Sunday, 26 March 2017

.JUST PHILOSOPHISING - ON STATES OF BEING. RACIST. PART 2.



We could see this incipient inverted racism amongst our own ethnic groups, as the beginning of the probably more pernicious racism which we do or can develop and display towards other ethnic groups.

And how do we display our racism? Quite simply, we think less of the people who do not share our ethnic characteristics, and think of 'our group' as being better than then. 

Of being superior to them, not necessarily intellectually, culturally and societally, but in terms of our physical attributes



There are times when black and minority ethnic people can become annoyed and resentful of debates about racism being expanded to include the issue of gender, class and sexism. 

While this annoyance is sometimes understandable. Such as when it is being used to deflect attention from the subject matter. 

For example, when the inclusion of sexism and genderism or LGBT issues are being used by white participants, to avoid having to face the uncomfortableness of discussing racism. 

However, there are times when it is really valid for the debate to be inclusive of other forms of discrimination.





This, in my view, is because it really is the case that the theorists and the architects of hierarchical categorisation of us humans. Have really built up a comprehensive inventory, which covers both 'intra and inter-racial' factors. 

Consequently, while the African is placed at the bottom of the hierarchy, within the European 'racial' hierarchical premis. 

In Europe, historically, the 'master-servant', 'educated-uneducated classes', the 'landed gentry-nobility. 

The peasants-artisan classes' 'male - female' stratification have all been use to differentiate relative values of different Europeans.


The differences between how the African slave and the ordinary or 'common European' was treated, was dependant on where they were living, and their particular circumstances. 

It is quite likely that, for the 'ordinary people', the difference between their daily struggle to make a living, and the lives of the African slaves, would be one of degrees, rather than one of qualitatively opposites. 

To be continued.






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