Some thoughts on racism
Most people want to end racism, including me. Ending racism is not controversial, as some conclude merely because there is disagreement on its scope and solution.
We’ll never completely eradicate racism because as long as there are people with hearts unchanged by the transforming power of God there will be racists. But we can go a long way towards reducing the effects of it, and the first step should be promoting understanding of what racism is.
What is racism?
Racism is defined as: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Or: racial prejudice or discrimination. So it’s a particular belief or attitude of a person towards others of a different race.
But many today are promoting the position that “racist acts are defined by their impact, not their intent.” This shifts the object to which the descriptor “racist” can be applied from a cause (a person) to an effect, which is a huge difference. So on this definition any action taken by a person or system that has a negative impact on blacks can therefore be deemed racist.
This seems to me a crucial distinction that is driving a lot of the misunderstanding and conflict. It’s why the Black Lives Matter movement feels justified in declaring systemic racism as indisputable, and why others cry foul.
So if we hope to make any progress on racism we first need to agree on what it is.
I’m not racist
Another point of contention is the charge (or at least implication) that all whites are racist…we just don’t know it. I acknowledge that I can have an attitude, inclination, or belief that prompts something I say or do without my being conscious of it being a factor at the time. And even that I have had prejudicial thoughts about blacks in the past.
But I do not believe the white race is superior to any other race, and have not engaged in nor do I support discrimination based on race. So I am not a racist. Yet I’m being asked to “give black people the benefit of the doubt when we call out racism.” I am asking them to call out injustice without assuming it’s racism. Because racism is not an effect; it is a cause, which they cannot necessarily perceive accurately.
I also can acknowledge that my being white spares me from some things many blacks experience, and that is a privilege. But though I can and should work to eliminate injustices, I shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for something I have no control over.
Dismissing doubters and diversity
As I indicated at the top, many on the left seem to think that if we question any part of their narrative or proposals regarding racism then we must not care about it, or about black people. That’s just not true, and it’s an unfair assumption that inhibits progress in improving black lives. If a person or a movement is close-minded to any view or evidence that conflicts with their position, they’re less likely to have an accurate evaluation of the problem or an effective solution.
Many on the left even disregard or dismiss the voices and views of black people who disagree with their narrative. How is that legitimate? Treating blacks as a monolithic victim group with a single shared perspective is demeaning to them and exclusionary. Aren’t we supposed to be all about diversity?
Well, I’ve got a half-page of notes to address yet…good cop, bad cop…BLM goals…context…whataboutism…objective morality…fatherhood…and more. I hope you’ll stay tuned.
Here’s where I stand on this whole issue. First, race itself is a social construct. Prior to the 1800s, race wasn’t a thing. There were different ethnic or people groups, but no one really focused on skin color as a dividing line between “us” and “them”. Even in Scripture, there is mention of different people groups who didn’t get along. Consider that the Greeks and Scythians didn’t like each other, and the Jews held Gentiles in low regard, especially the Samaritans. Yet, most of these groups had the same, if not similar, skin color. The Samaritans were even known to be of partial-Jewish heritage, so essentially the same ethnic group, and the Jews still hated them.
Second, as race is a social construct, it is immaterial to physical reality. The fact of the matter is that this is a social construct that was developed in order to support the idea that one people group can be justified in enslaving people from another people group based upon things like their skin color and supposed intellectual superiority. Darwin is the original white supremacist, but no one wants to talk about that. If we want racism to go away, we should follow the advice of Morgan Freeman, and stop talking about it.
Given all of that, I am of the firm belief that the concept of race needs to go the way of the dinosaur. There is only one race, that’s the human race, and the sooner we can all acknowledge that fact, the better. Once we get rid of the idea of race, and the us vs them mentality it creates, we can set about healing the wounds that exist between different ethnic groups, because those are very real and very palpable.
Of course, that’s just step one. The next step is adopting a cold, dispassionate historical perspective on things like war, conquest, and slavery in human history. Without such a perspective, people will be unable to look beyond the grievances of their own people groups to those of the others. We are commanded in Scripture to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Without the common ground brought about by such a historical perspective, no one will be able to follow that command.
I’ll finish up by paraphrasing something Dr. Voddie Baucham said in a speech he gave regarding racial reconciliation. He said that we are ALL the same color, just different shades of it. We are all variations of the same theme, one made in the image of God. We can either acknowledge this fact and prosper, or we can remain focused on whose skin has more pigmentation in it and continue to watch the world burn.
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In the talk Baucham gave that I watched the other day he said it was good and proper to celebrate your ethnicity, so I think we need to be careful not to think we should not “see color.” That offends many black people.
And of course race is not just a social construct, it’s a physical characteristic. And racism is at root a spiritual characteristic. We need God to do a mighty work in this country to root it out, using those of us who claim to know him.
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