It was 2003 - a full two years after 9/11 and America was fighting the War on Terror. I was 15 and traveling across the United States with my family. It was a nice holiday together filled with weddings, reunions and the usual relaxation most people hope to enjoy while away from work.
However, at each airport, we were subjected to multiple “random” security checks. Was it our Australian passports? I highly doubt it because when my father, sister and I passed through security with our Australian passports, there was never further inspection. Rather, it was my mother’s Indian passport that provoked these extra security check. Though India and Afghanistan are two separate nations with two entirely different popular religions (Hindu and Muslim respectively), it didn’t matter. Ignorance, fear and security concerns outweighed racial tolerance every time.
So I ask, is the dream alive? Has racism dug so deep into the veins of society that there is no hope for us to change our self-destructive ways? Or does one man’s dream still linger in the hearts of the hopeful, bringing an ever growing light to the idea of a united, harmonious world?
If you think about the question, you might just realize that it is a somewhat ignorant way to approach such a fragile situation. To question something as one way or another is a medieval way of thinking and the reason this problem of racism exists: the inability to accept what we don’t know. If it isn’t our way, it’s the wrong way.
To judge somebody by the colour of his skin is the most simplistic, shallow and obvious way to find difference between you and another. However, that concept seems to be fading into the past as racism mutates into a focus on greater differences such as religion, cultural practice, habits, dress, mannerisms and etiquette. The problem remains, but the fuel for the fire has changed from wood to kerosene. The new practice of racism has reached a more personal level, attacking not the way we are born but the way we live. From chance to choice, the modern racist point of view is more dangerous because the attack is far more than skin deep.
Racism is bred from fear, a lack of understanding and a narrow-minded view of life; and people promote and support intolerance by exploiting both history and current events.
For example, before the events of September 11, 2001, flying was not a huge concern for Muslims because they were not being persecuted for their cultural heritage and beliefs. But after the tragic events of that day, the world made a connection between the men committing acts of evil and hate and the people you would normally not think twice about sitting next to on a plane. Be it nationality or religious practice, Muslims were all seen as the same people and persecuted for it. You may call it hearsay, but my travels in the U.S. bear witness to this.
Clearly the idea of race strikes a personal chord for me. I was born of Australian and Indian heritage in America and have grown up in Hong Kong. Racism has the potential to tear away half my family while loving the other half. But where does this idea of racism sustaining itself through the misinterpreted view of history come into play?
In the past, we have seen various cultures hate each other over the color of skin or the way they live differently from one another. Be it Native Americans, Jews, the Lost Generation of Australia or the slaves stolen from Africa, many groups have been subjected to racism at some point throughout time. We spend our days growing up learning about where we come from, why we are where we are and why we are who we are. When you stop and look at this knowledge we are passing on to each generation that follows, we are sharing stories of unnecessary hate. I in no way feel that we should not pass on the tales of our ancestors but instead believe we should learn from them and not carry on making the same mistakes.
What my family encountered on our trip across America was nothing more than an inconvenience to us personally. It didn’t change how we spent our trip or how we acted towards anybody else. It merely opened our eyes to the state of the world and how even after all this time we can still be so blind to the truth.
So what am I getting at with all of this? Is it that the dream is still alive? Is it that the dream is lost in a sea of hate? I can’t really say it was either but if that is how you take it, I can’t really stop you. All I hope is that you take this from what you have just read. The concept of racism will always remain if we keep fighting rather than teaching. So instead of making the rash jump to hate, take a step back and look at the situation from a distance. You might just come to realize that each person truly is different from the rest.
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