Understanding a Little Theory about Racism
Over a number of years I’ve done a whole lot of thinking about racism. I’ve particularly taken pains to review contemporary academic literature into organisational behaviour to understand the underlying factors that drive this issue. Because of that I get very frustrated at ignorant people waving the race flag with the exact same ignorance as the other side.
I want to explain to you all a little bit of academic theory about racism. First and foremost – racism is not an act. If there is one thing I would like to instill into the readers here its that just like there is no ethical or unethical act, there is no implicitly racist or non-racist act.
The thing that makes an act racist is the motivation driving the action. This is the point most wavers of the racism flag fail to grasp. If you don’t hire an African because they’re less able to do a job (including English language skills) then that isn’t a racist act. However, if you don’t hire that African because you don’t like or trust Africans then it is a racist act.
The abduction, rape and murder last year in Hobart of a young female Chinese student was not necessarily racist. If it was simply a depraved and selfish crime of opportunity it would mean any woman would have been murdered on that night by Stavros Papadopolous (a Greek guy). On that night in that context with that opportunity in Stavros’ path. However, if the murder was because he thought Chinese people were less than human beings – while white people were human beings – then it was racially motivated.
I have seen no definitive evidence that Stavros’ actions were racially motivated. The worst thing we can ever do is jump to conclusions about triggers and motivations in serious crime.
To push that example further, the act of killing another human being is neither ethical or unethical of itself… it comes down to the situation and the motivation of the person doing that act on that occasion. Killing in a war? For mercy of a loved one? In jealousy or out of rage? Motivated by lust? Or in self defence? The act on its own does not define the ethical perspective.
Further to that argument, racism isn’t a binary issue – you don’t have zero and infinity racism; you have a continuum. There are degrees along that path from mild distrust to outright violent proactive criminal activity. This is important because if a racism flag waver (usually an Anglo Saxon, I might add) runs around pointing out racism its usually in binary form. That’s as ignorant as it’s opposite.
Racism also has a direct correlation between lower socio-economic status and low education levels. In other words the poor are more likely to be uneducated and are far more likely to act on racial motivators. You could say its a crime of ignorance. That’s not my invention… its just a fact.
The poor are less likely to understand world economics and politics and they are more likely to live in fear of losing their low skilled jobs to foreigners. They may also have lower exposure to groups apart from their own social enclave. Security fear is a passionate and emotive social driver of racism in the world.
So the lack of understanding about world issues and other cultures is also a biggie… we fear what we don’t understand, we fear what we aren’t exposed to. Can you see a pattern?
As people’s education levels rise there is evidence that their tolerance and exposure to other cultures increases. This is critical. Academics have done a lot of research into this area simply because our large organisations are now highly multicultural and we need to understand the workforce to manage them effectively…
Just don’t get sucked down that emotive path of being the other type of redneck… because there are actually two types. The first is the card carrying Klansman… and the second is the racism flag flying Anglo who says “The first thing any racist says is they’re not a racist”…
If you want to fight racism in the world then build understanding and exposure. Put faces and relationships into the mix. Its hard to hate nice people you know.
There is a final point worth taking away. That is the point of human nature within us all that harks back to tribal belonging – the belief our tribe is better than all other tribes. We can’t destroy that, its a part of our human nature. Its through understanding that aspect of our darker selves that we can walk through and shake hands with the other members of the world not in our tribe. But never doubt you think that way on a very basic level. That isn’t racism… but its probably misguided elitism.
Think about that for the weekend. Just think about it. Because it will make you a better business person (and human being).
