How to Deal with Racism
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Photo courtesy The Platform/Raashid Riza
The Lord Buddha once said “When someone fires an arrow into you, you don’t try and find out who fired the arrow and what they are all about. You concentrate on getting that arrow out.”
What do we do to combat against racism and stereotyping we see so much of in our society? We think that those who spew such hate are a minority and that their opinions and actions are not representative of the majority that wants to co-exist and live in peace. So do we let things be or fight back? What is the best way to deal with racism?
By thinking that we cannot change things, that certain situations in life are beyond us and that we must leave that to elected officials, we do what we unfortunately do best. We let people (usually with hidden interests) manipulate our emotions and pull wool over our eyes. So we react. Reacting requires less thinking and more importantly, less questioning.
Those that hold racist views say what they need to, those that don’t agree react and then our collective anger is used against us because we validate what they say. Anger is a weapon only to your opponent. It will be used against you. Anger makes us use more emotion and less logic.
If someone insults or ridicules you, your faith, your race or just about anything, don’t react, respond. You see, reacting is exactly what the other side wants you to do. By refusing to react, by being patient, by having a sense of humor, by trying to understand why the other side thinks that way and more than that, having an unfailing belief in god and karma, that is how one should respond to whomever attempts to hurt you. It takes two hands to clap and if one side doesn’t take the bait, you know which side has more character.
Speak up when you come across something that is blatantly racist. We often ignore or laugh off slurs because we don’t want to create a scene. What we should do is to calmly question that belief and take the opportunity to initiate discussion.
We sometimes forget that the most powerful tool of change in this world is our self. Be a role model to others. Treat everyone fairly and with respect – the exact same way you would want to be treated too.
Another thing we can proactively do is to create community dialogue on racism. If it’s an issue, gather people around you in any forum possible – be with through awareness programs through volunteering, using social media or even write about it. Volunteering and sport is a great way to bring people of all ages, races and gender together to work together for a greater cause. It not only builds camaderie and team spirit amongst individuals, you also have them work for something that goes beyond any stereotype.
We see stereotypes everyday in books, television, movies, teledrama’s, on social media platforms and we fail to understand how what we see and hear while growing up becomes something we believe in and carry with us through life. If you see a stereotype, address it, talk about it with your kids and if possible report it.
The most important lesson we all need to learn and teach our children is this: Respect. While we should feel proud that we belong to a certain culture, it does not mean that we have the right to disrespect or feel superior to another group. We should share our food, culture, traditions and knowledge with all groups because we make our common heritage richer by doing so.
I read an interesting piece by William Saletan on The Slate and this struck me the most compelling and I will leave you with it: “Hatred and bloodshed will go on until you stop taking the bait. Lay down your stones and your anger. Go home and pray. God is too great to be troubled by the insults of fools. Follow Him”
I suspect the article is on the way of making the mistake of equating ‘racism’ with people anywhere choosing whom they live beside and whom they allow into their countries.
In Australia we’re seeing more and more illegal boat people arriving, from Sri Lanka and the Middle East, all singing the same song about having been politically persecuted at home.
Australians are getting very angry, and react as to be expected. Our own home-grown subversive lawyers and so-called ‘human rightists’ accuse people of being racist for their opposition to undocumented people arriving, expecting immediate entry and access to social welfare payments and housing.
It’s a sad misuse of the English language to throw around the word ‘racist’ when something doesn’t go the way people expect miracles to happen.
I can’t believe you’re taking a shot at asylum seekers on this piece…Australians are getting very angry because they’re not sure who to believe. We’ve signed (and by we I mean Australia as I’m a Sri-Lankan Aussie) the Refugee Convention and yet we’ve excised the mainland so that people cannot make a genuine claim as per what we signed if they land on our shores. We decide not to deal with the problem, instead shipping them off to off-shore processing. Do you even understand how difficult it actually is to become a genuine refugee through DIAC’s processes?
This piece seemed to be to be highlighting racism in the current issues within Sri Lanka and ethno-religious fervour, as well as steps to deal with that through community awareness. Stop derailing the conversation.
More uninformed propaganda. There’s never any proof that these people are genuine refugees Rather they’re opportunists who arrive and expect, using the UNHCR mantras, to gain permanent residence in Australia. They are certainly not ‘poor’, being able to pay thousands of dollars to people smugglers, and getting angry when any impediment is placed in their way.
They destroy their IDs on landfall and re-invent themselves so that they can’t be traced back to their homelands and whatever real names and activities they were involved in.
If they don’t get instant recognition for their claims for asylum, they riot and burn down their detention centres which have been extremely well furnished and catered to, courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
The Sri Lankan contingent are well known to the SL Ambassador. as shielding many fugitive Eelam Tigers.
This Australian Govt. is on the nose partly due to its own inability to protect our borders. It’s destined for the biggest wipe-out in our electoral history come September…roll on that day!
Vin: Who says these people are ‘genuine’? We’ve seen many examples of people smugglers schooling their clients in how to present themselves, their stock stories about persecution, being advised to destroy their IDs so as to re-invent themselves to the authorities etc.
It’s only the most gullible who believes these people are genuine.
We’ve been suckered by the UNHCR which is just a clearing house for illegal queue jumpers, fugitives and fantacists looking for the good life at our expense.
Sadly we currently have a government that’s influenced by the green movement politicians and their ill-judged gullibility. Come the September election we’re hoping to see a huge change in Australia’s weak-kneed subservience to the UNHCR.
Hey, Jon, I’m not angry. As most Australians of every ilk, colour and creed are boat people, i believe we have a responsibility to share our wealth and space with those less fortunate. Perhaps we should spend more time, money and rhetoric kicking out the anglo-european free loaders who overstay their visas – but they’re white, aren’t they? And that’s OK.
No Jon
you seem to have got the wrong end of the stick. Your issue is about immigration policy in Australia.
here the writer is dealing with a live issue and how to respond to it. S/he must be congratualated
My main concern is certainly about Australia, we’re taking in hundreds of Sri Lankan Tamils monthly, all singing the same mantra.
Sorry, I have a good nose for the big picture…if I can mix my metaphors. Whenever I hear/read that word ‘racism’ I look for the hidden agenda, and invariably find it.
Jon, how about writing an article about immigration and discussing it in that articles comments section. This is about reacting …or not reacting to racism.
I mention ‘racism’ because the entire immigration debate has become reduced to cries of ‘racism’ whenever a group of people don’t get their own way. Most people, particularly in the new countries, have no problem with orderly, legal immigration – we’re all immigrants ourselves after all. However having established orderly, peaceful, legal societies we have no wish to see all that good work undone by hordes of undesirables pouring in from anywhere using the most dubious of reasons.
The term ‘racism’ has been raised in the original article here, therefore it invites responses in that vein.
Anisha this is a fantastic piece! Intelligently put as always. Lets all pretend we don’t see the party crashers going off on a tangent
Love it(:
This is all fine but will work only if people of ALL religions act this way. If not, when one religion tries to impose on the others, convert, fight for land, then people will forget the religion and fight. That’s the normal human reaction until we all reach the status metaphysically when we can ignore attacks.
We all know that Sri Lankans bave a long way to go to reduce racism in that small island. They have been fighting for generations, the systematic division created by the British and the Indians got a hold of almost every Sri Lankan. it will take generations to unwind. The Indians are not promoting unity in Sri Lanka, but dividing as their Western Masters. Except the Congress party, the other Indian political parties understood that joining with the Westerners and turning against their neighbours is not a wise thing. They also know that creating ruthless terrorism among neighbours is not a good thing either. Regrettably, India is keep on making wrong decisions when it comes to its neighbours. Seems like the foreign policy decisions are made by the Italians. Not even one Western Country would ever give a position to an Indian as Indians given to an Italian. When it comes to moving forward the Indian Subcontinent has a lot to learn from the Chinese. Cuddling the Western Countries won’t take you anywhere. The Western have ruled you for centuries yet half of your country’s population don’t have access to toilets. You need thousands of years to understand simple things. How can you grow up when you spend too much time worshiping rats & cows, instead of improving your skills. This is why you couldn’t even get a gold medal during the last Olympic Games. “SHAME ON YOU”
Racism? Racism? Don’t talk to me about that word. It’s become a new mantra, a virus throughout the Western countries, everyone accusing others of being ‘racist’ ‘xenophobe’ anti- this anti- that.
It’s the common insult of convenience when people don’t have the ability, or are too lazy to define what their issues really are.
We’re all dissatisfied with some things in our lives, people, jobs, circumstances, but we don’t have to focus on individuals accusing them of racism. It’s only by constantly chucking those words around that it ends up becoming a self-fulfilling reality’ – “Oh, she’s just another whinging Tamil….” etc.
As Gautama said, ‘Seek out your own salvation with diligence’.