A MATTER OF INFLUENCE (I'm Not Racist But...)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	I'm Not Racist But...
Date:	21/11/02 (166 review reads)
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~ From Spartan Beginnings~

There I was watching a fascinating new series about The Spartans when I suddenly started thinking about racism. The Spartans were an ancient Greek people who were immortalised in a Hollywood movie called "The 300 Spartans". The story recounts an historic duel with the said number of Spartans facing impossible odds with the invading Persians overrunning the Greek motherland. Needless to say, the Spartans eventually lost but only after submitting their foe to disproportionately heavy losses.

What's this got to do with racism you are thinking? Well, the thing about the Spartans was that their whole culture was brought up on the notion of being a warrior race. So much so that the males would only be allowed to be soldiers and nothing else. You'll need to watch the programme to find out more but it's their method of differentiation that gets me to my point.

Spartans had a rather harsh selection method whereby, after birth, only those infants deemed physically perfect would make the grade. The elders of the tribe would make the decision and any that didn't come up to scratch were summarily hurled over a cliff edge. This seems very harsh but it's what they did to sort the wheat from the chaff. Herein lies the point. This was a question of differentiation subsequently mirrored today by the approach of the Chinese to unwanted children and the more draconian holocausts that took place recently in Serbia and in the past in Nazi Germany. There will be lots of other examples too and I'm sure some will be close to home.

~Racism is what exactly?~

So what is racism? Well, in its currently accepted translation, racism is taken as the differentiation of one person from another according to the colour of their skin. Universally considered to be insidious, examples of racism take place very single day. After all, in our own country we have a rather large representation from oversea
s including Chinese, Afro-Caribbean and Indian populations to name but a few. There is a significant lobby to eradicate racism led by some key members of Society including the Commission for Racial Equality.

Whilst not condoning racism, my contention is that this merely hides a much bigger and complex problem that we continually overlook. It seems that we are programmed to differentiate. Why is that one person feels the need to point out that someone is overweight whereas another would suggest that it is wrong to call someone fat? Similar statements that can be taken in different ways. It's strange that, as children, no differentiation takes place. A coloured child will play with a white child with no suggestion of differences highlighted. Yet, as we get older, we start to notice that one person is different from another. This suggests that either it is part of our genetic makeup to start to point out differences or alternatively, our environment forces us to somehow conform by slotting into a norm based on all manner of things but possibly including colour of skin.

~ Why differentiate and when? ~

If environment is a factor then it can be argued that we are prey to all kinds of influence. Of course, we are bombarded with thousands of messages every day. Advertisers excel in laying bare feelings of inadequacy. If you don't buy our perfume then you won't be normal or get your man (or woman). How many times are you presented with an image that is intended to suggest that should you buy that particular product (or service?) then you will suddenly become desirable? The influences behind racism can be subtler. How bizarre that a diminutive Austrian with brown hair would become the catalyst behind the drive to foster a master race of perfectly formed Aryan people. Similarly, the power behind current far-right political movements in Britain today decry the existence of foreigners in a country that's been invaded numerous times over
the centurys making it impossible to discern a "true Briton". If this is a lost cause then why re-inforce feelings of Nationalism and pride to the point that differentiation takes place? Quite possibly the oldest motive of all - power.

~ Power and influence ~

Ever since Adam was influenced to take a bite of a piece of fruit, man has influenced man (and woman). This natural desire to exert power over one another takes many forms - some good, some not so good. Why it is such a powerful driver is still hard to determine but acts of genocide have inevitably been wrapped up in larger political machinations. The atrocities meted out to a whole Jewish nation during the Second World War mask a greater crime still as thousands of Slavs, Poles, homosexuals, criples....the list goes on were murdered unceremoniously by the German regime. Purification of a race would have been the public rationale but it only served the more likely reason, which was the ability to exercise ultimate power over sections of the human population. Based on an arbitrary differentiation of race, Hitler did what others have done too and wiped out millions of people on the grounds of being different. This thirst for power and influence remains today but how do you stop it and where do you draw the line?

~Politically correct?~

So just how funny is the joke about the Englishman, the Irishman and the Scotsman? How do you feel about your children returning home singing about Baa Baa White Sheep? The term PC has slipped into popular culture seemingly driven by yet more people trying to exert their own influence even though they would contend that it is for the greater good. Of course, there will be plenty of those before them that have contended the same thing. Here again we have a differentiation of sorts. To stop racism we have to stop identifying differences and treat everyone as equals. In a culture that welcomes differences e.g. sporting competition, tribal
ism in Soccer, the need to defend the world against evil regimes this really is much harder than you think. However, until that day, racism will always be around so it's up to everyone to continue to think for themselves, consider when they think that manipulation is taking place and speak out against the bully, whether racist or otherwise.

Comments welcome

Thanks for the read

Marandina

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