Last night, I got myself into a heated debate with a guy who doesn't believe in equality.
We were talking about my plans for when I graduate university and after telling him what field I plan to go into (ethnic equality work, particularly focusing on conflict resolution), I was brought face to face with one of the most difficult challenges I will face in the field.
He described my plan as pointless because in London there is no racism and that people shouldn't have to speak to someone of a different ethnicity if they don't want to.
I was dumbstruck. But tried to keep my cool and talk through the problems with him; that we should all be able to live together peacefully and get along.
There was no changing his mind though, he was 100% adamant that racism does not exist in London and there is no point to equality work because where the problem lies is with the government's welfare system. Which regarding the government, I had to give to him.
The government's system isn't flawless and does need work to ensure that all people are receiving what is necessary to meet basic living standards in the UK. He also highlighted that there are many people out there trying to con the system, which indisputably is a problem. Equal allocation of resources to those who are in need is difficult to ensure when there are individuals out there laying claim to more than what they are entitled.
However, as much as there are flaws in the government's system, it is a fair point. This however, is not a reason or an excuse to give up the fight for equality or to deny racism. Negative thought and the unwillingness to try to change things is what I could not understand. And which is part of the overall problem.
My main aim is to help lessen discrimination on the basis of one's ethnic identity. This I hope will be done by increasing the awareness of what every culture is about, so that everyone can understand and appreciate the array of cultures in British society, which do not lie at the heart of where they originate. Seeing the good within different cultures creates opportunities for others of different cultures to see what they have in common and can relate to. This common understanding of certain ways of life and acceptance of difference is what is needed for progression.
Being unable to see that, even after having a discussion about it, is the sort of negative thinking that results in backwards steps, away from integration.
My question is and to which he could not answer, why would you not want to get along with others?
Reasons why: fear, ignorance, lack of understanding, media influence, 'choice', survival in a cut-throat hierachical social system, money...
ReplyDeleteNot may people are gonna admit to that though, for fear of sounding stupid or weak willed
Stumbled across this blog post via Google... when you use the word "equality", are you proposing equality of opportunity, or equality of outcome?
ReplyDeleteI think what the fellow was saying was that to his eyes, equal opportunity was already present in London; a black person could start a business or go to college just like a white person can.
As for equal outcomes, that's like chasing a phantom. There will never be equal outcomes, as some people are smarter than others, more athletic, etc. Hopefully this point is obvious to you, so I won't say anymore.
I think he did go astray in saying that racism doesn't exist; I'm sure that it still does, it's just more subtle than it used to be-- as in, people aren't driving around lynching black people, but they are less apt to trust them.
I do think that both sides need to "play ball" however; a black man recently said that he thought my two year-old daughter-- who has zero concept of skin color or race-- was looking at him funny because he was black. If we're to move forward, at some point we need to stop obsessing over it; at some point we cross a thresh hold from oppression to victim-stancing.