You can’t be racist and be my friend at the same time.
Racism is not a quirk like the preference for a lousy band or strange hairstyles. Racism is also not an opinion but a crime.
Racism is back in the middle of society
In Europe, also in my country, Germany, racism is on the rise again. Exclusion, hatred, and the feeling of belonging to a better race have arrived in the middle of society.
I experience it at family celebrations, at parties, and on the bus — people again say things publicly that were taboo in our free, democratic society for decades. They are not ashamed because they believe they are part of the silent majority.
Social media fools people into believing that racist statements are reasonable and covered by freedom of speech.
Politicians like Donald Trump in the USA, Matteo Salvini in Italy, Marine Le Pen in France or Björn Höcke in Germany spread their racial hatred uninhibitedly through the media and are not stopped.
A climate has arisen in which people suddenly dare to speak out loud again, which they may have been secretly thinking for years. Even people from my circle of acquaintances, even from my family, suddenly make racist jokes about People of Color and Muslims.
Members of the LGBT community are also exposed to insinuations. Climate activists and leftists are mocked and often attacked.
People who live in areas where almost no foreigners live suddenly blame migrants that they are among the losers in global competition and have to do bad jobs that are poorly paid.
In local elections in East Germany, the radical right-wing party AFD won 27.5 and 23.5 percent of the votes, respectively. This is far from being a majority, but it shows that almost a third of the voters there has no problem with openly voting for racist candidates.
Racism is not an opinion, but a crime
Racism is a crime against humanity. After over six million Jews were murdered in gas chambers and in a thousand other ways in a racist-motivated war in the twentieth century, no one can claim to have just one opinion of many if they are racists.
Racism implies the willingness to exclude, expel, and ultimately murder people who are different from oneself.
That is why it is not possible to negotiate or discuss with racists. Therefore, there is no need to try to understand racists or to take their “concerns” seriously.
Sometimes friends have to leave
It’s painful to lose old friends, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. I have tried to talk to people about their racism who were once close to me. In no case did it work.
Racists are not willing to think, to ask themselves, and to revise their opinions.
Because racism is accompanied by emotional stupidity, the racist cannot be helped.
If you are a racist, you cannot be my friend at the same time.
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