Early in Zinn’s article he begins talking about how the past should provide us with a few clues as to how the future should unfold. Will the color line ever completely disappear? In the third paragraph Zinn defines racism as the combination of inferior status and derogatory thought.
After reading this and contemplating this definition I don’t think that it necessarily relates to what the current definition of racism is. Is our current situation in regards to racism really about derogatory thought and inferior status?
In my belief racism has come to represent a misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of how to fix it. In my opinion whites do not view blacks as inferior but rather they have never been taught to view them as equals. For example, if we were taught that chocolate was bad for hundreds of years would we instantly believe that it’s good for you? We have been taught and almost brainwashed into what to believe for so long that it has hazed our thinking. Or is it that we try to hard to cover up our differences that we make it look like we find ourselves to be better or inferior?
For example, affirmative action. Due to the way that we have been raised we felt it necessary to create rules and regulations to promote equal opportunity for different races, genders, and sexualities. If we had been raised slightly different we wouldn’t find it necessary to create laws and regulations creating equal opportunity. Equal opportunity is not created through rules and regulations, it’s through beliefs and values. The color line will never disappear until we stop forcing people to feel a certain way and start becoming more understanding of different cultural values and beliefs.
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