Racism

Submitted by Mary Connor (Australia), Nov 23, 2007 at 08:01

It seems "racism" is a term you use when you wish to denigrate someone, get your own way, or you don't have an argument. But I believe we are all a little racist in that we feel more comfortable with people we understand and whose actions we can predict. It also seem s to me that the people who are most accusatory of others are quite racist themselves.

There is the very recent example of President Mugabe calling Ian Smith (and all and sundry ) racist but being quite oblivious to the fact that he has driven out of Zimbabwe hundreds of thousands of well behaved people who made the country prosperous on the sole ground of their colour (read race). In England there has been criticism that not enough black models walk the catwalks. But nobody seems to mind that there are hardly any white men in the track and field events of the Olympics team.

Then in Indonesia although their Pancasila (basis of constitution) promotes religious tolerance it is now, and has been for many years, impossible to build a Christian church and those that were built in the past are being burnt down , often with people in them, on an almost weekly basis. Just try and build a Christian church or Jewish synagogue in Saudi Arabia! But it seems only the West has a fear of being called racist and other races and nationalities are quick to exploit this and manipulate it for their advantage.

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