A Practical Race Theory

Racism is man’s gravest threat to man — the maximum hatred for a minimum reason.

— Abraham Joshua Heschel

Racism and bigotry — and the emotion of fear from which they emanate — are instinctive. They are biological survival imperatives.

Human beings are insecure, emotional, groupthinkers. Like all mammals, we are programmed to fear those who are different or foreign because they represent a possible threat to the security of our group.

That fear is the root of all prejudice and bigotry.

Obviously, being afraid of ‘different or foreign,’ when they do pose a threat, is not only appropriate but essential for the protection of the innocent in any civilized society. This fear becomes a problem, however, when perceived differences are actually trivial and do not represent any real threat. Unfortunately, people tend not to agree on what is and what is not a trivial threat.

Furthermore, if those around us espouse a certain view, social pressure and our need for conformity can move us to do likewise, whether or not we actually feel the same. This is motivated, not by the fear of ‘other,’ but by the fear of rejection by our own group.

Prejudice is therefore a defense mechanism that is programmed into human biology, and as we discussed in the previous chapter, so much of our lives are lived according to the promptings of our survival instinct.

Our emotions are our survival instinct’s alert system: negative emotions register a (perceived) threat; positive emotions signal safety. Emotions are neither logical nor calculated. They are instantaneous reactions to input from our surroundings. Our intellect does not inform our emotions; the opposite is true. Once emotions are aroused, our complex and creative rationalizations and justifications simply follow where the feelings are pointing.

Every decision we make is designed to make us feel safer. It is not designed to be right or wise.

Most of us live instinctively, but just about all of us are convinced that the opposite is true — that we are living with intention and choosing wisely and freely all the time. If that were true, though, our lives and world would not be filled with so much pain and dysfunction.

Against that backdrop, to the extent that people react instinctively, there will be fear of ‘other,’ and there will therefore be prejudice and racism against any minority, difference, or foreign influence that is present. We would therefore expect to see racism against minorities in any given corner of the globe — wherever human nature runs the show, and to the extent that it runs the show.

Racism and prejudice will not come from everyone in a given society, but it will certainly come from those who feel most instinctively insecure. It will also come from both sides of the political aisle. (Even if the prejudice may not be directed towards the same ‘other,’ both sides will feel equally justified in their view.)

Prejudice, racism, and bigotry are thus built into the ‘virtual reality meat suit’ that is the human body. We, as its pilots, have the task of recognizing such primal impulses within our nature and subverting them on an intellectual level. This is, of course, possible, but it is certainly not automatic. It requires awareness, intention, and consistent effort.

To the extent that people anywhere strive to evolve beyond our primal fear-based groupthink, we will exhibit less racism and bigotry.

That is the simple and self-evident truth about prejudice and racism — though it may not be the most politically expedient.

What Racism Is NOT

Once we own our own humanness, it is simple to forgive others theirs.

— David R. Hawkins

We must not, however, make the mistake of thinking that racism or prejudice are a defect of only one group of people, or of only one type of person. No race is inherently more or less racist than any other; no group is inherently more or less prejudiced than any other. We all have our shared humanity in common.

However, issues of relative culture, values, and demographics can certainly affect the vehemence of prejudice from one place to another or from one group to another. All cultures do not share equal values. This is self-evident.

Race is frequently used in politics — intentionally, and by both sides of the aisle — as a rhetorical football. Racism is not political, though. It is a universal human flaw, and we must see it for what it is. Ultimately — and ironically — it is no different, at its root level, from the prejudice we have against our political opponents.

There are many people, of all colors and cultures, who show no outward signs of racism. Examples include those who marry or who have close friendships across racial ‘lines.’ (They may nevertheless manifest other forms of prejudice.)

There are some societies in which this lack of racism is more pervasive or visible than others. But there are many in which the average human being lives according to the imperatives of their survival instinct. Such instinct will always harbor mistrust, dislike, or worse, towards some group, idea, or race — to some degree, even if it is only minimal.

This is one of the best arguments for us recognizing the truth of our instinctive thinking, so that we can work to elevate it. The extent to which we are able to rein in our animal nature, to take the reins back from our animal in the mirror, is the extent to which we are evolving as individuals and as a planetary society.

The first step, though, is being aware of the necessity to do so!

Revenge Racism

When a minority has experienced racism or persecution at the hands of a certain majority, or vice versa, they may, in turn, become prejudiced against the entire offending group in response. While this is certainly understandable, ironically, it still remains a prejudice. This is because no stereotype and no single perspective can ever be true of every member of a racial or national group. (Small groups, or those who hold a hateful or a genocidal ideology, are a different matter, of course.)

Resentment and the desire for revenge are indeed powerful forces within the human condition, and history is full of examples of such ‘pay-back.’ Human nature, left to its own devices, will always cause history to repeat (and rhyme).

The goal of the evolving consciousness, however, is not to leave our nature to its own selfish and fearful devices. Luckily for us, history also has examples of people who have risen above their desire for revenge. As a South African, a poignant example of this would be Nelson Mandela. When he became president of South Africa, having been in prison for 27 years under the previous Apartheid regime, his vision for the future was one of forgiveness, unity, and peace. For most people, this is a path that requires a lot more courage than giving in to our lust for revenge.

Moving Beyond

It is essential that we not only recognize the evils of past and present forms of prejudice, but that we understand the biological imperatives within us that give rise to them. Only when we understand this can we choose to grow beyond our instinctive fears and groupthink, not to mention, to forgive those who have succumbed to theirs.

We can banish prejudice and racism from our lives and from our world if we teach our children, in every generation, the truth of the human machine. If they understand themselves better, they are empowered to make more evolved choices and live healthier and more conscious lives.

Overcoming prejudice and bigotry is a mark of evolution, a sign that we are beginning to control our instinct by asserting and living according to reason. Reason dictates that we should recognize our commonalities: Our bodies all work the same way, medically, and we all want the same basic freedom and happiness for ourselves and for our families.

Of course, reason also dictates that, in a world where predatory actors remain, we still need to pre-judge and assess others in order to survive. We should certainly be striving to move ourselves and our broader society in a direction of increased civility, toward that Utopian dream, but we are also wise to acknowledge that we are not quite there yet.

As long as the world contains predatory actors, our survival will continue to necessitate a little groupthink, until the need to defend ourselves has diminished — across all of our global cultures — as a consequence of our behavioral evolution. It is important to recognize this self-evident truth, even as we work to connect and engage together.

Cooperation and safety are both enhanced when we understand the true source of our motivations, thoughts, and actions, and when we can be honest about them.

In order for us to evolve, we must first understand that our survival instinct is still running the show. Until we do, we will continue running around like animals, dividing ourselves into groups, congratulating ourselves on the superiority, brilliance, and correctness of our group… even as we continue to kill our ‘enemies’ and hurt the ones we love. And ourselves.

We can choose not to continue living this way. Instead, if we can successfully diminish our fears and grow together as a global community, the possibilities that lie before our exceptional human race are truly endless.

*

I am an Earthling. And so are you. There is an animal in my mirror, just like there is one in yours.

That is the truth of our story.

(This is an excerpt from The Animal In The Mirror, Chapter 2.)