Thoughts On Racism- A Lesson In Confirmation Bias
Have you ever considered the roots of racism? How and why it came into being? Or why the scientific concept of race has persisted since the 18th Century and is showing no signs of releasing its death grip on Black people?
Some years ago I came across Johann Blumenbach one of the first anthropologists who in 1776 established a classification of humanity into 5 races: Caucasian-white race, Mongolian-yellow race, Malayan-brown race, Ethiopian-black race, and American-red race. This intrigued me because, at the time I naively believed that if we could eradicate these broad definitions of race, we could eradicate racism.
But more recently I was horrified to read an earlier definition by Charles Linnaeus’ and his four varieties of the human species (Table 1), from the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae (1758), in which he includes attributes of each type based on:
1. Skin colour, medical temperament (corresponding to the four medieval humours), and body posture;
2. Physical traits relating to hair colour and form, eye colour, and distinctive facial traits;
3. Behaviour;
4. Manner of clothing;
5. Form of government.
As he was a well respected taxonomist, I suspect this was the reason for the broad acceptance of his definitions; even with his fifth category “monstrous” categorising mythical humans that simply do not exist, and also his sixth category “ferus” describing wild children and youngsters. Reading this was a revelation as it completely overturned my understanding and belief about racism. As racism continues its insidious grip on humanity through these these evil white supremacist attributes; in order to eradicate race, first we must eradicate racism.
Race is a fiction, a social construct made up by these “so called” anthropologists in the 18th century and jumped on by European nations, to justify the enslavement of Black Africans. To satisfy their Christian moral conscience, these European nations removed the right for Black Africans to be considered human. The result is racism which is real, and to a greater or lesser extent affects the lives of the majority of people worldwide who are not of the “white race”. I say to a greater or lesser extent, because depending on where you are on this artificial hierarchy of race: white, yellow, red, brown or black; this determines the degree to which racism affects your life, health, wealth and liberty.
Of course there are nuances and exceptions, there always are, but broadly speaking the effects of this racial hierarchy on people across the globe is as true today as it was when race was introduced as a concept and when world colonisation was considered legitimate business practice by Western European nations.
Black people are not a monolith, we are individuals with more ethnic diversity than you will see anywhere in the world, yet we are categorised and stereotyped by our colour as one people group.
How many times have you heard of law enforcement or politicians speaking to Black, Asian or Muslim community leaders about crime or civil disturbances? But we have we ever heard of them speaking to white or Christian community leaders? No, I think not. The media even speaks of the Asian community by continental ethnicity rather than skin colour. The issue here again is one of racism; if racism didn't exist there would not be a reason for race.
I would like to propose an experiment which is similar to the “Brown Eyes/ Blue Eyes Experiment” conducted by Jane Elliot. You can do this on your own without anyone knowing. But first I want to begin by giving you a definition of racism:
The belief that humans may be divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called “races”; that there is a causal link between inherited physical traits and traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural and behavioural features; and that some races are innately superior to others. The term is also applied to political, economic, or legal institutions and systems that engage in or perpetuate discrimination on the basis of race or otherwise reinforce racial inequalities in wealth and income, education, health care, civil rights, and other areas. — Britannica
Given this definition, I ask that your permission to indulge me in a completely hypothetical exercise. The following statements are complete fabrication:
Having conducted extensive and exhaustive research as Blumenbach and Linnaeus did before me, I have come to the conclusion that there are two primary characteristics along two continua that can be attributed to the entire human species:
Hair: Black denotes intelligence — Blond denotes imbecility/dumbness
Eyes: Brown - altruism/selflessness — Blue - narcissism/selfishness
Now using these two characteristics consider the people you see in films, on tv, in the media; the people who are friends, relatives, who you work with or who you meet in during your day. Now see if you recognise a pattern.
What I am asking you to do is conduct an exercise in confirmation bias, where you start to see these characteristics in the people you meet, everywhere you look. This works in much the same way as when you decide to buy a new car and you begin to see the same make and model of car everywhere.
This is how racism works. The tragedy is that the confirmation bias of racism is passed down from generation to generation. It permeates every corner of global society, and it will take the collective will of every person to break the cycle.
Do we have the collective will?