This Is Inevitable When You Classify People By Race, Not Humanity

Racism rears its ugly head at the Ukrainian border

Isn’t it sad that people who are being oppressed, also oppress? You would think that there would be a certain level of understanding, that we are brothers because someone stronger than us is mistreating us.

I wish it wasn’t so, but I’ve lived long enough to see it play out.

There is a story in the Bible that Jesus tells called The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. You may read it here. In a nutshell, a king forgave debt to a servant who owed much( say $1M, I’m exaggerating). The servant did not forgive another servant who owed him $10 and threw him in jail until he could pay.

Instead of helping his fellow debtee, he mistreated him.

Look at the video below.

We have the Ukrainian people who are being targeted by Russia in a brutal fashion. Many are fleeing to neighbouring countries, mainly Poland as it is the most west, with their families for safety. This includes foreigners like students, many of who are black and brown.

As the video highlights, white Ukrainians are allowed to pass with problems. But black, Indian, Arabic nationals are being hindered. They are not even allowed to board trains leaving the warzone.

These are human beings that other human beings are saying it’s okay if they die. They’re not really one of us.

I don’t understand Eastern bloc countries. They understand suffering. They understand brutal dictatorships and fleeing as refugees. Many western nations are filled with their citizens or former citizens.

But when people who don’t look like them flee to their lands, they build fences. Remember what Hungary did when the Syrians wanted to pass through? I bet they wouldn’t have built it if it was Croats wanting passage.

That’s what we’re seeing in Poland. Ukrainians look like them. Africans don’t.

When we classify people by race, what can you expect? Race is a social construct that was designed to justify mistreatment of non-whites.

I believe it has slowed down our appreciation of each other’s cultures and our development as humans. Somewhere in Botswana is a genius who may never be discovered because they are held back by the colour of their skin. Who would let an African be the one to cure cancer, or develop the next technological marvel that would revolutionize the world?

Maybe I’m just a cynic. I went to school in Kenya and there were students there who would knock the socks off any white person I came across in Canada. I wonder where they are now.

The video is a sad reminder of how far we still have to go. We just don’t seem to be making any progress.

I’m not optimistic.