The Only Known Cure for Racism

By Sally Morem

A Gallup poll recently revealed that white Americans generally believe that black
Americans are treated fairly in such areas as hiring, education, and housing. Black
Americans disagree. Few white people admit to harboring racist sentiments even though
they do concede that racism is a serious problem in the U.S. No one can doubt the force
of race hatred in such cases as the black man being dragged to his death by white
supremacists in Texas.

However, there is a serious disagreement between those who wish to rectify past
discrimination with such policies as affirmative action and those who oppose them.
Affirmative action is seen by many to be the only way to lighten the load of racial
prejudice experienced by members of minority groups.

Others see it as a new version of racism doomed to fail the very groups it was designed to
help by reinforcing racial stereotypes and animosity. California political activists find it
ironic that affirmative action has actually hurt a minority group--Asian American college
students.

Speaking of which, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American commentators forcefully

remind us that America has never been merely a "bi-racial" society. The problems of race
have never been limited to "black" and "white." They too have suffered from
discrimination over the years.

We must also face the challenge of conflict between minority races. For example, the
Los Angeles riots pitted Korean American shopkeepers against black residents in south-
central L.A.

Other commentators point out that more and more Americans of different races are
marrying one another. Their children no longer feel comfortable in choosing to identify
with one race. Instead, they prefer to call themselves bi-racial or multi-racial Americans.
As a result, the reconfiguration of racial catagories in the 2000 census has becom a
serious bone of contention between racial activists.
Many students of the history of immigration to America note that generations of new
Americans were able to assimilate into the majority culture in many ways, most notably
through entertainment and sports. The thinking here is that individual achievement and
excellence is relatively easy to measure by ordinary people in those fields of endeavor.
You either make the audience laugh or cry, or you don't. You either hit the game-winning
home run or catch the game-ending fly ball, or you don't. Fans love a winner, no matter
the accent or skin color. Sports and entertainment fans see that these immigrants are as
skilled and capable as anyone else on stage or in the arena. As such, entertainment and
sports may serve as corrosives--eating away at what were once hardened blocks of
ancient prejudice in America.

Does this mean that black culture (admittedly a very diverse phenomenon) is finally
getting its turn at bat--literally and figuratively? Or has it been permanently damaged by
centuries of slavery and racial oppression? Can such damage be healed through
celebration of individual achievement?

Are the differences in group percentages between minorities and the majority who have
attained the highest goals on campus and in the workplace finally beginning to narrow?
And finally, what would a society, truly free of prejudice, really look like?

Racism relies on ancient fears and superstitions to maintain its emotional stranglehold
over the human imagination. I believe that a real effort to foster belief in American
individualism is our country's best hope for racial reconciliation. Individualism firmly
rejects group stereotypes, instead affirming the importance of INDIVIDUAL differences
in talent, skill, energy, and determined effort. It holds out the hope that we may learn to
dampen our innate tendencies to immediately classify people on first impressions--
instantly catagorizing people by how much they do or don't look like ourselves. Kin
selection is endemic among animals. To a degree, even highly civilized humans share
that biological, instinctive comfort with similarity and fear of difference.
Instead of giving in to instincts, perhaps we'll be able to learn to wait for a truer picture of
the other person we've just met, a picture which can only emerge after repeated
interactions.

But we may never be able to fully overcome these tendencies. If so, we must face the
fact that we may never be able to fully overcome racism. However, each of us can work
on overcoming our own shortcomings by focusing on the other person as a true individual
with all the messy, creative humanity in that person that genuine individuality implies.
We can use political and moral suasion to attempt to move others toward this
individualistic stance, striving for what all of us seek: a free society in which everyone
may participate to the best of their abilities and content of their characters, and none may
be hindered or scorned.