Does Racism Exist or is There an Underlying Sociocultural Paradigm

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   gmwilliamsposted 24 months ago

   
   There have been countless discussions about the racial system in the United States.  The conventional wisdom is that there is a certain racial group which is responsible for the oppression of other racial groups in terms of sociopolitical, sociocultural, & socioeconomic access.  However, let's look into the paradigm of these racial groups- each racial group has their own paradigm & inculcate their individual societies regarding the rules of their particular paradigm.  Your thoughts on this?

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      Readmikenowposted 24 months agoin reply to this

      I have a black friend who is very financially successful.
      
      His skill is his ability to sell.
      
      You know what he told me about being successful?
      
      "The only color that matters in making money is green.  If you can get a company the most green, they won't care if you paint yourself yellow with blue trim because they will only notice the green."
      
      I think there is wisdom in that statement.

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2. 90

   Stephen Tomkinsonposted 24 months ago

   Grace, if you're right in saying that each racial group inculcates its individual society regarding the rules of its particular paradigm, then we have parallel societies operating within one system. This may be true but suggests that multiculturalism is dead in the water. There can, in this case, be no melting pot.
   Readmikenow gives an example of a friend who operates successfully in society but, if you are correct, he will still be operating under his culture's rules.
   Is there common ground that we can agree on? Can we really understand a different paradigm?

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3. 85

   Misbah786posted 24 months ago

   I never understood the story behind "skin color", and why does it really matter?
   Why is a lighter skin tone preferred? All shades and hues tell different stories, and skin color is no exception. It's not racism; rather, it's colorism; I wish there were more skin colors like pink, blue, orange, green, and so on. Like people nowadays like to paint their hair. We could hate more colors if there were more skin colors to choose from rather than just one. As an Asian, I am aware of how Asian men and women work hard to apply whitening creams to their faces in order to become one or two shades lighter than their skin color, despite the fact that they are brown, not black. I despise anything that teaches us to hate. I believe we humans are not satisfied with anything. Man is greedy by nature, he needs anything he doesn't have, and that is why God has shown us some greedy goals that we hope to achieve in heaven. Lol! Well, one of my black friends, who is my neighbor, said to me the other day, "Blacks are in fashion nowadays," and I asked her, "really, how?" she said," Have you noticed how big marketing brands like Zara, Body Shop, Massimo Dutti, Sephora, Dior, and others are hiring more black male and female models?" 
   
   I believe that color is only in our minds and that racism, colorism, sexism, and ageism, as well as all the other horrible words that end with "-ism," should come to an end.
   
   Humanity is above all, and no religion teaches us to despise people based on their skin color. I wrote a poem about it once. Here's the link; I'm not promoting myself, but I think it's partly related to the issue, so I'm sharing; if it's a promotion, well, then it's shameless promotion, LOL!
   
   The Rainbow Brothers
   
   
   The Forgotten Promises
   
   Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color- Unknown
   
   No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. – Nelson Mandela
   
   In the end, I think if closed minds, also had closed mouths, the world would be a more peaceful place to live in.
   
   Best wishes and Blessings to all!!

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      Stephen Tomkinsonposted 24 months agoin reply to this

      If only there were more people like you, Misbah. Unfortunately, you are in a minority.

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         Misbah786posted 24 months agoin reply to this

         Thank you, Steve. I believe there are many more and much better people than myself. People simply do not like to listen to them. You know,  when you're the sanest person in the room, you look like the only insane person. I believe you, too, are a member of the minority group.
         
         Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).
         — Mark Twain
         
         Blessings to you!!

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      Jodahposted 24 months agoin reply to this

      Misbah, I have never read a greater argument against prejudice, of color and all the other ‘isms. You included the perfect quotes to support your argument as well. I totally agree with every word. Blessing to you.

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         Misbah786posted 24 months agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much for your kindness and support, dear John.
         Many Blessings to you too.

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      Credence2posted 24 months agoin reply to this

      Good point. I grew in an era where bleaching crimes were in vogue. We had also all that "good hair/bad hair stuff. The nappier the hair, the more it was characterized as "bad". Such was the basis of lye based straightening cremes and the advent of the "konk". These products were still available in the Carribean when I visited there many years ago.
      
      It comes down to the "guns, steel and germs argument, white Europeans as part of their conquests took more than territory, they took the self esteem of the conquered as well, as part and parcel of "total defeat". And it is startling as to how ubiquitous it is. While I was in Panama, people denied their blackness when they were as black as a skillet. While watching "novellas" from Brazil and Argentina, the dearth of dark skinned characters was quite apparent.
      
      Centuries ago, this was all set in motion as a method to subjugate people into hating themselves. And it looked like it worked pretty well.....
      
      It has only been in recent times that we moved away from this, at least in America, to some degree.
      
      Interesting line of argument, thanks....

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         Misbah786posted 24 months agoin reply to this

         There's a lot of food for thought here. Credence, thank you so much for your very interesting response.
         Stay blessed!!

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