Monday, February 2, 2015

Ending Racism?

I've met a few people who dislike the term "race." They believe that acknowledging a person's race is racist - that placing a title on a person based on differences such as the color of their skin is inhumane. Although I agree that categorizing people based on physical differences is incorrect, I would not necessarily say that acknowligding someone's race is racist. Some people, for example, don't think of race as a negative term. Instead, many (like myself) are proud of their race, not because of physical differences, but because race also brings along heritage and culture. In this sense, ending the terminology  or classification of "race" will not end racism. Racism is not a title or the physical characteristics that we have; Racism are the advantages and social differences that certain groups of people have - regardless of race. To end racism, institute equality, and diminish our differences, it is important to acknowledge the source. If people could get together and talk about their differences, they may not be as different anymore - we may feel more comfortable talking to one other, and most importantly, began to treat each other with the same amount of respect.

1 comment:

  1. I completely agree that it is important to remember that labeling people by race would not end racism. It a complex process of appreciating people's differences and ensuring people of every race are treated equally. I like how you mentioned 'differences between groups of people'. It made me think of differences between groups of people that need to be changed like income gaps and access to quality health care.

    ReplyDelete