Can two groups exist side by side when one of them exists solely to spite the other and itself?
Too many within the black community fail to see the advances that have been made over the last few decades, and even think that we have regressed. They think this because they see racism in one context, and then spread that over all contexts, regardless of whether or not it truly applies. Just because police profiling is an actuality, does not mean that every authority is also profiling. If you walk into a Macy’s and the salesman approaches you, it probably has nothing to do with your color and everything to do with his wanting to make you give him a greater commission.
Racism does exist, and it will always be one of the faults of our race. Xenophobia is a survival trait, and one that has enabled mankind to survive since the Dawn of Time. As such, it will be a longtime dying, Ironically, we should not encourage it by continuously pointing it out. Normally by bringing something into the light, we take away its haven and make it weaker. When we point out that there is a common weakness, however, we start looking for it others and ascribing any disagreements that we have to that common weakness. Once we start down that road it is hard to stop.
Instead we need to acknowledge that not all disagreements are because of the respective colors of people and simply because they have a disagreement. Any two men of equal intelligence and wisdom may see the same problem from two perspectives and so come to two different solutions. This should not be seen as an issue but rather the fruition of the ability of a person to speak their mind freely. We should encourage this rather than discourage it.
However, in the black community having a difference of opinions is a bad thing, as is not being part of the crowd. Although there are some advantages to this when presenting a unified front, to depend on that unified front is usually counterproductive as it discourages independent thought. As any breeder will tell you, a limited stock eventually creates inbreeding which can threaten the stock as a whole just as badly as any disease or parasite. A limited number of ideas will eventually spell the doom for any community just as surely as a plague will.
The influx of new ideas must thus be encouraged. Young blacks must be encouraged to do well in their studies. Academics must not be seen as something undesirable, something that will cause the downfall of the black community. Unlike generations past where schooling was seen as the White Man attempting to remake us in his image we must instead seek out learning and attempt to encourage our young’s academic pursuits. Too many parents do not see the value in an education or that it merely leads to the youth dreaming of places he cannot go. These parents are doing a disservice to their children, as dreams will always be the currency of advancement and to deny a youth dreams to deny that youth the very breath of life.
We need to stop hobbling ourselves with our perceptions of how things work and start looking for perceptions that more accurately model the world as it is rather than built on the pessimism of past generations. Only when we stop looking for racism will it cease to be a problem. The Book of Sait Matthew in Chapter Seven Verse Seven says that “seek and ye shall find”; we should consider it a warning in that should we search for racism we shall find it everywhere, whether or not it actually applies to the situation at hand.
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