The Racism Problem - Why DEI Must DIE

 Racism is a problem, and will continue to be a problem until we accept that there is no such thing as 'racism'.


In my series "The Art of Reasoning", in parts 9 and 10, I discussed some fundamental characteristics of human behavior, some inherent, genetically embedded survival behaviors, which are present in any social species.

Fundamental to survival is the ability to avoid or eliminate that which can harm us. How do we distinguish that which can harm us? Our inherent programming is to flock to that which is like us, and to fear that which is different.

(Note: this mechanism can be overridden. There are two key characteristics which allows us to overcome this survival response to the unknown; confidence, and curiosity. A creature that is sufficiently curious, and free of trauma from past experiences of threat may approach the unknown unafraid.)

This fear tends to lead to one of two responses to a perceived threat - flee, or fight. When alone or outnumbered, flight is the more likely response. When we have the force of a flock (or herd or pack), we may be more inclined to fight. Spend a little time observing the animal kingdom and you will see this behavior, where predator becomes prey. Buffalo, wildebeests, gazelles, elephants - all herbivores- have been known to fight off and even kill powerful prey animals, such as tigers or lions. If a lone wolf strays into the territory of another pack, the pack may respond with violence. They have even been know to slaughter a stray pup.

In 1971, a single tribe of Chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park in Tanzania split into two territorial factions. Those two factions began a brutal war with each other in 1974, which lasted four years, until one tribe was effectively decimated by the other.

All animals fight to protect resources and territories, to eliminate potential threats, to survive. It is a genetically ingrained behavior. And we humans are no different int his regard, we are subject to 'the natural man' within us. We protect that which is part of our herd against that which is not.

And the difference between 'part of the herd' and not can be very subtle. A wolf looks very much like any other wolf to us. Yet the pack can identify the outsider by his unique scent. The Gombe chimpanzees were originally all one tribe, with only four years of separation to distinguish them before they went to war.

We can form flocks based on nearly any distinguishing characteristic. Skin color, geographic origin, eye shape, spoken language, accent, age, gender, religious belief, political system. It is the same mechanism at work.

This is the problem with 'racism', 'Racism' doesn't actually exist. it is a contrived label which we have chosen to give to a very specific instance of the survival mechanism described above. The issue of "black vs white" is no different than that of 'Hutu vs Tutsi', or 'Sunni vs Shia', or 'Orange vs Green'. We create an artificial boundary, group people accordingly, expose real and contrived offenses, dredge up past sins, and go to war.

By labeling it 'racism', we have diverted attention away from the underlying mechanism at work, and instead focused on the superficial differences between two cultural groups. The unintended consequence of this is to reinforce the boundary between the two groups in question. Rather than seek to understand the similarities, we highlight the differences, which inevitably escalates the conflict.

DEI programs take this issue a step further, by introducing the idea of marginalized groups.  Any number of characteristics can be used to create still more groups, draw more battle lines, quite often erasing the very diversity they claims to be seeking in the process.

The economics of conflict further exacerbate the issue. There is so much money to be made, so much political power to be gained from playing on fears, it is far too tempting for most to pass  on the opportunity to exploit it to personal advantage.

 Anti-racism efforts, or Authoritarian imposition of diversity through DEI programs, are therefore counter-productively fostering the very thing they intend to eliminate. The first step to truly ending racism, is to stop labeling it as 'racism'. Real Diversity is achieved when it is recognized that the unit of true diversity is the individual.