Who invented racism?

I checked my computer’s wordweb dictionary and it gave two definitions for racism. First it is defined as “The prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races” and the second definition is any “Discriminatory or abusive behaviour towards members of another race”. These definitions are very okay by me. Thankfully the Publishers of the dictionary did not put Black race in their definition neither did they mention any race, this alone surprised me because to help understand words better, I am used to this dictionary giving me examples, But you can’t blame them you know? Someone could gladly sue them for racism, if they did!

The word has become so important and sensitive with so much bias around it, sometimes someone is just lying in wait for you to say one careless joke or a seemingly harmless word and before you know it, you are in the Courtroom answering racism charges, especially if you are white, although a man of colour might have said a similar or worse thing and no one takes him to a law court. Thank God I am Black, and proud to be.

I dislike racists and frown sternly at clear racism reports, but Today let us look at an aspect of racism that only a writer of my background can dare take the Liberty to analyse, because no one is interested in sueing me. And if you have two guys of same race in before a Judge, he’ll probably just say “brothers resolve your disputes and go home, there’s no ground for this court to consider this racism charge… Next case please”.

After years of fighting against discrimination, many nations now have a new generation who will judge you by your ability and achievement rather than your race, they’ll praise you if you do well and boldly confront or rebuke you if you do otherwise, I see nothing wrong in such a society, if everything is done in love and an open mind. Sadly some of us have not broken away from the ages of slavery and discrimination, some folks take almost everything personal, believing that anything any one does to them was racially aggravated especially if the guy in culprit position is white and you are not.

This is just an eye opener, as I am not in the position to judge anyone’s decision and I genuinely show solidarity and share in the pains of all those who go through some clear racism around the world, I hear and read this news all the time and oftentimes from countries like Italy and Germany we hear racism reports that comes top on the list in far away Africa. I wish every Italian and German as well as everyone in the world can understand that all men are created equal.

However, we at the receiving end still need to look inwards and resolve some of the complexes we have that trigger us to too quickly assume we are being treated in a particular way because of our colour. I heard a story of a group of Pilots working in Africa, where the Indigenous Pilots have some things against the foreign Pilots, one known reason (if there are others) is because the foreign pilots somehow get like 1month off, whereas the indigenous pilots only get like 3weeks. Should such cause issues? Should they not have realized that any White guy left a family in far away America , Europe and etcetera, and in my own opinion if there is no other matter involved asides the extra days off, the Africa based airline has done nothing wrong.

You can be proud of  yourself to a level that the thought that a person’s action to you was racially aggravated would be the last thing on your mind, Mr Barack Obama must have had such great self esteem and believe, if he was picking a fight with every white guy he had any issue with, I don’t think he’ll ever get where he is today.

Personally, if anyone ever calls me a monkey, I’ll certainly laugh, it’s either he’s sincerely kidding or he isn’t educated or educated without vast knowledge, as a monkey can easily be black or white. It is very possible he addresses even his parents with more elaborate zoological names, and if his family isn't offended, why should I? The only day I can remember ever feeling racially abused was on one fateful they when a Protocol official at a bank building delayed me at a post for long after I told him who I came to see, and very easily allowed a white guy he didn't know into the office complex without verifying who he was looking for. 

Please note however that this Protocol Officer in question is black as well. You can imagine how I must have felt.  It gives you a feeling that many of us are more aware of colour in a very low esteem more than any offender. 

We now have an association for everything (Association of Black Comedians, Association of Black Writers, Association for Black Journalists, Association of Black this and Black that!!!, seems we have been guilty of even discriminating the white, for instance, if any one forms an Association of White Readers, then he is in trouble, he is considered a racist) Whatever you care for hurts you the most, we shouldn't care too much about racism or whoever invented racism. If there’s any truth in this write up, I urge us all irrespective of our race to live peacefully in friendship and renew our mind like my bible urges in Romans 12:1.
Anyway the Bank protocol officer i mentioned earlier, did apologize and I did not tell the person I went to see (a very senior staff) a single word of it, I didn't take it any further, I considered his act a small error that could have easily blown up to destroy him, but why should a family man get a query or lose his job because of my failure to forgive when I could? In the same vein I think we should allow many racism cases (some of which are fuelled by lawyers) to end with simple sincere apologises and not drag them all the way to the courtroom. The stop of racism begins with you and I, letting people know when we feel offended, being kind enough to accept their apology rather than being eager to join the business of making money from Litigations. We must choose between making money and making personal, communual and societal commitments to stop racism.