Racism

This will not be political. While political initiatives may have a little influence, it is not enough to change feelings and opinions. Witness Prohibition. It didn't change the culture and consequently was eventually repealed.

What this will be about is the feelings and opinions that drive Racism, and what can/should be done.

First of all, what is it, and what causes it? It is hate/suspicion based on ethnicity.

What causes it? It may vary, but I think the root of it is categorization. If all you know of black people is gangsters, you will be afraid of black people. Here's where it gets complicated. Categorizing is a good and necessary part of life. When you see a tree, you categorize it as a tree, and know some of the properties. Or if you are a forester, you can recognize an oak. You've never seen that tree before, yet you expect acorns. Why? Because you have categorized it. You see a brown bear, and you give it a wide berth. Why? You've never seen that bear. You just know that brown bears aren't cuddly.

Now, let me take that a step further. When you are attacked by a black bear, you need to fight back, because they will eat you immediately if they get you. A brown/grizzly bear will only kill you, and as soon as it thinks you're dead, it'll let you alone. So when a grizzly attacks, play dead. Now, some black bears are cinnamon phased, meaning they're brown. Now, they're shaped different too, but an untrained eye might not see it. So if a person is attacked by a cinnamon black bear, they may miscategorize it as a brown bear, play dead, and be eaten. So miscategorization can be deadly.

So now we come to categorizing humans. The thing that complicates matters is that there is some truth to it. Some ethnicities have certain tendencies and/or ways of doing things. So it may help you know how to take a person based on his ethnicity.

But here's the problem. If a white person doesn't know any black people personally, and all they know of them is what they see in the news. Shootings, gangsters, violence. What results? Fear and suspicion. What about black people? They see white cops lined up against black people over and over again. White cops are hated and feared.

So the question is how to fix this problem. I personally don't think categorization is ever going to change. It is a necessary part of human survival. I can only see two other solutions.  One is in the "categorizer." He needs to change his view of the subject of discrimination. I think the best way to do this is to actually get to know some of the opposite ethnicity, at least on a first name basis. Talk to them, learn their life story, what they think of life. This will change how you view the whole category of that ethnicity.

The other is more difficult, and often pushed by protagonists on others. It the operation of proving you are not like the hated subjects. If you're black, don't dress and act like a gangster. I realize this may be nearly impossible in some neighborhoods. If you want to be part of a community, you've gotta dress and act acceptably. But remove yourself from looking like the criminals on TV as much as possible.

On the other side there are whites, cops in particular. They can't really change the way they dress, but they can change the way they act. Instead of acting all tough and businesslike, smile more, act friendly, reach out to, should I say, "high risk" communities. Again, different cultures are different, even within police stations, and that may be extremely difficult in some settings.

So there is my opinion. Racism and how to fix it. It largely boils down to learning to know people that are different than you, and giving them room to be different. They probably don't think the same as you do, but that's alright. In fact, that's good. E pluribus unum.

Time

Now, different cultures have different views of time, and that's alright. But in the particular Mennonite/German culture I'm in, time is a commodity. I really can't speak to the Latin American culture, the African culture, and some of those that seem much more laid back, so I won't.


In my particular subculture, time is a commodity. People speak of "giving time" and that "time is sometimes more valuable than money" and all that. So it is something that is possessed, and can be given. Obviously. But there is an extension to that that I haven't heard spoken about much. Something that can be given can also be taken. Unless it is something like love, or even hate, or advice, or something like that, that doesn't exist until it is given.


Time, however, can be taken. If you are put in prison, your time is not your own, it is disposed of largely by another person or group of people. The reason for this is that the government believes you have shown yourself incapable of using your time nondetrimentally.


But I want to take another aspect of it. So if you are compelling someone to do something other than what they would choose to do on their own, you are stealing your time. And if time is indeed more valuable than money, (and it seems likely to me that it is, given that you only have a limited quantity, and cannot increase that amount) then a person stealing time is more a criminal that a person stealing money.


Scenario: a preacher is allotted (as is often the case) 45 minutes to preach. It is a small church, the attendance is 40. The preacher is feeling extra frisky that morning, and goes 5 minutes overtime. He has taken 5 minutes from each of those 40 people, and allotted it to himself. That isn't a lot from any single person, but if a money thief would steal $5 from each person it wouldn't be much either. But he'd still end up stealing $200. And the preacher still ended up stealing 200 minutes, or 3 hours 20 minutes.


Other scenario: a group is planning to go on a trip of a few hours, and plans to meet at 7:00. Some are there early. They get there 6:50, or 6:55. That is their choice. They voluntarily give 5 or 10 extra minutes to make sure they are on time. But it is a group of 10, and one person is 5 minutes late. He just stole 5 minutes that were not given him from the other 9 people. He stole 45 minutes.


The money thief isn't actually that bad. He only stole money, and could give it back. The time thief is far worse. He stole something more valuable, and cannot even return it.


As I said in the beginning, different cultures have different views of time, and I'm not saying that those cultures who are constantly late, and have that sort of mindset are wrong. Time is not a commodity to them. To us here, it is. And we should either stop voluntarily stealing it from each other, or somehow change our idea of time. (Which, btw, is nearly, and possibly entirely, impossible.)


Thank you for giving me more time than I deserve.


Au revoir.

Introduction

To those of you who may eventually read this, be warned: this is not a Good Blog. As in, well maintained, amazingly written, carefully thought out. This is a place for me to throw my thoughts, and go on rants when my mind is churning to an unusual degree.

I am not a blog reader. It is extremely rare for me to visit a blog page at all. So why do I think anyone would want to read a blog written by me? The answer: I don't. If not a single person ever reads this, that is completely OK. These posts will be written as much for me as for any one else.

So what is the purpose of a blog? If I intend to write for myself, there are plenty of note taking apps and services that would be glad to record my thoughts. Tbh, I'm not sure what I'm doing here. I think the biggest reason I'm here is to make some of my mental discussions public enough to easily share with specific people, as well as let them share it with other people if they get the urge.


A little of my ideology. I love logic. And I like opinions. Not only mine, but yours too. In fact, your opinions have the added advantage of being novel. However, I am also reactionary. My relish for others' opinions means I will cross examine them, look at the subject from other angles, and even throw every objection at them I can. Not because I don't like them, but because I do.

I like good solid opinions. Opinions that can be examined and maintain their solidity. Therefore, I examine opinions. I like arguing, it is true. But it is because I like new ideas, and wish to test them.

Back to the state of this blog. I have written to and for myself in the past in various ways. I still have many of those "essays." It is likely that some of them will show their faces here at some point.

Au Revoir, and... (do barbarians speak French? I don't either!) ...and please forgive my lack of cohesion.