We are ALL racists. Every human being on the planet is BORN a racist.
NO! you’re screaming at me. BULLSHIT, you whacked out bitch. I am not a racist!
And the more you deny it, the more you prove me right.
We are all born racist. Mammals, the genome to which Humans belong, are born with an innate FEAR of THE OTHER—anything outside what is familiar to us. And this fear manifests as RACISM, and SEXISM, and NATIONALISM with humans.
“FEAR of THE OTHER,” should be the universal definition of racism. And humans manifest our fear in a variety of ways. Some, their fear is so overwhelming, their ignorance so great, it aligns with HATE, and they are violent against THE OTHER.
But sometimes, when our fear is acknowledged, and then examined, it motivates us to learn about THE OTHER. Only then, do we discover that regardless of color, or even gender, we are not so different. We all FEEL the same.
BULLSHIT, you calling me out again. You don’t know how it FEELS to be Black.
You’re right. I’m White. But I know what it FEELS like to be dissed. I grew up fat in chic L.A. And I know how it feels to be on the outside looking in. I’ve spent my entire life out here. As a women, I know how it feels to be objectified for my body alone; paid half or less than the man next to me doing the same job…etc.
It FEELS like shit. It makes me feel valueless, ashamed, awkward, angry, mystified, enraged, scared, small, sad. And all these negative feelings manifest inside each of us when we are dissed, regardless if we are consciously aware of them, or not.
We all FEEL the same. Each of us reacts to our feelings differently, but we are all intimate with feeling afraid.
Most all of us are also intimate with feeling happy, engaged, safe, content in the moment. Our reasons for feeling these things may vary, though not as much as you think. The love of a parent, guardian or friend, the comfort of a home, full bellies from tasty food makes most of us feel good. And the intensity of feelings vary wildly from person to person. Some enjoy positive feelings far more often than others born with internal, or into external misfortune. But the feelings of HAPPY, and SAD, are common to all of us.
The complex range of feelings we get to experience, both body and mind, is exclusively human. And feeling the same things provides a natural bridge to unite us, a window for empathy, even camaraderie through shared feelings.
Once again we are standing on the precipice of change, Equal Rights the topic de jour. Perhaps THIS TIME, we will get off the politically correct train, admit we are all racists, and choose to FIGHT our innate fear of THE OTHER. We’ll acknowledge the benefits of integration and globalization as an opportunity to learn from the best of each other. We’ll not only believe in, but practice equal rights.
Stand up, or take a knee, but SPEAK OUT against hate, and educate the ignorant that there really are no substantive differences between us, not color, not gender, not religious or sexual preference, because humans all FEEL the same.
