THE problem with racism is that it deals in stereotypes and generalisations, but the danger in political correctness is that we become frightened to tackle issues we know are affected by race and culture for fear of causing offence. The truth is that some cultures do treat women badly, some cultures do exploit children, some cultures do have religious rituals that are unacceptable in the modern world.
The difficulty is in criticising the culture rather than the individual. For example, I think most of us would agree that being stoned to death for adultery, as happened to a woman in Northern Nigeria, is barbaric. The danger lies in using that knowledge to condemn a whole race as barbaric.
Americans are bewildered by their poor image in the world. A recent survey in the EU asked young people for their perceptions of other races. Americans came out as “loud, fat and greedy”. Is this racist? Well to some extent it is because it is patently an unfair generalisation. Yet, it could be argued, that it is not entirely without substance and evidence. We are constantly told that they are the most obese nation on earth. The media exports from Hollywood and the images portrayed in shows like Oprah Winfrey with people shouting abuse at each other are without doubt loud and brash. The rags to riches “American Dream” is based on the acquiring of wealth. Graham Greene’s novel The Quiet American works because of its ironic title. So it is not surprising that these stereotypes exist and are perpetuated.
There used to be a joke doing the rounds which went: Heaven is where the French are the cooks, the Italians are the lovers, the Germans run the transport system and the British provide the law. Hell is where the British are the lovers, the French run the transport, the Germans cook and the Italians provide the law. You get the picture. The worrying thing is, of course, that we recognise the stereotypes. President Chirac suffered the consequences of his ill-advised comments about haggis before the G8 summit but he was simply reinforcing the French self-belief in themselves as the
master culinaires.
What we need to face and accept is there are nuggets of truth buried in perceptions of race. For example, it is true that in Britain proportionately more Afro Caribbean teenagers become single mums than other ethnic group. Now why is this? Is it as some commentators suggest because Afro Caribbean boys are brought up not to accept the responsibility of fatherhood? That “macho-ness” and sexual prowess are seen as positive traits. Very possibly.
Is it racist to discuss this issue? No. It is sensible to discuss it, but it matters how you do it. Tabloid headlines about randiness and race are inflammatory and insulting. When Benjamin Zephaniah, one of my favourite contemporary poets, was up for a professorship at Cambridge University a few years ago, The Sun, the best-selling paper in the UK had the words, “Would you let this man near your daughter?” next to his photograph. Enough said.
The media, politicians and community leaders who incite racial hatred through exaggerating racial fear are to be utterly condemned. It is irresponsible and dangerous. We live in a world where racial antagonism can lead to violent actions as was seen in Birmingham at the weekend. Reason not race should be the issue.
So are we all racist? Yes, of course we are. We all use stereotypes to make ourselves feel better and poke fun at others. To some extent racism is natural and normal; it reinforces our sense of identity but it is unhealthy in any society when it induces a sense of superiority. Should we challenge our own prejudice and sift the truth from the stereotypes? Of course. The British are perceived as arrogant and the Irish as cheerful but unreliable, now I wonder why that is?
