Why Black People Don’t Hate White People

They say love is an action, therefore, is hate not an action? The difference between racism and prejudice is thus action, racism being an act or practice of hatred, and prejudice being a belief or feeling of hatred. I had to write this article or blog to address the idea of black people hating white people, as a friend of mine brought up the subject. It was refreshing that she felt comfortable even bringing it up and discussing the subject of race with me, as we are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and it is a topic we all need to dialogue about to address our concerns and issues if we are ever to resolve the issue of racism and prejudice in America.

I won’t repeat exactly what she said, as it may be cliché or offensive for some, but I will say for the record, black people in general don’t hate white people. The reasons why are profound to say the least, but it’d be absurd to hate an entire race based on the actions of their ancestors, especially if they do not hold or practice their belief system. As the old adage goes, “The sins of the father become the sins of the son,” and they no less suffer for it by affiliation alone, whether the notions are their own or not; but as we all know, behavior is learned, belief systems are systematically passed down the kinship line with merely a thought. When you think about your religion, it was inherited more times than not, your race, -an inheritance…much like the beliefs and parables of your parents -their thought process once justified to you, is too adopted, without a blink of an eye, because you trust them wholeheartedly. To question their viewpoints is to the likes of questioning God, and nobody dare questions the Almighty. So too racism and hatred and prejudiced are passed on, further justified or personified by experiences, or perceptions.

There are many reasons the majority of blacks don’t hate white people. I can only detail my beliefs and experience on the matter, but I am sure most have their own reasons. How many of us have a white relative in our bloodline due to miscegenation or interracial marriage? Some believe Stockholm syndrome is the reason some blacks are still beholden to whites, and of course this belief system is passed down to future generations. Imagine 300 plus years of captivity… and the influence of Stockholm syndrome on the black mindset. Even simple still is being humane or of moral and upright character, adopting the laws or doctrines of ones’ religion for example, to love your enemies, to love everyone as you would want them to love you. I can go on and on, but to get to the main premise, with hate being an action, the majority of black people don’t hate white people despite their morality, kinship or brainwashing, because we are powerless to take action against white people on the whole, as was done to us in the past and even today, when you look at statistics and history, it’s blatantly obvious. Black people didn’t burn stakes on white peoples’ lawns, didn’t lynch or castrate white people, didn’t take white people from their home of origin on ships, chained and stocked like cattle, didn’t brand or sell white people on the auction block, didn’t separate white families, didn’t spray white people with water hoses or sick dogs on white people, didn’t create the ploy to implant drugs in white communities, didn’t create gerrymandering to keep white people in their place so to speak, didn’t have to create a system of affirmative action for white people because the job industry was discriminatory, etc., etc. Black people don’t hold the reins, and if they did I’m not so sure they’d be likely to dress up like ghosts to perform such rites to stay in power. Black people have not subjected whites throughout the ages we have been present in America, to acts of hatred, – racism.

It may seem like a list of some of the things blacks should hate whites for, but maybe only to those who have white guilt. Me personally, if I was white, I wouldn’t feel that way, as for how and why should I be accountable for actions that were not personally mine, for actions I had no hand in, for actions I could not prevent single handedly? Culturally, when it comes to race we’re categorized on the whole, which means we are defined by every stereotype and condemnation of our race, but the truth is, we are all individuals, and just as I feel Fetty Wap or Obama, for example, don’t define who I am personally, or what I believe in, nor give lineage to my experience as a black person, why should a white person adopt any form of guilt in an equation they had no hand in? It’s not to say I don’t take pride in Obama being president, or can’t relate to his experience, it’s not to say Fetty Wap makes me want to give up my black card, and not have any affiliation with him, they are a part of my people, a people I am proud to be a part of more often than not, but there has to be a point when you have to own who you are, apart from your people or race, and accept that you have a differing belief system, and shouldn’t be defined by their actions if it goes against your very being, existence or nature. We are all individuals first. The bigger question is how much does and should our race define us?

To eradicate racism, prejudice and white guilt, you have to as an individual know what you stand for, or like Malcolm X said, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” That should be your defining characteristic: what you stand for, whether that makes one a racist or not is up to you to decide. But in summarizing why the majority of black people don’t hate white people, would ultimately lead to another article, which I will write when time and conscious permit, but it can be defined best by Sun Tzu’s quote from The Art of War, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

PEW. Workneh, Lily. Huffington Post. (2016). PEW Statistics: Black Skepticism on Racial Equality. (Info Graphic). Retrieved August 7, 2016 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/6-eye-opening-facts-about-how-differently-black-and-white-people-view-race_us_5773f678e4b0eb90355d1234