Monday Moaning: Discriminating Us
I am going out on a limb here with the this post. But it is something I wanted to share.
The item I am going to be writing about has some dangerous edges to it that can make me look a bad man. Now by all means it is never meant to hurt, it is merely written to open some eyes and have you think of what might be going on and create a change. When it comes to discriminating we are worse than we have ever thought and beside that we do not care who we discriminate. Saying in a very simple fashion as the title suggested we discriminate ourselves.
I will also tell a short story about documentary that was made and the lady journalist who made it had some death threats because of it. It is silly how black and white we look at the world and maybe we have ourselves to thank for that. History has been inscribed within our brain through repeating what seems to have been right at the date of time. But how much of it is truly right and or wrong. What have we taught and are we teaching our children.
It will become clear that the black and white has a very little grey area between the two. Now in order be a bit careful I will use the word ‘Coloured’ for those who else would have been called African-American or African and even South American.
There is even the Middle eastern though one could have easily been from Morocco. Not wanting to over complicate the issue that will be written down later on in this post.
Last but not least is the obvious white person or Caucasian as I will try to keep it. As white is just as much a discriminating word as black. Though we may not always agree there.
Explaining about the one thing showed in that documentary and the opinion formed after. though it may be one thing I talk about it is a significant way we as a community react on the matter.
The scene is as followed. One bike locked with a chain around a lamp post in the middle of Amsterdam’s Fondel Park. Kind of like Central Park in New York. On a regular sunny day with people walking about. Here is a short lay out of what happened. Now you be the judge on it all and think about what you would have done, if you were in that situation.
First up we see the coloured person walk up to the bike with a hacksaw in his hand. Soon as he starts cutting through the chain people have been calling the police. Within 5-10 minutes a police officer on his motorbike is addressing the person doing the sawing. He gets taken away for trying to steel a bike. No report has been made up as the police didn’t know what experiment was going on.
Talking to people who watch it all unfold they all answered it was clear he was trying to steal the bike.. For starters one can think this is the normal behaviour when we see something happening. That answer is maybe correct but not when assuming that a coloured person would always steal a bike, it is even stranger to hear the same from other coloured people. But pay attention to the next.
The next up was the Middle Eastern man. Doing precisely the same. Walking up to the bike and started cutting as well. Instead of people using their phone to call the police they start filming and taking pictures. He did road off on the bike.
When asked the people who watch the crime unfold, they pretty much all answered the same. Well he wasn’t clearly stealing the bike but with a Middle Eastern man you never know what to expect so it is safer to film and take pictures, just in case they need a culprit later on crime TV. One clearly heard the fear in their voices when a Middle Eastern man is doing the cutting. He might be a mad bomber. It thanks to all that news we have created a fear for them. Even if it is unfounded and not everyone being the same.
Last but not least is our Caucasian man. Walking up to the bike with a hacksaw visible and cutting away like his predecessors. heads ere turned as they watched him sawing away on the chain. But nobody thought about calling or taking pictures. And this is where it gets interesting.
From the side a small clean-up crew arrives. And pretty much everybody’s stereo types stepped out. A Coloured and a Middle Eastern man. And they ask the Caucasian what he is up to. Explaining he lost his key and the Park cleaners get their bolt cutters, which they use to expose of bikes who have curled wheels. Keeping the park as clean looking as possible.
With two cuts the bike is released, they shake hands and the Caucasian guy can ride of but not after the cleaners pick up the broken chain and throw away the evidence in their cart.
Now when we read al this it is clear how black and white we are towards each other. That our inheritance dictates what we would do or how we should act. It is in that manner we also discriminate our own. Coloured thinking that every Coloured would steal and second to that have a some kind of inherited history lesson to look after the Caucasians people.
It is clear that what we taught the Coloured people in the past have this kind of effect in the present day. That it is better to be as white, now I am using the word to put some weight on it, or else one isn’t worth anything. Being White clearly represents some kind of hear no evil see no evil speak no evil.
How in the world can we still be okay with that. Why on earth are we still looking at everything this black and white.
Sure it is wrong to just assume no matter where we come from or who we are. That even Coloured people think and pretend to be white just not to be on someone’s bad side. Are we Caucasians still like our ancestors and looking down on those around us. It is clear that discrimination is still going on though it might be more concealed as history has moved on and refined our ways. history that has left scars in those who lived before us. Scars that dictate today how one should act and be.
Clearly we need to change and stop assuming based on looks. Release those who are still bound by the past and give them the freedom you and I are enjoying. They deserve it as much as we do. Be honest not everything we have been taught is right or true.
This was one Rant I might have gone beyond some boundaries and stepped on a sharp razor’s edge when it comes to the topic.
I wish you all the best.
Ranting Crow
Ranting Crow 