"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
-Excerpt from "I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it eloquently, yet somehow over the past few decades, his words have been misinterpreted. In order to truly judge a man by the content of his character and not the color of his skin, one must ignore the latter so that the former remains unbiased. If we do not follow this path of thinking, then the racial unrest in this great country will never end.
But how can we go about deprogramming the nation when it seems almost dependent upon a system of imaginary classification? To start, we must stop the use of prefixes like African-American, Asian-American, German-American, in all aspects of the media. We must alter our educational system and teach all students that every man is indeed created equal, because every man is in fact, the same.
The current trend toward acceptance and/or equal promotion of races is not a valid solution. The recognition of race is the root of racism. You can’t end what you simultaneously perpetuate. Categorization is identical to segregation and until people stop seeing and referring to each other, and themselves, with labels such as "black" or "white", then true harmony will never be achieved.
Race only exist if you choose to acknowledge it. There is no basis for classification other than shallow, inadequate observations. Most of the time, infallible differences such as nationality and ethnicity are often confused with the concept of race. This is nothing more than a simple matter of public confusion.
The criterion for determining nationality is a matter of listing the nation in which a person is born. As for ethnicity, there are only three classifications into which the entire human population fits into; Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid. An article titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion" at PBS.org offers further clarification, stating that:
"Race is a modern idea - it hasn't always been with us. In ancient times, language, religion, status, and class distinctions were more important than physical appearance. In America, a set of specific historical circumstances led to the world's first race-based slave system.
The concept of race did not originate with science. On the contrary, science emerged in the late 18th century and helped validate existing racial ideas and "prove" a natural hierarchy of groups. Throughout our history, the search for racial differences has been fueled by preconceived notions of inferiority and superiority. Even today, scientists are influenced by their social context.
Ideas and definitions of race have changed over time, depending on social and political climate. Historically, racial categories were not neutral or objective. Groups were differentiated so they could be excluded or disadvantaged, often in explicit ways. For example, in the early 20th century, U.S. courts had to decide who was legally white and who wasn't for the purposes of naturalized citizenship. This was done in arbitrary and sometimes contradictory ways."
Race is little more than a religion in the Unites States. Looking at the number of followers, race is in fact, the largest religion in the country. Like all religions, many people feel it defines who they are as a person. These beliefs are passed on, from one generation to the next. Some citizens go so far as to believe that there is some deeply rooted significance in establishing and maintaining a so-called, “racial identity”. Some are even willing to kill and die for these unenlightened views.
It is crucial to note that in order for a society to offer genuine equality, certain measures must be taken to insure objectivity. Social Security numbers could, and should be the primary identifier used to perform background checks for employment and education, followed by transcripts, test scores and other unbiased sources of information. Only when people are assessed by their achievements and credentials, will they get a fair chance. Like many other aspects of our society, technology has made it easier. Exams and applications, if given solely online would allow institutions and corporations to accept the top percentile, and generate a diverse workforce without having to resort to quotas.
Some of the strongest advocates of race are such because of fear. Fear of change. Fear of progress. Even fear of losing one’s heritage. The knowledge of one's origins is indeed developmentally significant; however the idea of a shared heritage is a much more beneficial philosophy, and one that must be adopted by the present generation. The widespread belief that in order for something to be special, then it must be scarce, is simply untrue. If something is legitimately special, then quantity has no bearing on its value.
One of the primary arguments against miscegenation or "inter-racial" marriage was that it leads to the dissolution of culture. This theory is extremely flawed as it makes more sense, especially in terms of cultural continuation, to "mix" marry as much as possible. Spread the history, rituals, and traditions across all lines and boundaries.
No American will ever be free from the bonds of racial discrimination and prejudice until the rejection of race as a concept is applied and accepted by every one living within the borders of the United States. We will be able to mend the damage caused by racists and bigots. Their long-standing perpetuation of racial concepts, hatred and exclusion can end. It is our responsibility to realize the full potential of this great land.
© Copyright 2008 by AxisofLogic.com
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