The "Eyes" have it !
Beating A Dead Horse?
(C) - Tom Hyland - 4/21/15
Recently, while listening to The Diane Rehm Show
On WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore ...
The Host and three "Talking Head" guests
Spent an hour discussing 'Racism'.
I was in my car and tried to dial in, on my 'Hands Free'
Cell phone, but couldn't get through.
The more they talked about the History and Current Events
Surrounding the Issue, the more I realized that ...
They Were All Missing the Point!
RACISM WILL NEVER BE TOTALLY ELIMINATED!
WHY? You might ask ...
Because of the Natural, Visual Differences!
Let us review a case in point, from the Play, "Fiddler On the Roof"
The Father, Tevye, learns that one of his Daughters,
Raised as a Devout Orthodox Jewess,
Wants to Marry a Young Russian Cossack Soldier ...
Tevye's Response is in the Form of an Analogy ...
"So, a Bird is in Love with a Fish ...
But, Where Will They Make a Nest?"
The Patently Obvious Natural Conclusion is That ...
The Differences are Too Great!
Now, bear in mind that there is no Visual Difference ...
Both are Caucasian, or White,
And Both are Russian Citizens,
And Language is Not a Barrier.
There is a Natural Defense Mechanism Built into Humans,
To Fear that which is Different, and/or Unknown.
The Visual Difference of Color of Skin ...
White - Black - Yellow - Red - Mixed Blood - Mutations ...
Often causes both Apprehension and Mistrust.
THEY ARE DIFFERENT !
Also, there are often several other Differences associated ...
Different Backgrounds, Different Countries of Origin,
Different Languages, Different Religions, Different Values,
Different Traditions ...
"AH - There Lies The Rub!"
TRADITION ! TRADITION !
This is One of the Main Songs of 'Fiddler' ...
And the Theme Permeates the Play.
My contention here is that ...
Racism is Promulgated and Perpetuated simply by Vision.
If Everyone was Blind ... Would it Solve the Problem?
Perhaps? Maybe? Partially?
I Rather Doubt It!
The Next Natural Human Instinct is Sound ...
Voice Inflections - Accents - Dialects - Languages ...
Just consider Minor Differences from People
From the Same Country, but Different Regions ...
The Gal with the "Southern Drawl" ...
Meets the Northern Gent with the Bostonian 'Properness' ...
The Cowboy with that 'Twang' in his Voice ...
Meets that Cutie-Pie from 'Vassar' ...
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE"?
Is There a Probability of "Problems"? Probably!
Sight ... Sound ...
How about the Sense of Smell?
Ever enter an Apartment Building and get 'Knocked Over'
By the Different Fumes of Cooking?
Stinking FRIED FISH!
Over-abundance of GARLIC!
Fresh Smell of COFFEE, or POP-CORN!
Some Odors are Nauseating ... Disgusting ... Over-Powering ...
Some ... Quite Pleasing ... Make You Hungry!
What About Religion?
Is She / He ...
A Southern Baptist?
A Bible-Thumping Evangelist?
A Devout Catholic?
An Orthodox Jew?
A Buddhist?
A Hindu?
An Islamic Muslim?
An Agnostic?
An Atheist?
WOW ... So Many Possible Differences ...
Belief Systems ... Religious Holidays ...
Types of Food ... How to Raise the Children ...
Who is Driving Whom ... In Which Car?
On What Day, or Night?
To Which Place of Worship?
Consider the Old Adage:
"Birds of a Feather Flock Together!"
In the Animal World there is Very Little Successful
Cross-Mating!
Does Mother Nature Tell Them Something that ...
We Just Don't Get?
The "Birds and The Bees" ...
Certain Ones Pollinate Certain Species of Plants ...
Occasionally there might be a Few Accidental Hybrids ...
BUT ... MAN ...
Wants to Cross-Pollinate Everything!
Animals ... Plants ... Humans!
This Leads me to Another Form, or Part, of Racism ...
DISCRIMINATION !!!
Stereotyping ... Racial Profiling ... Suspicious Natures ...
She / He is ... Different!
They are ... Different!
I - You - We - Don't Trust ... Her - Him - Them ...
BETTER WATCH CLOSELY!
LET'S LEGISLATE ... THEM!
Why is She / He ... HERE ... In OUR Neighborhood?
Does Not Belong Here!
CALL THE COPS!
What Ever Happened to the Process of Assimilation?
You Want to Be Like Us?
Learn OUR Language!
Obey OUR Laws!
FIT OUR MOLD!
And Yet, We are Told that America
Supposedly Thrives on Diversity!
Oh ... Yeah ?
Then, tell me Why ...
In Most Large Cities ...
We Still Have ...
LITTLE ITALY !
CHINATOWN !
KOREA-TOWN !
JEW-TOWN !
IRISH NEIGHBORHOODS !
POLISH NEIGHBORHOODS !
MUSLIM NEIGHBORHOODS !
And, Last But Not Least ...
GHETTOES ?
POOR PEOPLE HUDDLED ...
Remember Nazi Germany ... and Poland ?
"BEATING A DEAD HORSE" ???
As Long as There Are Different Human Beings ...
From Different Areas of The Globe ... With Differences ...
RACISM WILL CONTINUE !
IT CAN NOT BE LEGISLATED !
(C) - TKH.
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The races are largely the result of isolation of people in certain types of climates for thousands of years. However, modern movement enables the mixing of people at an ever increasing rate, and thereby, words like "assimilation" and "diversity" began to come to the fore. The fact is that human DNA is so similar that race is really insignificant over the range of human characteristics. Individual differences within groups are often greater. That's why people of different backgrounds are often attracted to each other because natural selection is built that way. However, after a few years, couples of widely diverse backgrounds discover they have nothing in common except that initial attraction and that is why the divorce rate is so high.
In spite of this, mixing is taking place at a very high rate and the first racial characteristic to disappear will probably be green eyed redheads.
No amount of legislating is ever going to change the rapid melding of the races into a largely brown skinned, brown eyed human population with occasional genetic anomalies that will be prized for their individual differences.
Ron
Love ya!
Jane