The Difficult Reality of Hate
Talking about racism is complex. How did it come to be? Why is it so insidious and so difficult to tackle? We seem to gloss over the necessary conversations, the essential details, and the nuances of what makes racism a truly evil vehicle. The inherent insecurity and intrinsic inferiority felt by the perpetrators of racism—in most cases, white people—allow the vicious cycle of discrimination, violence, and oppression to continue. Why don't we ever discuss the insecurity of oppressors? In his piece "The Fire Next Time," James Baldwin says, "White people in this country will have quite enough to do in learning how to accept and love themselves and each other, and when they have achieved this…the Negro problem will no longer exist" (Baldwin 22).
What this quote represents to me transcends beyond the topic of racism, for it relates to the entirety of life. People are hateful because of this fear, and this hate—which festers in them like a burning flame—makes them bitter and pushes these individuals toward loathing others. Take, as an example, people who fear Muslims. Those individuals know nothing about Islam and focus their scope exclusively on the people who have tainted the West's view of the religion. People are too lazy to learn or educate themselves, so they take whatever the media says and run with it. Hatred is given a vehicle to spread via the mode of human laziness. If we removed this fear, which is primal, would this generational hatred still exist? I want to argue that it wouldn't. I believe that if people become more understanding, more willing to learn, the future of mankind will be blissful and harmonious. The reality, however, will never be this sweet, and that is ok. Man cannot lose his identity as the conquerer, "savior," and "destroyer of worlds." For what would he be without these accolades? He would be what he fears the most: ordinary. Oh, the horror!
When reading Baldwin's piece, I was reminded of Anti-semitism and the insidious and ancestral nature of Anti-Jewish sentiments. The interesting thing about hatred, whether toward race, creed, or gender, is that the stereotypes curated centuries ago are so difficult to erase. Their indelible nature prevents minority groups from being wholly accepted by society, or to assimilate without difficulty. As a proud Jewish woman, I have experienced random and nonsensical acts of hatred. Funny enough, a lot of the hatred, snarky comments, or stereotypical remarks made toward me about Judaism have been propertied by other Jewish people! I have always had to justify my Judaism, constantly being put on the defensive whenever another Jewish person asked me, "So, you're Jewish? How so?"
My explanation was never enough. My mother is a Russian Jew, and she went to a Yeshiva in Washington Heights! My father, on the other hand, is Roman-Catholic and Italian. I am fortunate to have been raised understanding and appreciating two beautiful religions. I am Jewish, regardless of how I was raised, and I love being Jewish. People would look at me and say, "You don't look Jewish" or "Well, you aren't really Jewish because your father isn't a Jew." Are you serious? As a Jewish person, how would you feel if someone spoke to you like that about your Judaism? It was disgusting, deplorable, and it made me feel ashamed. The stereotypes forced onto the Jewish people, particularly physical ones, have become so normalized that even people within the religion have begun to use them against one another!
In his essay "My Dungeon Shook," Baldwin recounts his brother's struggle with hateful rhetoric, stating, "he was defeated long before he died because, at the bottom of his heart, he really believed what white people said about him" (Baldwin 4). This quote is powerful, and much like the quote I used earlier, it represents an inherently human characteristic which extends beyond the confines of racism. It portrays the intrinsic need to be accepted and to fall in line with what you're told you are. If, since the dawn of time, a group is told that they're inferior to all other racial or religious groups, that trauma will be passed from generation to generation, never truly being able to resolve itself until all discrimination is terminated.
Talking about racism is hard, and that’s ok. The important thing is that the conversation needs to start, and once it has started then awareness will follow. Without open, calm discussion about hate of all kinds, there will never be a foreseeable end to this treacherous cycle of oppression. Racism, much like Anti-semitism and Islamophobia, stems from inherent biases and fear. Some people don’t have the means to learn from a neutral source, others simply choose not to educate themselves because it’s easier. “Ignorance is bliss,” right? Fear, however, is not. Mans insecurity and intrinsic inferiority complex should not be the problem of those who are different than him! He will no longer be “death, the destroyer of worlds.”