One of my very favourite T.V characters, Maxine Gray, once said something like "What exactly is the difference between racial pride and racism?". I ask myself the same thing. In my mind, racism is racism, whether or not it's coming from a 20-year old skinhead or a 60-year old mother who refuses to accept her son's girlfriend because she's of a different race. I'm not prone to viewing things as black or white. I travel in the shades of grey. However, eiher you're a racist or you're not, it's that simple. Just because you say you want your kid to marry someone of the same race or culture because it's tradition, or because it's easier on your kid that way because people won't talk, doesn't make you less of a bigot. Tradition is the world's most over-used and abused excuse to perform unspeakable acts. Female genital mutilation is also a tradition in some countries, does that make it right?
For some reason, people really react badly to skinheads, but when it comes to a mother immediately dismissing her son's new girlfriend because she doesn't have the same skin colour or cultural background as the family, the public outrage goes missing. "They're very proud of their heritage!" "She just wants her children to marry people from the same culture!" These are some of the lame excuses that are used to justify this nonsense. Come on, we all come from the same place. If you penetrate our skin colour, culture and religion, we're all the same. Shouldn't the character of a person be what really matters?. Yes, in some cases, cultures can clash and can cause disruption and conflict in relationships, I know that from experience, but ultimately it's more important that we all get to choose our life partner based on love, not skin colour. It astonishes me that some parents out there would rather see their son marry a bitch with the same background than an angel from a different background. This is the perfect example of tradition coming before people.
I must be terribly naive, because I actually see people as people, not races. I hope I never lose that.
3 comments:
i still like culture...
race isn't the same as culture.
race is physical.
culture goes much deeper than that
it covers shared values and backgrounds....
of course, i would judge the individual when it comes down to it.
if an asian guy does not share the same values as me, i won't like him no matter what.
racial pride may be racist
but nothing wrong with wanting someone from the same background ideally.
similarly, there's nothign wrong with wanting someone from a different background.
ultimately, it comes down to the individual and parents should stay out of it as long as their children are happy and with good people.
so don't think we're too much different. i'm more attached to my culture or rather more unable and unwilling to let go of what's been ingrained. but when the time comes, it's the personality that really matters.
Yeah if course we all have our individual tastes and to certain people a shared culture can be important in a partner. That's not racist and there's nothing wrong with that. I do think that culture is something that you can adapt to if given time though. Two people from different cultures can embrace and appreciate each others cultures.
Yeah we're not all that different in our beliefs. We both agree that in the end it's the person that matters the most.
Post a Comment