harmony compared to some of it
neighbours, racial classification is still very much real. Despite the
government's commendable efforts to accentuate the Malaysian national model
while carefully underscoring Malay, Chinese or Indian sub-groupings, members of
these groups are wary of their statistical representation in Malaysian society.
Some react by stressing their number in comparison to the other groups, while
others tirelessly underscore the types of discrimination they experience at the
hands of the politically and economically advantaged.

While racism is universally recognised, few individuals would admit to their own
prejudices and racist tendencies. Moreover, it would be self-deceiving to view
racism as a purely Western phenomenon. While the Western model of racism,
influenced by 18th century colonialism, is unique in many respects, group
prejudices based on class, race and religion are shared almost equally between
all nations.

The racism of those with political, military and economic power is often violent
and detrimental, but it is important to remember that the underdog can be just
as racist. An Arab reader from London sent me an e-mail demanding that I explain
myself for collaborating on various projects with some well-known Jewish
authors. "You are either naïve or you are selling out," she wrote. It made no
difference to her that these authors are anti-Zionist and have been, for many
years, on the frontline of the struggle for Palestinian rights and justice. She
simply couldn't break away from a deeply ingrained racist belief that "Jews are
not to be trusted."

Of course, this is not an Arab, but a global predisposition; prolonged conflicts
and wars tend to validate and inflate already existing prejudices. Although the
Israeli educational system has produced generations of students saturated with
grossly misleading images of Arabs and Palestinians, the relationship between
Arabs and Jews hasn't always been negative. For centuries, both groups lived in
harmony; some of the best Arab poets of past times were Jews and some of the
most luminous Jewish texts were written originally in Arabic. Unfortunately,
conflict and war have a way of undermining such facts; racism in Israel is so
intense now that few dare use the term "Arab Jew".

Even when it doesn't pertain to race, most people seem to slide easily into
greater tribal memberships that divide the world into "us" and "them", often
using words of negation and often utilising religion. The "non" factor becomes
very useful here: "non-Muslim", "non-Jew", "non-Christian", and so on. Such
negations are never well intended and always produce negative results. Less
conspicuous terms such as "non-democratic" (a neo-colonial equivalent to
"uncivilised", perhaps?) could be similarly loaded and dangerous and are often
used to promote and justify war.

It remains to be said that a true fight against racism and various other types
of group prejudice requires first accepting personal responsibility in shaping
one's own society, and this includes the racism that exists within it. Martin
Luther King Jr. refused "to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound
to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and
brotherhood can never become a reality". We, too, must uncompromisingly reject
such pessimism if we truly wish for peace, harmony and equality to replace war,
social discord and injustice.

Ramzy Baroud is an author and a journalist. His latest volume, "The Second
Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle" (Pluto Press, London)
is available from Amazon and other book venues. He is the editor of
PalestineChronicle.com and his articles are archived at ramzybaroud.net
.