“Please, I can’t breathe”.
On May 25, in the US city of Minneapolis, George Floyd uttered these words a few minutes before he was denied his life due to police brutality. On that day, Floyd, an African-American became the latest victim of racism. His death has sparked off protests not just within the US but across the globe. Even in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, responsible people across the planet have united to call out the prevailing injustices based on race.
What is racism?
Now, how many of us in Singapore have made fun of our friends of other races? Racism is based on an unscientific and illogical premise that we humans possess some inherent divisions which are termed as ‘race’. Based on this argument, certain individuals distinguish and discriminate between people due to their physical or cultural traits. The most common of these is discrimination based on colour.
What does racist thinking entail?
Someone with racist thoughts believes that the race which he belongs to is superior to those of others. People with different skin colour, culture, etc are considered as uncivilised and criminal in nature. There is a fear created among those who appear to be different.
In its most violent avatar, racism sparks the most unspeakable actions that may lead to regret and remorse on the culprit’s end.
How to avoid it?
Singapore is a vibrant multicultural society. Still, let us ask ourselves a simple yet important question. Have you ever fallen victim to racist tendencies? Before you jump to an answer, think deep. Have you ever harboured any stereotype against a particular group of people? Have you ever passed a seemingly casual comment about a person based on his/her skin colour?
Racism is so mainstream that even the best of us might be unaware even when we are biased against certain individuals.
So how do we avoid any chance of racial prejudice from taking place? We can start off by getting to know about other cultures. Interact with people who are from diverse groups. Befriend, read, learn and understand. This in itself can change our perspectives. Thankfully, our nation has a culture of sensitivity that most people respect. We have always aimed to be culturally sensitive to one and all, and in this way, Singapore has definitely achieved distinction in her multi-racial ways.
How to deal with it?
Now, we must all be wondering, how can we deal with the potential occurrences of racism? What if someone within our family or circle of friends harbours racist thoughts or passes such comments? How do you deal with this? Don’t remain silent. Call out racism, speak to your dear ones and correct them if they underestimate the effects of racism. Never remain a mute spectator! Staying mute during such situations doesn’t mean that you are staying away from trouble, it means you are encouraging the ill-happening.
How to help someone who faces it?
What if you know someone who is facing racism? Don’t sit idle. Stand up for that person. Support him. Make him feel welcome and help him get adequate recourse. In a world that is mired in despair, we need to be beacons of hope.
Consequences
Racism sparks of hatred and segregation. It destroys unity and tears apart societies. As a result, we are unable to work together for the betterment of society. The world can never call itself civilised as long as people use colour, language, religion and similar factors to claim superiority and discriminate or unleash violence against others.
Let us remember all the great martyrs who lost their lives to racism. May their struggles help us usher in a better world. The legendary anti-racism and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. hoped that his children would grow up in a society that judged them “not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character”.
Half a century after his death, we are still far away from his dream. But the recent protests show that we have not given up. The fight for equality continues, letting our kids grow up standing up for what is right and embracing everyone across the globe as their own brothers and sisters.
Tweeting with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #SayNoToRacism isn’t going to spark any change. Instead, we need to “become the change we want to see” and turn into the person that the society badly needs to drive away long-prevalent pandemics like racism!
How to raise kids to be anti-racist and talk to them about racism?
Exam Smart Tips
Exam Smart Tip #1 – How to Encourage Our Kids to Speak Better?
Exam Smart Tip #2 – How to avoid carelessness?
Exam Smart Tip #3 – Establishing Routines!
Exam Smart Tip #4 – Let’s Read Carefully!
Exam Smart Tip #5 – Beating the Exam Fever!
Exam Smart Tip #6 – How to Eat Right for the Exams?
Exam Smart Tip #7 – How to Avoid a Meltdown?
Exam Smart Tip #8 – Taking Stress out of Tests
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