Over the past decade or so, America has been inundated with several high profile criminal cases involving white police officers who have killed unarmed black men. As a result of these black lives lost, many protests have erupted across the nation with black and white activists crying out for justice, and in some cases the desire to de-fund the police has also been proclaimed. However, at the same time black lives were taken by white policemen, Asian hate crimes were perpetrated by African Americans. On top of it all black on black crime has been going on for decades, but Black Lives Matter has yet to march for all the little black boys and girls who were killed by other black people in drive by shootings. Now it is true that white Americans have severely discriminated against blacks all throughout the history of the United States, which has understandably bred hatred in the hearts of blacks against whites. It is indeed the hate that hate produced, but will financial reparations payed to the descendants of enslaved Africans solve the current race relations held between blacks and whites now and into the future?
Historically slavery wasn't invented in the year 1619 AD. In fact, slavery has been a reality from the very beginnings of human existence on this earth and continues today in countries such as China for example. Going further, the English word "slave" comes from the Slavs who were white Christians that served the Muslim Turks for centuries during the era of the Ottoman Empire. So if both blacks and whites have been slaves in the past, and since current events reveal how blacks have discriminated against Asians, then does this mean that all races are racist? Do all ethnicities hold at least some prejudice towards each another? The attempt of this work will be to showcase the racism held (to a greater or lesser extent) between all peoples across the world and throughout the ages. Hopefully by thoroughly examining the facts of racial tensions in an objective and impartial manner, may we all come to realize that even though each of our races possess certain unique characteristics, overall human beings are basically all the same.
Apart from the resentment which has traditionally fostered between vastly different races such as blacks and whites, prejudices among other people groups who are closely related to one another also exist. Take for instance the Arab peoples. They all have their individual uniqueness, yet at the same time they share a common bloodline which links them together. Even though they are basically half-brothers or cousins, this has not been enough to get the Arabs to stop fighting each other, nor quench the animosity which silently looms in the background even during periods of peace. In the Asian world, rivalries between the Chinese and the Japanese have existed for centuries. Historically speaking, the white people of Europe have also discriminated against each other. This fratricide has been demonstrated by all the wars which have occurred over the centuries in the various European lands, despite the similitude of the color of their pale and peach skin. Africans too have fought each other and at times even enslaved other Africans, way before the white man ever set foot on the soil of the dark continent.
From what has been presented thus far it is revealed that all races do in fact share certain prejudices towards one another. But even within families of the same race do we witness sibling rivalries. So could the root cause of racism really be jealousy? Does a certain amount of pride for one's own race also play a part in the condescending attitude towards all other races? Does physical geography also determine hatred and mistrust towards those who live in lands that certain races also claim descent from? Just as gangs fight over territory in the streets of the inner city, so too have the various people groups in countries across the globe fought wars to protect and maintain certain geographic borders. But in many countries the racial population is not homogeneous. For in one nation there could be several different races or people groups who live in peace and harmony right next to each other and even at times intermarry. So it could be argued that at it's roots, racism is nothing more than one human being dominating another human being based on pride, jealousy, and possibly even fear of that which is different or foreign. Just as white supremacists want an Aryan nation for whites only, so too does the Nation of Islam want a separate nation within America set apart for blacks only.
So it would appear that the struggle for power and dominion is something that all races have in common. In a sense one could say that its a competition held between differing nations that are the driving forces behind racism. But this can be explained away, due to the inherent love for one's country. Nationalism could also be seen as racism, but it could also be seen as patriotism, just as a man loves the members of his own family. For all the people groups found within a particular nation are in a way one big family, even if the nation is made up of races that share no blood ties. Take the United States of America for example. America is made up of so many different races and nationalities, but the identity by which all these people groups share as a whole is simply American. Whether one is African, Anglo, Arab or Asian, we are all Americans and this patriotism or nationalism is something that could unite the races. Currently America is divided and rumors of race wars and another civil war are fears that are understandable and not to be written off as a conspiracy theory. America must unite or else the country will fall. For when a nation is divided it is more easily conquered. Putting our trust in the hands of politicians is not the answer in my opinion, for this could all be a part of the Imperial policy of divide and rule. So now its up to the people to decide if we will focus on our differences and fight each other, or highlight our common bonds and unite.
Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
