Cyber-Racism

A man once led the whole world to a war in the name of racism disguised as nationalism resulting in a death toll of unprecedented and deplorable height. His name was Adolf Hitler. The repercussions of his actions are felt even today. That was in a time when everyone lived in suspicion of his neighbor- countries as well as individuals. The lack of communication can be seen as a reason for this breakdown of interpersonal and international relations. Today such barriers to communication are coming down with the aid of advancing communication technologies. Internet can bring two random strangers from opposing ends of the world together in just a few seconds. Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others (Shah). Then the internet is the perfect tool to verify the authenticity of this belief. Yet, display of cyberracism is proof that there are many in the world today to whom the internet is yet another means of spreading racism. These people argue that the doctrine of free speech gives them the right to express themselves freely. This essay shall explore this clash between the freedom of speech and cyber-racism, possible consequences of cyber-racism and then go on to ponder over the necessity of effective action to put an end to this.

Race is a term that is used to describe the belief that some races are inherently superior to others. For over centuries, racism has coloured peoples perceptions of others from different cultural backgrounds with a tendency to judge one as being better than the other. As the American Anthropological Association says, race is a powerful idea and an enduring concept, invented by society. It has also fostered inequality and discrimination for centuries, as well as influencing

how we relate to other human beings (Shah). Racism can act not only as a reason for conflict among various groups but also as a factor that further fuels various other disputes among nations. As the history of international relations reveals, Europe is an area in which many clashes have occurred which were commercial in nature but were amplified by the collision of their national identities.

According to Professor Robinson the identification of the Jews with the devil and witchcraft in the popular mind of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries was probably the first sign of a racist view in the world. He further states that official sanction for such attitudes came in sixteenth century Spain when Jews who had converted to Christianity and their descendents became the victims of a pattern of discrimination and exclusion. The culmination of this anti-Semitism was the holocaust under the reign of Hitler, the horrific details of which could not have been foreseen by anyone back in the thirteenth century shunning a Jew simply for the fault of being born a Jew.

Nevertheless, an excuse for the behaviour of our ancestors back in the thirteenth century can be found in the fact that their perceptions were coloured by those of their ancestors. It is easy to look at the world through a coloured glass without even being conscious of it, when that has been the norm for ages. It is even easier to label a stranger. However, today we live in the age of globalization. The world is undeniably shrinking bringing its inhabitants closer and closer together by virtue of the progress in communication technologies. And today the internet has become the new medium of communication.

The internet has changed the ways in which people communicate, enabling ideas and images to spread quickly between large numbers of people all over the world (Australian Human Rights Commission). Internet can bring people together based on common interests and backgrounds

while also creating a stage for the convergence of different cultures around the world. It tends to reflect human social behaviour. A good example for this is social networking sites such as Facebook. The internet offers the freedom to express oneself like never before. It may perhaps surprise you to learn that the demonstrations in Egypt that finally overthrew its President of 30 years, Hosni Mubarak, were first organized through social networking sites.

As interesting and inspiring as that could be, it is also a fact that today, the internet is also used as a tool to spread racism. Melanie Dee in her Web page Biggest Displays of Racism on the Internet offers a list of blatantly racist sites the contents of which are rather astounding and appalling (e.g. http://www.tightrope.cc/jokes.htm). The ease and the speed of communication in todays world mean that such prejudice and hatred and bigotry are spread around the world that much faster and easier.

A reason for this could be the lack of responsibility that has dawned in the guise of anonymity. Over the internet, one could hide under a pseudonym and leave provoking and insensitive illiberal comments. Nevertheless, as a thought provoking Web site against racism, resistracism.com points out, there are also those who are not very hesitant about openly airing their racist views. The web site points out a Facebook exchange among two white college students at the University of Minnesota-Duluth about an African American student. The two discuss that maybe they should perhaps bring some trees into the class room to make the African American student feel more at home and how the whole class room smells of monkey waste because of her. In my opinion, the fact that this is such an asinine and ridiculous exchange serves to prove how deeply ingrained racism is in some people. And the fact that they were not very

concerned about having this conversation in a manner that can be observed by others strengthens my belief that this sort of behaviour is accepted among their peer group.

The banality of such displays of racism is what convinces the authorities that maybe the internet ought to be monitored to restrict such racist ideals. This is when the intriguing conflict between the right to express ones views freely and the authorities attempts to restrict expression of racism over the internet occurs. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers (United Nations Organization). The proponents of racism over the internet argue that this right is abused when authorities regulate the internet. Some are of the view that those who cant stand racism should simply stop visiting such sites. However, another human right that is as crucial to remember is ones right to live without fear of harassment or intimidation. People also have a right to be protected from physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including racism and discrimination (Australian Human Rights Commission). Racism is aimed at intimidating someone based on his/her origins. Such discrimination can have a lasting effect on individuals and communities resulting in dysfunctional personalities and societies. It is possible that victims of such segregation may lash out against the society in general seeking revenge. It is also possible that a majority, so used to considering a group of people not worthy of basic human respect, might go as far as to consider them unworthy of existing at all; case in point, the Jewish holocaust during the Second World War. It matters that cyber-racism is controlled in particular because the internet has the potential to escalate this issue on a much wider scale than ever before.

To achieve this end, merely regulating the internet is not enough. For one thing it would prove to be an almost impossible task for any authority to monitor the whole internet. It is essential to keep in mind that cyber-racism simply another form of racism that exists today. It is a symptom of a deeper issue that lies within the heart of the racist. Internet itself could be a tool in spreading anti-racism.

Racism that has been in existence has now introduced itself in a new form: Cyber-racism. The potential of the internet to spread this issue is very harmful as the right to express oneself freely encourages people to display blatant racism on a much wider scale through the internet. If this situation were to escalate beyond control the result could be much worse ever seen in the history of mankind. Finally, it might be interesting to research on how the internet itself could be against racism.

Bibliography
Australian Human Rights Commission. "Cyber-racism and Human Rights." January 2011. Australian Human Rights Commission. 09 March 2011 <http://www.hreoc.gov.au>. Dee, Melanie. "The Biggest Displays of Racism on the Internet." 25 July 2007. Associated Content Web site. 09 March 2011 <http://www.associatedcontent.com>. Robinson E.E. "Race-The Power of an Illusion." 2003. PBS Organization Web site. 10 March 2011 <http://www.pbs.org>. Shah, Anup. " Racism." 08 Aug 2010. Global Issues Web site. 09 March 2011 <http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism>. United Nations Organization. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations Web site. 9 March 2011 <http://www.un.org>.