Clarity In Thinking and Articulation Is Necessary To Combat Unfair Treatment and Discrimination.
There are many layers to injustice and unfair treatment. We have to understand the real issues behind them and not how they are presented.
We have to bring clarity in our thinking when it comes to issues affecting societies at large. For the purposes of context, I am putting my thoughts into words based on reflections on the Black Lives Matter movement to the recent Asian violence episode.
Unfortunately, the events were caught in the United States by social media and mainstream media, I do believe that such events are not privy to the United States. They happened to be caught, magnified, and broadcasted from the United States.
The wrestle for legitimacy is a tug-o-war between majorities and the minorities. It happens at every corner of the globe. We need to be aware that apparent differences should not be a trigger for atrocities against different races. Let me explain.
I do not want to be Strawmann’ed for the wrong reasons, and therefore I am going to use my home country as an example.
I grew up in a multi-racial society. I attended school with different races sitting together in the same class. Yes, Indians (or Malays) have darker skin tone. They speak with a foreign accent, so I do find them weird. Mind you, it is the same for them because I have mild Cantonese slang in my English. Oh yeah, I am obviously yellow in my appearance.
But look, such differences did not stop us from communicating with each other. We speak English, we communicate with each other using the same language. Not just that, we can articulate our struggles learning the English language. Am I right?
Yes, yes. My Indian friends have an inclination to bring chicken biryani from home. I bring along with me stirred fried vegetables and stewed chicken for recess. That said, this is about diverse cultures living in harmony. We eat different things, and we can sit together while eating our own food.
What is wrong with a Chinese boy eating stirred fried chicken on one side of the table with an Indian boy eating chicken biryani, sitting on the other side, facing each other, and discussing their grandiose plans of cutting classes after recess?
No. There is nothing wrong. There is acceptance. And there is diversity, embraced.
That is what we need.
The act of magnifying biological differences is weird. We are born different because of our genetic code differences, plus where we reside. If you are a resident in the Northern or Southern hemispheres, you have to deal with frostbite and scorching summers. If you are born into the equator, you are accustomed to dealing with heat and humidity. You sweat more because that is how our body regulates temperature and keeps us cool for survival!
Are we going to discriminate against our equatorial friends because they sweat more? Oh, come on!
So, we need to think about the ways we view one another and living together. I can provide other examples beyond apparent differences. Take, for instance, the ex-convict has to deal with a different set of circumstances when shit happens.
Let us assume that some money has disappeared from the cashier till one day. The ex-convict needs to be clear in proving his (her) innocence as a default and not be engaged in apparent discriminatory behaviors. Instead of fighting back because he (she) feels wrong, he (she) can articulate evidence in their favor.
A friend of mine does the above. He never believed in fighting the consensus because it is futile. As he rightfully said, how can we fight something that we cannot see and exists in their heads?
So, he will flip into the mode of proving his innocence by default and then steer clear of accusations. He does not think that he is suffering from injustice. He believes that everyone has a different set of circumstances to deal with.
That is it.
How we deal with the situation matters.
We do not want to be subjects of discrimination. Naturally so. We may believe that immigrants stole all our jobs because they are employed, and we are not. How can we be sure that we will take that same job when presented in front of us?
I do not have any easy answers.
I do not think many people have either.
Maybe we should figure it out.
Together.
Aldric
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.