“Systemic racism” can be defined as an infrastructure of rulings, ordinances or statutes promulgated by a sovereign government or authoritative entity, whereas such ordinances and statutes entitles one ethnic group in a society certain rights and privileges, while denying other groups in that society these same rights and privileges because of long-established cultural prejudices, religious prejudices, fears, myths, and Xenophobia’s held by the entitled group. In the year 2022, there exist no U.S. federal government or state government statutes or ordinances that will accommodate systemic racism. American history carries the savage stain of systemic racism and America will carry this albatross around her neck as a legacy down through the epochs of time. Here are some examples of systemic racism pulled from the annuals of American history: “Colored people have to ride in the back of the bus”. “Negroes are not allowed to eat with white people”. “Colored drinking water fountain only”. “This restroom is not for colored people”. “The Negro does not have the right to vote”. “We don’t hire colored’s”. “Colored people are not allowed to live in this neighborhood”. “Segregation and not equal for the Negro”. “Colored only car”. Before 1965 any violation of such ordinances or statutes by American Africans (so-called black people) could have resulted in severe punishment, or possibly even death. Once the rule of Law in the American government infrastructure, systemic racism was slowly eliminated over time as standing law in the U.S. due to the following historical events and social manifestations: the U.S. Civil War, the political and social efforts of American African and American European progressive groups to remove Jim Crow laws that begin to materialize around the country after the U.S. Civil War, the tiring efforts of the American Africans use of unrelenting protest movements for freedom and equal citizenship rights, the emergence of American African political and social splinter groups for self-reliance, and by the American African’s efforts to achieve the power that derives from the right to vote in the U.S. Today, systemic racism has virtually no legal support in the U.S. federal or state governments. The laws of the U.S. federal government will not support any efforts by a state government, an organization, or any individual that attempts to enact and enforce laws or rules that function to sustain a systemic racist social structure among its citizens (the laws voted in by a majority of white people). Without the fear of death any person can petition their precinct or district representatives, or challenge in a court of law covert or overt efforts by government municipalities, political organizations, or even businesses that attempt to create systems of racism designed to thwart the advancement and well-being of the American African people or any other ethnic group. If any individual in government, or any organization is found to be guilty of working to create systems of racism, that individual or organization will soon be publicly exposed, vilified, most likely resulting in loss of work or influence, finally being ostracized from the public arena with the potential for criminal prosecution. Thus, systemic racism in the pure sense of the word is dead in the U.S. If asked, most American Europeans (so-called white people) will tell you that they don’t believe that they are racists. Most American Europeans do not and will not support any white supremacy movements whose purpose is to establish social, political, and economic dominance over other ethnic groups in the US. However, this by no means is to suggest that racism is not prevalent in America today. “Institutional racism” can be defined as the racial attitudes found in an ethnic group’s traditions, beliefs, opinions, and myths that are firmly ingrained in the very fiber of the ethnic group’s cultural paradigm, where such traditions, beliefs, opinions, and myths have been practiced and sustained for so long, that they are accepted as common facts (when often they aren't factual), understood to be normal behavioral practices whereas, such practices in effect marginalize, and demonize the human worth of another ethnic group.
Institutional racism has unfortunately been passed down as entirely true. It, however, often perpetuates paranoia, partial-truths, and stereotypes that dehumanize our fellow man and become communication barriers. Most American Europeans do not practice and support racist concepts and beliefs in thought, words, deeds, or imagery. Most American Europeans are dismayed at the farfetched belief, by some, that our language and practices are firmly embedded in American culture that connect us to racist and white supremacy concepts. Even though almost any negative nugget of etymology could be drawn out, it doesn't necessarily influence context and current usage. To say otherwise requires what you call old-fashioned evidence, instead of anecdotal experiences.
Some false beliefs, practices, and myths of racism given are that “Light is white so white is right." I know of no one who believes that. That doesn't mean to say there's not a racist knucklehead somewhere who does. Also, sayings like “The good guys wear white, and the bad guys wear black," “The White Knight vs. the Black Knight," “Star Wars: Darth Vader vs. Luke Sky Walker," “Spooks and Evil comes out in the dark at night," “The Black Plague," and “He’s the black sheep of the family" have nothing to do with racism. The framing of black and white symbolism predates most white, yellow, red, or tan people even knowing that black people existed. All one needs to do is read the Hebrew Scriptures and works of Confucius.
It’s not relevant that black and white hats are used or white knights and black knights. To imply the usage may be racist doesn't make sense. The duality probably comes from the psychology of brightness, our survival when we can see best, and our prosperity. As well as other things in nature that may reflect our ideas of life and death. Zawisza the Black of Garbów also known as "the Black Knight" or "First knight of Europe", was a Polish knight and nobleman. He served as a soldier and diplomat under the Polish king Władysław II Jagiello and Hungarian-Bohemian king Sigismund of Luxembourg. His nickname is due to his black hair and his custom-made, black armor which is kept at the Jasna Gora Monastery. His armor camouflaged him and he was seen as a real threat.
It seems to me that humanity may well have used ''white and black'' to represent ''good and evil'' for as long as it has existed (across all cultures and times), and that this is a universal trait.
The Genesis creation narrative has God "separate light from darkness" on the First Day.
The Bible associates light with God, truth, and virtue; darkness is associated with sin and the Devil. Painters such as Rembrandt portrayed divine light illuminating an otherwise dark world.
War of the Sons of Light, Against the Sons of Darkness, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The underworld (Hades, Tartarus) was imagined was imagined as a CHTHONIC place of darkness, contrasting with the celestial realm of the gods. Christian notions of heaven and hell inherit this conception, as do the "dark angels" vs. the unfallen angels, often with aureola (halos), in Christianity.
Day and night are personified as deities in various mythologies (e.g. Norse Dagr and Nott, Greek Hmea and NYx, et cetera).
Chinese Yin-Yang
Again “Angel food cake and "Devil’s food cake” grew mostly out of biblical symbolism and metaphors, and not some conjured up racism--like most black, white, dark, and light. Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Scripture is replete with these comparisons, and Western Americans are steeped in religious symbolism.
Now, I have heard religious bigots say, “Black people are dark skin because they are the cursed children of Ham." I have heard religious bigots speak many untruths that are easily debunked. I've also heard ignorant people speak of "Blacks as naturally athletically inclined and better at singing and dancing," and "Whites as naturally intellectually inclined." But it doesn't go far beyond the few Archie Bunkers of the world.
When it comes to American inventors, we don't often research the facts. Regardless of myths you've heard, it is true that “Thomas Edison was the first man to invent the light bulb. It's a widely shared post on social media that says, "Thomas Edison did not invent the lightbulb but stole it from a Black man called Lewis Latimer." Latimer made a major contribution to the development of electric lighting by inventing a longer-lasting filament. But he did not invent the lightbulb. If he did, he should get full credit. Thomas Edison is regularly identified as the inventor, though that claim is itself often challenged. U.S. President Joe Biden echoed the message at a community meeting in Kenosha, Wisconsin on the campaign trail on Sept. 3, 2020, when he said: “A Black man invented the lightbulb not a white guy named Edison,” but Politifact, Snopes and CNN fact-checked Biden’s claim at the time and found it to be partly false. But facts matter.
In 1890 he published a book on the Edison system and the development of the incandescent light by Edison, called “Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System." The website for the museum based in his old house says Latimer “invented the carbon filament, a significant improvement in the production of the incandescent light bulb” ( lewislatimerhouse.org/about/ ). The website for Lemelson-MIT, which awards prizes to inventors in the United States, goes into more detail, saying: “Edison’s light bulb used a carbonized bamboo filament, which unfortunately burnt out rather quickly. Latimer created a way to make the carbon filament more durable by encasing it in cardboard.”
Americans strive to honor all people, women, Hispanics, Blacks, Native Americans, etc. The achievements and advances science development and institutes of higher learning made and continues to make America stronger.
I can understand the institutional distrust of law enforcement, because even if there's one out a thousand, it's a big risk. Prisoners face that every day. If you have a friendly, rules oriented, complacent, criminal, or racist cop, then who do you complain to? They don't have racist painted on their hat, so the retribution could be life-threatening if you pick the wrong one. I support the police. We need the police, and I believe the majority are doing great work. But I can understand the public fear of the one who isn't.
Let work on fixing that and ALL the episodes of racism we encounter, and not get hung up on white and black hats, and white not really being a color and black being the absence of color.
I heard someone, that probably doesn't get out much, say that “Pure, non-refracted light from the sun is not white but clear, colorless, therefore, the hue shade white, cannot be used as a metaphor to represent pure light." It's true that there are only seven organic colors that make up the natural light from the Sun. We see different colors because the chemical molecular structure of a substance absorbs some wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum while reflecting others. Melanin, the biochemical substance found in the epidermal skin tissue in man is responsible for the different skin tones that we see in humans.
So, the next time you complement your spouse, tell them how much your iris is pleasured by the melanin's wavelength and electromagnetic radiation. It'll be Hallmark moment!
Comments