Thoughts on the problems of the word “racism” . . . with some remarks on aspects involving the problems between peoples

In a conversation I said some things that eventually led me to think about things that, I think, should be recorded as it shows a different point of view. It basically started when I said that “I don’t acknowledge the word ‘racism’ anymore”. I often would follow it with this: “Racism is a mentality that reflects the post WWII world and the Cold War.” I’ve been saying this since the 1990s. More recently, I have added: “Racism is a 20th century term that reflects conditions of that time and which are no longer relevant.” Here are some thoughts on it:

THE GENERAL STANCE OF THIS ARTICLE

Before I go on I think I need to describe my background in all this as it influences how I view things and the general stance of this article. The stance I take is that of a psychologist/anthropologist/historian. In the 1980’s I wanted to be a psychologist and studied psychology. I also considered being an anthropologist. In addition, I have been studying history for about 40 years. As part of the inquiry into these three subjects I naturally became interested in the problems between people which these all relate with and which I found to be interesting and fascinating. As a result, my stance is one who is “just trying to explain the problems between people”. I do not be judgmental. I don’t accuse. I don’t say who is right or wrong . . . this isn’t a court of law. I also don’t suggest solutions. I’m just standing back, taking a look, and trying to explain what I see and that’s basically what I am doing here.

PROBLEMS WITH THE WORD “RACISM”

After looking at the problems between people all these years I find that the word “racism” fails as a way to explain problems between people. Generally, the use of the word “racism” has qualities such as these:

• It automatically assumes people have malicious intent against each other as if people are always attacking and hating each other
• Its only explanation is the generic and overly simplistic principle that “people hate other people because of their race” as if race somehow automatically makes people hate each other
• It does not really explain the cause of this hatred toward each other and does not, in any way, reflect any great insight into the problems between people
• It has caused many myths, misunderstandings, and misconceptions about the relationships and conflicts between peoples

I tend to think that the continued use of the word is only going to make problems and conflicts persist. It is a word that fails and is insufficient. I, frankly, don’t believe it should even be used anymore.

THE SIMPLIST EXPLANATION OF WHY I DON’T USE THE WORD

I often say that, if I were to put the problem of the word “racism” in one sentence, it would be this:

“Is there anything that isn’t racist?”

So far, in my life, I’ve seen practically EVERYTHING made out as racist. You name it . . . its racist. People are racist, social institutions are racist, and even objects are racist. I’ve seen almost every aspect of life called racist in one way or another. Everywhere I turn something is being made out as racist, even down to the mundane and commonplace, the trivial and insignificant. What isn’t racist? Someone show me something that isn’t racist!

Because everything is “racist” there’s a number of us who go around saying “your racist!” to each other (maybe we should start using it as a greeting?). We also go around saying “that’s racist!” to everything, no matter what. “Racism” has become something like a joke. To be frank, all this has become ridiculous. This whole subject has become nonsensical. There’s a number of reasons why . . .

SPECIFIC REASONS WHY I NO LONGER USE THE WORD

But, more specifically, there are a number of problems that caused me to no longer accept the word “racism” anymore. These include:

1. It automatically assumes malicious intent
2. The problem of using “one word”
3. It assumes that race is the cause of problems
4. It says nothing about why people would be “racist”
5. It often describes common social phenomena that has nothing to do with race
6. It often hides a hatred or fear of other people
7. It often reflects the problems of being in the “minority” – the “black sheep dilemma”
8. It’s become an all-too-easy excuse for any problem
9. It’s become a means of manipulation
10. It’s become overused and abused
11. It’s often used as a means to override basic principles of law
12. It is associated with situations that are very unique

1-It automatically assumes malicious intent

As I have heard the word “racism” I found that the word is always used in a specific way. It is used in the context that reflects two things:

1. It assumes “malicious intent”. By “malicious intent” I mean that it implies some form of bad intent by someone toward someone else which is motivated by something like a hatred, dislike, and some other “bad” or sinister motive.
2. This “malicious intent” is automatically assumed. Very seldom is this assumed “malicious intent” questioned or explained (to be frank, I’m the only person I know who has questioned it). People as if assume that its a reality and that’s it. As a result, people who use the word “racism” tend to take the point of view that “everybody hates everybody” that is automatically assumed to exist, without question, like the sun coming up every morning.

This automatic assumption of “malicious intent” causes people to think that there is an automatic “intention” to do some “bad” thing to the other person. This can be things like these:

• Exclusion
• An insult or degradation
• To harm the other person

In this way, “racism” assumes that people are trying to do some “bad” to the other person as if were some form of a motive. In addition, this assumption of “malicious intent” is supposed to be motivated by a supposed hatred or dislike based solely on their race. Therefore, to accuse someone of racism is not unlike accusing a person of hating another person just because of their race as if that is some sort of a natural tendency for people to do. I always found that line of thought hard to swallow . . . and I don’t believe it. My observation of history and human nature does not, in any way, support that point of view. I see no evidence that race automatically causes people to feel hatred, dislike, or malicious intent. It takes more . . . much more . . . for that to happen. This means that malicious intent based on race cannot automatically be assumed. For me, this means that there is a major problem in the logic of the word and the philosophy that the word is based on.

An effect of this automatic assumption of malicious intent is that it causes people to do these things:

• To “jump the gun” on motives and intentions
• To falsely accuse people

These tend have the effect of “fabricating threats and enemies”. People start seeing racism everywhere and threats coming out of the woodwork. It can even take on qualities of a paranoia or a delusion (just take a look at many of the claims of Black Lives Matter).

In addition, a further effect of this is that it causes a misunderstanding of intentions, motives, and people in general. As a result, the idea of racism tends to cause myths about people, the association between people, and the problems between people. From what I have seen the word “racism” has caused a multitude of myths about people.

Everything is focused on only one theme and explanation: race.

2-The problem of using “one word”

The word “racism” implies that the problems, conditions, and situations of conflict between peoples can be stated in a single word. There are so many reasons, causes, conditions, etc. that causes problems between people that to say that one world explains it all is completely absurd and unrealistic. This is why when a person uses the word, I feel like saying, “how stupid do you think I am to think that this one word explains all the problems of a people?”

One way I describe it is this way: “How can one word embody the problems of a single people in a country that is about 250 years old, about 3600 miles wide, about 2200 miles high, and consisting of about 330 million people? There are simply too many variable conditions, situations, and scenarios . . . it’s impossible.”

This problem of “one word to explain everything” is also seen in many other situations. The best example I’ve seen is just saying everything is caused by “hate”. Another one I used to see a lot was that everything bad was caused by the “devil” or “Satan”. I’ve also heard people say that if anything bad happens its because we have “sinned” and that would be the explanation for everything. They also would say that bad things are caused by “greed” (no doubt coming from the saying, “money is the root of all evil”). Notice how many involve Christian themes? I have always found it interesting that the use of “one word to explain everything” seems closely associated with Christianity and is often associated with sins or sinning. Because of its association with Christianity, and its tendency to accuse people of sinning, the “one word to explain everything” tends to usually be accusatory. Its almost like this tendency originated with Christianity thought I cannot say for sure.

Its because of stuff like this that I often jokingly say “Why use the word “racism”? Why not say its the “devil” and then we can blame everything on “devils work”? Or, better yet, why not say its “x” and we can call people an “x-ist”. Or, maybe we can say its “fill-in-the-blank”. Then we can call people a “fill-in-the-blank-ist”. The point being that one word is too insufficient to describe the many varied problems between people, particularly with the extensive problems that people are using this word for. Its almost become an “explain-all” word for some people . . . everything is caused by “racism”. Every conflict, every dispute, every problem . . . its all racism. This is particularly prevalent with many black people in the US. In all my life I’ve never heard a black person use another explanation to explain their problems. Everything is racism. Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious? How can there be a one explanation that explains all a peoples problems? How can all the problems of a people who consist of millions of people, and over a period of many centuries, be embodied in a single word? All the problems of a people in one word . . . that’s absurd. I can see it being used for a particular type of problem but not when its used for everything.

To me, the one word “racism” is a cheap and over simplistic way to explain the problems between peoples.

3-It assumes that race is the cause of problems

The word “racism” states that race is THE cause for problems between people. My observation is that this is not true. According to what I have seen I would say that race plays a minor role in things. The fact is that there are more important things in life than a persons race. One of the reasons for this is that race can be described as “passive” . . . it doesn’t really do anything that affects anyone. The things that tend to be more impactful, and important, can be described as “active” . . . they do things and are what cause tensions between people. This active quality is why they cause problems between people. I often put together these active qualities in what I call a “way of life”. This includes a multitude of things:

• Beliefs
• Culture
• Law and views of right and wrong
• Views on how the world works
• How they live, work, and sustain themselves

A “way of life” encompasses the entirety of a peoples lives and includes almost every aspect of it. Each peoples, of course, has a different “way of life”. When they mix with another people with a different “way of life” then there can be conflict. The fact is that many conflicts between peoples are caused by conflicts in peoples different “ways of life”. Typically, the problem centers around a specific quality in the “way of life”, their belief or specific ways of how they live their life, for example.

The different forms of conflicts that can develop from a clash of “ways of life” is almost endless. Historically, it seems to me, the qualities in the “way of life”, that usually cause problems, can be described in two groups

1. Psychological/social, such as beliefs and social realities
2. Material well being, such as food and money

Some examples of the first group include:

• Privilege
• Social status
• Dignity
• Insults, real or imagined
• Differences in motives or needs
• Sense of security

Some examples of the later group include:

• The need for land
• Wealth
• Hunting and fishing rights
• Jobs
• Physical security

These all consist of some need or want. Its this need or want that, in actuality, causes problems between people.

When there is a problem that prevents these needs or wants to be satisfied then it creates what I call “tension”. The tension, really, is a result of a frustration. This shows that the reason for a “tension” is that these needs or wants cannot be satisfied for some reason. If it could be resolved then there would be no “tension” as it would dissipate and disappear.

But one thing is quite apparent is that race is not the cause for “tension” as it has nothing to do with a need or want. In other words, race is not the cause for problems between people.

Once a “tension” is in existence for some time, and is not resolved, its not uncommon that the “tension” will focus on a single trait as a representative of this tension. For example, a conflict with people with red hair might cause them to be called “red” in a derogatory tone. I often call this representative of the tension the “mark”. Some examples of what can become “marks” include:

• What a person wears
• What type of house a person lives in
• Their skin color
• The shape of their nose
• Their accent
• Their religion
• Their nationality

And so on. What we seen, then, is that just about anything can become the “mark”. Race can become a “mark” but it is only one of the many avenues. And, in my observation, it plays a small role historically.

Typically, the conditions of the “tension” tend to dictate what becomes the “mark”. In other words, the “mark” almost always has something to do with the “tension”. For example, if there is a tension based in religion then the “mark” tends to involve something religious, such as a specific religious practice they do.

But what all this shows is that race, or any “mark”, is only used as a representative of a “tension”, problem, or conflict. It is not the “tension”, problem, or conflict itself. Because of this, the term “racism”, which blames race as the cause of the problem, is not correct. This is one of the reasons, I think, that it is very misleading and causes a lot of misunderstandings.

This causes me to keep asking a question: “Instead of making a racial issue out of everything maybe you ought to look for the conflict that is behind all this?” As near as I can tell, no one has either asked this question or even tried to look. I think that if one would quite making a racial issue out of everything one would find race has less influence that is claimed. For example, according to my observation, many of the problems between white and black people have little to do with race or skin color, as is generally assumed (that, of course, is the basic premise of racism). It seems, to me, that some of the problems between white and black people (particularly in the Old South) originate from what can be described as the “stigma of slavery”. This is a particular quality of contempt toward slaves (note how I use the word “contempt” . . . that’s not the same as hatred!). This contempt toward slaves has existed since slavery began and is very unique. For example, the contempt toward black slaves is probably not a whole lot of different than that toward the slaves in Ancient Roman times. This more or less means that the “stigma of slavery” has nothing to do with race or skin color . . . it has only to do with who is enslaved!

The continuation of the “stigma of slavery”, that we see today, seems to come from several sources:

• The “stigma of slavery” that some aspects of black culture and mentality maintains. For example, many black people still struggle with a “slave identity” or so it seems to me.
• The “stigma of slavery” that some white people keep alive. For example, many white people from the Old South hold a grudge against black people because they represent the humiliation of losing the Civil War (this means that what they hate is humiliation . . . not black people!).
• The attitudes that the “stigma of slavery” have created in the general population. For example, some people see other people display contempt and imitate it for some reason for another.

I get the impression that, for most white and black people, the “stigma of slavery” has largely faded. But it seems that there are a group of “die-hards”, both white and black, who won’t let the “stigma of slavery” go. They keep reminding us and, in so doing, keep it alive. I sometimes think that it is these people that are causing most of the problems. In short, if some people didn’t keep reminding us about it then it would probably fade away and become a memory. Black people would slowly blend in with everyone else in this country.

4-It says nothing about why a person would be “racist”

In all these years no one has been able to explain why someone would be “racist”. All it does is assume hatreds. A good example is seen in what I consider one of the most stupidest statements I’ve ever heard in my life: “people hate each other because of skin color”. They are basically saying that skin color automatically causes people to hate each other. How ridiculous! I’ve heard this all my life but no one has been able to prove that this actually happens nor do I see any proof in history or human nature. If “people hate each other because of skin color” then there is a reason behind it (it is the “mark” of a “tension”). It takes something more than skin color to cause a hatred. In the same way, it takes something more than race to cause a hatred. The word “racism” reveals nothing about any cause for any hatred or why it would exist.

I’ve often joked about this situation in this way. I’ve heard of stories how different gangs wear different clothes that identify themselves as a member of the gang. I’ve also heard how a rival gang will kill someone for wearing that clothing. Lets just say that a guy is wearing a blue hoodie which is associated with a specific gang. The rival gang, of course, may try to kill the guy for wearing it. To accuse someone of being “racist” would be no different, to me, than saying that the rival gang member is a “blue hoodie-ist”. All it says it that people will kill someone for wearing a blue hoodie. It reveals nothing about why or the motive. From that perspective, what is the use of even saying “blue hoodie-ist”? Its like an empty term. To me, “racist” is an empty term in much the same way.

My observation is that when people speak of “racism” they are usually talking about long standing conflicts between people that have other causes and origins other than race. That is to say, the conflict does not center around race but about other things. Race is only a “reference” to this conflict (see my remarks on “tension” and “mark” above). As a result, the persistent use of race as the cause of the conflicts between people misleads people of the actual cause of the problem. In fact, according to my observation, the continual use of “racism” creates a condition that never addresses the problem which causes the conflict. In this way, the use of the idea of racism is not unlike “barking up the wrong tree”. Think about this question: how many of the “remedies” of racism has actually worked? This is because they think “race” is the problem when its actually some other tension or conflict.

5-It often describes common social phenomena that has nothing to do with race

In addition, from what I have seen, most of what is called “racism” is describing common social phenomena seen all over the world and in a million different ways and forms. The difference is that they do these things:

• They make a racial issue out of it
• They make it motivated by some act of hatred or malicious intent

Some examples of these common phenomena, and which are often ascribed to race or hatred, include:

• “Birds of a feather flock together”. Basically, people tend to hang around people they relate to. This tends to make people favor people like them. They will tend to focus on their group and neglect everyone else. What constitutes the “group” can be a multitude of things, such as nationality, family, profession, physical traits, etc. This does not means that they hate people that are not part of their “group”.
• Apprehension of different people. Its natural for people to be somewhat apprehensive of people they can’t relate to or know nothing about. This doesn’t mean they hate them.
• “The have and the have-not’s”. Many people get envious and jealous of people who “have more”. This is particularly true if they live among them or are disadvantaged in some way. It can cause a lot of resentment and bad feelings between people.
• Snobbishness and arrogance. Many people, for a multitude of reasons, think they are “better” than other people. This, generally, is not a reflection of hatred of other people.
• Harsh feelings as a reaction to conflict. When there is a conflict between peoples there often develops harsh feelings that develop. These include contempt, hatred, a desire for revenge, etc.
• Culture clash. In many cases, different forms of cultures, and social points of view, can cause conflict between people.
• Conflict of interests. Many people find that, in the course of life, their interests, needs, and wants are impaired, restricted, or prevented by other people. This causes many people to “clash” causing great conflict and bad feelings.
• Experience of conflict. Often, if people have conflict with a specific type of people, or a person, then they tend to treat them differently as a result. They will remember the conflict and the bad feelings that it has caused. In some cases, this remembering of the experience is passed on to the younger generation who will keep this conflict alive as well as its bad feelings . . . even when there is no cause for it anymore!

These show that many things that are said to be “racist” are really common social phenomena in the world. The difference is that the idea of “racism” makes a racial issue out of it and, in so doing, distorts things.

It seems that the over emphasis on race may have origins unrelated with any consideration of social phenomena. I often thought that the emphasis and obsession on race has origins in the theory of “Darwinism”, of the theory of the evolution of species and “survival of the fittest”. I should point out that by “race” I mean inherited characteristics in a group of people. This is generally viewed as physical traits, but it can also mean mental characteristics as well. What this means is that the “racial viewpoint” is really based in scientific ideas that don’t take into consideration social phenomena. Because of this, it seems to me, that “racism”, and the obsession with race, has a base in a distorted view of Darwinism. This is because the theory of Darwinism puts emphasis on inherited traits as the all-important thing in a creature, almost as if that’s all there is. As a result, this point of view puts inherited traits . . . racial traits . . . as all important and a determining factor in everything. In this way, the popularity of science and Darwinism has caused an unnecessary and ridiculous emphasis on racial traits. One effect of this its that it has placed racial traits as the determining factor in the relationship between people (one result of this thinking can be seen in the Nazi’s). But my observation is that the relationship between people, and the problems between people, are more a matter of social phenomena and have little, or nothing, to do with racial or physical traits. As a result, the emphasis on race has only steered people away from the actual cause of conflicts between people which actually lie in . . . social phenomena. What this means is that when people are talking about “racism” they are really talking about social relations . . . inherited traits have practically nothing to do with it. But the emphasis on race makes us neglect that fact.

Not seeing the common social phenomena behind things tends to make these problems seem “different” or “unique”, in some way, when they actually aren’t. In this way, the problems often appear worse than it is. As a result, the idea of “racism” gives an illusion of a unique type of conflict when it‘s really just a common form of social phenomena.

6-It often hides a hatred or fear of other people

Its not uncommon that there is a disguised hatred behind accusations of “racism”. In fact, some people use racism as an “acceptable expression” of hatred. Its a way to degrade, belittle, blame, etc. people they don’t like. Calling a person a “racist” is like saying “I hate you”. Its “acceptable” because it is using politics as an explanation which gives it a quality of authority and validity. This is why I often jokingly call it a “politically correct way to express hatred”.

In the US it has become a form of attack of specific people, often toward white people or authority. Its probably no surprise, then, that the word is often a form of blind accusation. Some people use it in a very accusatory way, often using it to accuse people of horrid things. A common trait of these accusations, I’ve noticed, is an absence of proof . . . the guilt is generally assumed to be true!

Because of these things its not uncommon for me to say: “The real racists are the people accusing people of being racist”. In other words, the people who feel hatred and dislike of other people are the accusers, not the accused.

In some cases, the idea of “racism” actually hides something like a xenophobia, a fear of foreigners, as well as cultures or people that are different from you. As a result, a person calling another person a “racist” is actually saying something like “I’m frightened of you because you are from a different culture”. I tend to feel that this is far more prevalent than what it may seem.

7-It often reflects the problems of being in the “minority” – the “black sheep dilemma”

In some cases, the situation that motivates the idea of “racism” is actually describing the dilemma and problems of a “minority” group of people who are living in the shadow of a “majority” group of people, who have power and influence. This tendency shows that there are often at least two groups of people in a population:

1. The “majority” group, who have power and influence and are often favored
2. The “minority group, who do not have power, influence, and don’t feel favored making them feel small and insignificant in relation to the “majority” group

The idea of “racism” often reflects the dilemmas of people who are in the “minority” and has nothing to do with the people in the “majority” group. The idea of “racism”, though, is usually blaming and accusing the people in the “majority” group. In so doing it never addresses the real problem . . . the dilemma of being in a “minority”. This causes a tendency of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and false accusation.

The “majority/minority” situation is seen everywhere in all aspects of life. Its even seen in families where one sibling is “favored” and another feels a “black sheep”. This same type of situation happens in societies. In many cases, the problems of being in the “minority, in a society, is similar to the situation of a sibling who feel a “black sheep”. As a result, they make many similar complaints. I often call this the “black sheep dilemma”. It refers to a situation where a people feel a “minority”, in comparison to a favored “majority”, and this makes them feel that they are “black sheep”. The problem is usually the situation, not the people. It seldom revolves around the fact that they are hated or disliked and there is usually nothing “personal” in it. This makes this a matter of sociology, not psychology, in that the social situation of the “majority” and “minority” causes a dilemma in the “minority”.

Some examples of problems of being in the “minority” include:

• For some people the idea of “racism” hides a sense of inferiority in relation to another group of people, culture, lifestyle, etc. In this way, calling a person a “racist” is like saying “I feel inferior to you and this threatens me”. This is because the feeling of inferiority creates a sense of being threatened by that group of people. As a result, they feel “attacked” by that group of people.
• In a similar way, the idea of “racism” hides a sense of alienation, that a group of people cannot relate to another group of people. This alienation sense is often felt by a group of people that are not the group of people in power. This makes them feel “small” or “insignificant” or that they “have no influence”. In this way, they feel detached, alienated, from the greater society. This causes something like a sense of intimidation.
• In some respects, the idea of “racism” may describe a “culture clash”, where the “minority” culture feels overwhelmed or overpowered by the “majority” culture. This makes them feel squashed, belittled, degraded, or small.

This shows that when one looks at accusations of “racism” one should often look more at the situation of the people who are making the accusation as it is often motivated by their condition more than anything else.

8-Its become an all-too-easy excuse for any problem

The term “racism” is being used for an excuse for just about any problems anyone may have that is not white in the U.S. Basically, if a non-white person has a problem in the U.S. then its a result of “racism”. Top put it another way, racism is now used for practically any grievance and problem some people may have. Its getting to the point that “everything is racist” which is a common statement I hear. Many of these problems have nothing, whatsoever, to do with race. Despite this, it is being used as an excuse and an explanation. This tendency causes problems such as these:

• It doesn’t address the real problem. Since everything is said to be caused by “racism” then it only looks at things from that single perspective.
• It causes misunderstandings between people. Since everything is assumed to be caused by “racism” then it assumes that is what is causing the problems. The fact is that there are many reasons for problems between people. To say that one single cause . . . racism . . . is the cause for them all only leads to misunderstandings.
• It causes unnecessary tension between people. Accusations of “racism” causes tensions between people primarily because it is an accusation.

9-Its become a means of manipulation

Racism has become, for many people, nothing but a means to manipulate the system and get what they want. They use the term “racism” as a “power word” that gets people, generally white people, to do what they want. As a result, if they have any problem they yell “racism”. If they don’t like someone, or someone does something they don’t like, they yell “racism”. Some people wield the word like a weapon and speak the word as if it has all this power. I often joking say, “What am I supposed to do when you say ‘racism’? . . . Am I supposed to get on my knee’s and tremble with fear?” How some people use the word like a weapon is almost comical at times. But its clear that they use it because its a means to manipulate people. As a result, many motives for using the word “racism” has nothing to do with race at all but, rather, it is motivated by the desire to manipulate people and the system. Over the years this has become a great an horrible abuse. People are flinging the word around like its going out of style.

10-Its become overused and abused

I’ve always said that the story of “the little boy who cried wolf” fits well with racism. In that story a boy, a shepherd I believe, keeps crying “wolf!” for fun, to watch the people come to his aid. He does this so often that people no longer believe it. And then, one day, he actually see’s a wolf and cries “wolf!” for real. But no one comes. People no longer believe his cry is real. The version I recall hearing is that he is killed by the wolf. This same situation is seen with racism, at least for me. I always say, “I think people have cried racism a little bit too often, and falsely, to the point that I can’t believe it anymore”. It has been overused and abused too much.

Racism has become a means of manipulation of other people, society, the law, and politics. Many people have found that when they use the word people respond their way. As a result, if they want something done they just go around saying “racism . . . racism . . . racism”. Its almost like yelling “rape!”

In addition, if one looks closely one can see that many claims of “racism” has nothing whatsoever to do with race. Oftentimes, they are common problems seen all over the world. But they use “racism” to make things in their favor. In order to do this they need to associate the problem with the ideas of racism. They do this often by “making a racial out of it”. They literally drag race into a problem that, in normal situations, would have nothing to do with race.

In these way, racism has gone way beyond a statement of a problem . . . its become an abuse. The fact is that, for many of us, the word “racism” is losing its believability. Like “the little boy who cried wolf” it is just being used too often for ridiculous reasons.

An effect of this is that it has made the defining of racism unclear. I often want to ask people “so what do you define racism as?” Personally, I don’t think a lot of people who use the word could define it that well. Racism has become so overused and abused that people use it for all sorts of complaints and problems. Its like a “blame-all” term.

11-It’s often used as a means to override basic principles of law

In many cases, people saying the word “racism” use it in the context that it is supposed to override basic principles of law. In other words, they use it as if it’s a free license to not have to obey the principles of law.

In particular, the principles of law it tries to override are:

• That people are innocent until proven guilty
• That an accusation needs to be substantiated with proof

By using the word “racism” it is assumed that it gives “free license” to do these things:

• To assume people are automatically guilty
• That you don’t need to prove your accusation

In these ways, it has become an abuse of basic principles of law. It’s caused endless free and false accusations. People are accused of “racism” like it’s going out of style and for just about anything . . . and they don’t need to even substantiate it! This means that just about anything can be considered “racist”. It only needs the desire and inclination of the person making the accusation.

What particularly bothers me is that no one calls people on these accusations. That is to say, no one says, “where’s your proof”” or “can you substantiate that claim?’ and such.

12-It associated with situations that are very unique

More specifically, ideas of racism, at least in the US, is associated with two unique situations:

1. The holocaust. The idea of racism, as we see it now in the US, is greatly influenced by the holocaust. There are several important things associated with this: The holocaust is when the Nazi’s deliberately tried to exterminate the Jewish people or race and that the Nazi’s preached that they were the “superior race”. These create a point of view of “one race, who thinks its superior, trying to kill another race”. This point of view is seen a lot with racism. This is why they of speak of things like White Supremacy . . . a reference to the Nazi superior race idea . . . and how one race is trying to destroy, degrade, etc. another race. Its like they are often trying to use the holocaust and Nazi’s as the model of the problems between people. The fact is that the holocaust is a unique situation and, as a result, does not reflect most scenarios of conflict between people. The use of it as a model is only going to cause misconceptions and misunderstandings.
2. Black people in the US. A lot, but not all, of racism is used in regard to black people in the US, at least that’s what I generally hear. The fact is that the problems of the black people in the US does not represent the problems between people in general. In fact, the problems of the black people aren’t even representative of the problems of most of the people in the US. Like the holocaust, the situation of the black people is very unique. As a result, it cannot be used as a model nor be used as representative of problems between peoples. Like the holocaust, the use of it as a model is only going to cause misconceptions and misunderstandings.

Both of these are unique situations that are so unique that they cannot be used as a general all-explaining “model” of how to interpret problems between people. But, yet, many people use them.

The overall result

Some effects of all this includes:

• All this has made the term “racism” unbelievable and, frankly, ridiculous to the point that I have begun to associate the word “racism” with a comedy. Every time I hear it I want to say “now what?” or “what’s next?”. I’ve written an article in which I have collected many ridiculous claims of “racism”, as well as other things: Some examples of the absurd claims of hatism . . . finding hatred, malicious intent, and other sinister motives in things . . . the “mood of insecurity and oversensitivity” and the creation of the “hatists world”. Take a look at some of what they are calling “racist” and get a good laugh. Over the years I found that its good to joke about things. When I was looking at the feminists I joked about the “feminist insanity . . . what new oppression are they going to find today?” Now, I often make this joke: “With the The Black Lives Matter Comedy I find that, whenever I wake up in the morning, I look forward to discovering what new thing they will find as racist”. Sometimes I add stuff like this: “Wait, let me guess . . . the west direction is racist. This is because the pioneers migrated west . . . and they were white. That makes the west direction racist!” Another one is: “One day they will claim the sun is racist. This is because the sun makes a persons skin color change . . . that’s racist!” These jokes shows how the term “racism” is no longer believable to me and its actually become ridiculous.
• The effect of all this is that the term “racism” becomes what I’d describe as a “name-calling that pretends to be an authoritative explanation”. People going around calling each other “racists”, almost like they are using it as a weapon, but yet it does not explain it or offer any solutions. In many ways, calling someone a “racist” is really a variation of calling someone an “ass” or a “son of a bitch” but the difference is that it pretends at being an explanation and this supposed explanation is supposed to somehow endow it with authority. In this way, “racism” has a quality of a “pretend authority” with it. This has caused it to be extensively used and, subsequently, abused.
• Because of all these problems I’ve repetitively stated that we need to start putting using new words and explanations. This is basically saying that we need to move beyond the post WWII and Cold War world of the last century and quit thinking as if we are living in that time. A statement I’ve often said is: “I think that it would be best to quit using these old 20th century words and ideas and reflect on what it is that is really being complained about and then put it in new words”. To me, using words like “racism” is like being stuck in the 20th century.

A GREAT CORRUPTION

The word “racism” was a good idea, many decades ago. But it has been greatly corrupted and distorted and abused to the point that it can’t be believed anymore. There are two groups of people, from my observation, which have caused this corruption:

1. Liberals. These are usually white people, and are often female, and who usually take views coming from the hippie movement.
2. Black people in the US. These are not all black people but a segment of the black population. The more fanatical ones, it seems, are located in large cities.

I’ve often wondered whose done the worst damage. I think both have but in different ways. The liberals supplied the justifications and gave it authority (basing it on American democratic ideals). The black people took what the liberals created and used it blaming and accusation people. In a sense, they worked together to corrupt the idea and distort it all out of shape.

The “racist distortion”

What all the problems above have created is what I sometimes call the “racist distortion”. This is basically a very unrealistic and false view of the problems between people which has been created by the use of the one word “racism”. Some causes of this are a direct result of the problems describe above and include:

• It automatically assumes race is the cause of problems
• It automatically assumes people are motivated by hatred
• Its based on pre-determined points of view that generally do not reflect the current situation
• It does not take into consideration other things and conditions
• Much of this distortion is based on unique situations in history that do not reflect common scenarios: the holocaust and black people in the US.

In these ways, the word “racism” has created a whole distortion about the problems between people. In my opinion, the continued use of this word is causing a lot of problems and misconceptions about problems between people as well as people intentions.

“RACITIS”

All this has made me come up with the joke name, “racitis”. This is the combination of “race” and “-itis”, an infection. I would describe it as a mentality which has qualities such as these:

• It see’s race as the sole cause for problems
• It assumes that people automatically hate people just because of their race
• It makes a racial issue out of everything

Because of these things, a person with “racitis” can see no other cause for things than race and the assumed hatred of people because of their race. They do not see, nor even consider, that there may be other causes for things. They are obsessed with race, fanatical about it. It becomes the “one answer”, the “one explanation”, the only way to explain anything. As a result, this mentality becomes like a disease . . . they see race as the cause for everything and, accordingly, they see it everywhere and in everything. The result of this is that it develops a life of its own and gets out of control . . . everything is racist!

I would even venture to say that, for some people, “racitis” has taken on qualities of a mental illness. I sometimes wonder if we should consider it a mental illness(???). This “mental illness” has qualities such as:

• Obsession. The question of “race” completely dominates their thoughts
• Fixation. They have a fixation on the idea and they use it as a basis in interpreting everything.
• Paranoia. People who take this point of view tend to be paranoid, thinking that people are against them.
• Disruption of social relations. Taking this point of view tends to cause a disruption of ones association with other people and can create unnecessary conflict with people.

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEMS BETWEEN PEOPLES

The idea of racism, in my opinion, does not, in any way, reveal anything about the problems between people nor does it give a realistic image of why they happen or give any insight about it. My observation is that there are many forms of problems between peoples. By “peoples” I mean a group of people, that are defined by specific qualities, which can become pitted against other “peoples” for some reason or another. This means its a reference to social problems, not the problems of individual people. These “peoples” can be appear in many different ways, such as:

• Different nationalities
• Different cultures
• Different religions or belief systems
• Different social stations” (such as peasant/aristocrat) and a difference in wealth (rich/poor)
• Different places where they live

And so on. This means, of course, that there are many variations of conflicts between peoples. To localize conflicts between people based solely on race is narrow minded and overly simplistic.

My observation is that the problems between peoples is a vary complex situation. It cannot be explained in a single word or even in a single sentence. It is sometimes hard, and even impossible, to explain these problems. There are so many variables, situations, conditions, and such that its very hard, at times, to determine what’s going on. Not only that, there often develop many different points of view and interpretations. Some problems develop “schools of thought” that explain these problems, which often are contradictory.

I’ve also found that many problems between peoples can’t be solved. In fact, I’d be inclined to say that this is a very common scenario. It seems, to me, that many problems between people, once developed, tend to go in a number of directions, none of which solves the problem. These include:

• It breaks out in open conflict and even violence
• There is an endless never ending tension between the peoples
• The problems become tolerated and endured
• They separate themselves so that they are not close to each other

These describe realities in the real world.

Often, many problems between peoples are “solved” because they are basically forgotten. This can be caused by things such as:

• Time
• The rise of a new era that interprets things differently
• The appearance of new conditions
• The appearance of new problems and conflicts

I often think that things, such as these, are often the way that most problems are “solved” in the real world.

THE PROBLEM OF AMERICAS IDEALISTIC NOTIONS

Many people in the US have idealistic notions that don’t work. These include:

• There is this idea of “everyone living in harmony”. This comes from the ideals of Christianity and its political democratic ideals. My observation, though, is that these are ideals and do not really reflect the real world reality. Some Americans think that this is supposed to automatically happen and are upset when it doesn’t happen.
• There is the idea that problems between people can solved by “education”. That is to say, people are taught that “this or that is bad” and this is supposed to end the problems. This ideal comes from Christianity, which was based in the conversion, or “education”, of people to Christian belief. This would later be elaborated into “education” and schooling which is an American ideal. As a result of this ideal, many Americans think that “people can be educated out of problems”. Overall, this does not work that well. Like Christianity, it may affect how people think but it doesn’t change how they feel deep down.

Overall, the US tends to think that it has this magical ability to solve problems between people. This, no doubt, comes from the ideas of democracy, the worship of the “people”, and the view that the US is the “melting pot of the world”. These give many Americans the idea that America can solve peoples problems. The evidence, of course, is that this is not the case. The US has no “magic wand” to solve peoples problems.

THE RESPECT OF PROBLEMS

My years of looking at the problems between peoples has taught me to respect the problems between different peoples. This means a number of things:

• To not be too judgmental
• Try to understand why people do the things they do
• To understand that people generally have good reasons to feel the way they do (for example, people don’t just go around “hating people”)
• In many problems I’ve found that both sides, generally, are correct . . . in their own way
• There must also be a respect peoples “bad feelings” for problems and other people

A significant aspect of this is that, in a conflict between people, seldom is one people “completely right”. In this way, many problems could not be solved in a court of law. It often can’t be resolved by restitution, punishment, etc. This is one reason why many problems between people “linger” and often last centuries . . . they can’t be resolved. I’ve often said that “when there is an ongoing conflict between peoples it means that they are both right, in their own way and, because of this, the conflict cannot be resolved”.

HOW DO I LOOK AT PROBLEMS BETWEEN PEOPLES?

When I look at problems between peoples I do things such as:

• I take it case-by-case. In doing this I acknowledge that each situation is unique
• I don’t look at things with simplistic explanations like “racism” and “hate”
• I expect things to be complex
• I have respect for the problems on both sides
• I look for the “tension” and why its not resolvable
• I look at the “mark” and why it has appeared and how its used
• I do not make judgements of who is right or wrong

These, it seems to me, tends to give a more holistic and well-balanced understanding of the problems between people, at least from a historians point of view.

Common mistakes

It seems, to me, that there are common mistakes that happen when one looks at problems between peoples. These include:

• There is a tendency to overvalue the “mark” and neglect to look for the “tension”. For example, they look at the “mark” that people condemn, such as a persons color or weight, and assume that this is the problem. They completely neglect to look at the “tension” behind it which is, in actuality, the cause. I’ve found that when you look at problems between people you try to find the “tension” behind the “mark”. Its when you do this that you find that the “mark” is, oftentimes, a random thing that appears and is generally insignificant in itself.
• There is a tendency to base everything on a single “model” of what’s going on. A common version of this in the US comes from Christianity. This religion, of course, preaches love and is against hate. As a result, there is a tendency for some people, brought up in this tradition, to blame everything on hate. No matter what happens its caused by hate.
• There is a tendency to be judgmental and condemn whoever is viewed as “bad” or “wrong”. A person cannot really understand peoples problems while being judgmental.
• There is a tendency to assume that things are motivated by “evil motives”. As I said above, my observation is that people have good reasons for feeling the way they do. This means that things are not really motivated by “evil motives”.

It seems that, to avoid these mistakes, I often find that I go through a process:

1. I look at things as if they are both right
2. I then try to understand how they think differently
3. I then see how the two different patterns of thinking conflicts
4. I then see how all this contributes to the result

This often helps to avoid these mistakes.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE EFFECTS OF CONFLICT BETWEEN PEOPLE: THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE NAZI’S AND MANY BLACK PEOPLE IN THE U.S.

It seems, to me, that there a similarity between the Nazi’s and many black people in the US. They describe a conflict between people and an interesting reaction to this conflict. Not only that, both of these conflicts have been greatly misunderstood, in my opinion, because of the use of words like “hate” and “race”.

The Nazi’s

Over the years I’ve heard a lot about the Nazi’s. Its all bad, of course, and judgmental. As a historian, one cannot do this as it tends to distort everything. If I look at things in a “real world” sense, as to what actually happened, a different image appears. We need to put things on a “human level”, not on a judgmental or condemning level. I was always told that the Nazi’s were evil, bad, and so on. But, when I actually look at it, this is not the case. I’ll try to put it down as simply as I can.

What I see is a country that had these things happen to it:

• Psychological – They had been humiliated by defeat in WWI
• Material well being – The economy collapsed

There was great despair in the population. As a “defense” they did these things:

• Maintaining their dignity – They over-glorified themselves, fashioned themselves as the “superior race”
• The need for an enemy – They created an “enemy” who they could blame for all their problems . . . the Jews . . . which they turned into these horrible people

As time went on, and the Nazi’s succeeded in much of what they were doing, this got slowly out of control and the rest is history.

What I see, in actuality, are common reactions. Many people, in their daily lives, do similar things, even getting out of control. This does not make them right . . . or wrong. Remember, this is not a judgement. We’re trying to put things on a “human level” and explain things as human realities.

The black people in the US

As it appears to me, the black people in the US are in a somewhat similar positions that the Nazi’s were in and, interestingly, had a similar reaction:

• Psychological – The black people were enslaved and mistreated
• Material well being – They were usually poor and not materially well off

This caused a need for a “defense”. Because conditions were different the “defense” appeared in a different way:

• Maintaining their dignity – They fashioned themselves as “victims”, “oppressed by racism” or “oppressed by white people”
• The need for an enemy – They blame racism and white people for all their problems

And, just like the Nazi’s, many black people have gotten out of control with their accusations of racism and blame. They, of course, have not gone to the extreme the Nazi’s have.

But, for some black people, the need for “defense” can come very close to imitating the Nazi’s. Take a look at this: https://pulitzercenter.org/sites/default/files/full_issue_of_the_1619_project.pdf. Look at some of the statements from this “1619 project”:

• “In August of 1619, a ship appeared on this horizon, near Point Comfort, a coastal port in the British colony of Virginia. It carried more than 20 enslaved Africans, who were sold to the colonists. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed.”
• “Our founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were written. Black Americans fought to make them true. Without this struggle, America would have no democracy at all.”
• “What if America understood, finally, in this 400th year, that we have never been the problem but the solution?”

They are basically saying:

• That this country is founded on slavery which places them “on top”, so to speak
• That black people created this countries ideals
• That black people are the answer to this countries problems

Wow! As a historian that is the most narrow minded way of looking at things I’ve ever seen. I have never seen such a one-sided way to look at a country in my life. Some of the problems it has include these things:

• It completely neglects many other things that have contributed to this country
• It overemphasizes the influence of black people
• It paints the rest of the American population as “bad people”
  

The whole mentality of the “1619 project” is not unlike the Nazi’s in that it preaches such things as:

• An “enemy” (white people)
• A “superiority” (that black people are what this country is about)

What we see, then, is a similarity between the mentality of some black people and the Nazi’s.

It seems, to me, that the Jews, for the Nazi’s, is basically comparable to racism to many black people. It is the “explain-all” of all their problems. It is the scapegoat, the explanation, the excuse for all their problems. For the Nazi’s its all the Jews fault. For many black people, its racism that is at fault. As a result, both of these are used to the extreme and to great excess to the point of ridiculousness. If one looks at the Nazi’s blaming of the Jews one can see how ridiculous that got . . . totally absurd. If one looks at the claims of racism by many black people it has the same quality (for some examples see my article Some examples of the absurd claims of hatism . . . finding hatred, malicious intent, and other sinister motives in things).

What it all means

An important thing it shows is that these are reactions to a greater conflict that goes beyond “hatred” and “race”. For example, the Nazi’s were not motivated out of hatred for the Jewish people. They fashioned, in their mind, that they were the cause for their problems which has nothing to do with the Jewish people. In this way, the Jewish people were, in a sense, the scapegoats for these problems. Therefore, a person cannot say that the Nazi’s were motivated strictly and solely out of hatred for the Jewish people. This is a good example which shows that simple words like “hate” and “racism” are deceiving and do not give any insight into the greater conflict.

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Copyright by Mike Michelsen