We are all Racist

The artist Wassili Kandinsky said “art is the child of its age, and the mother of our emotions.” I often use this quote when teaching to express to my students that art is a language, a language of the time in which it was made, and that by looking at the art we can tell a lot about the time in which the artist lived, his or her beliefs and in general the social and cultural influenced that helped shape the work of art. We art the product of our culture. I tell my students this not only that they have a tool for understanding the art, but that they understand that they are also children of their culture and that as such they will approach the work from a particular standpoint, with a particular mindset that frames the way the appreciate art.

Recently, in our adult Sunday school class, we began discussing the writings of Martin Luther King. Race is one of those big three that they say you should never discuss with people if you want to keep your friends your friends. The other two are religion and politics. So we have our bases covered in church. It is an odd thing listening to people talk about racism. Many times you hear things that, in talking about racism, sound racist. For me it is hard not to judge. I grew up with grandparent who frequently made racist remarks and from whom I learned a great deal about my own intolerance of hate speech. As a result I tend to err on the side of caution and typically react negatively to words that hint at racism. And it is an odd place to sit and talk about racism, in a room full of white, middle class Protestants. There isn’t a person of color among them. So, just as I caution my students, the stetting and our own point of view must be taken into consideration in this conversation.

In talking about the speeches of MLK, we tend to talk about racism in the past. But of course racism is alive and well in the modern world, and perhaps more prevalent today than ever, as undercurrents of racist talk and thinking are swept under the table in a tide of political correctness and affirmative action. But for myself I know that I am a product of my culture, so that no matter how hard I reject hate speech and racist sentiment, I undoubtedly share in them both. We are all racist. Not all to the same degree. But we have heard racist sentiment in our schools and on television and really everywhere. It seems inescapable. About the time I think that I have eradicated every last racist thought that I have heard or been brought up with, another rears its ugly head. No I don’t think that the way to escape the tide of racism is to pretend that I am not racist. They way to avoid becoming racist is to remain vigilant of my thoughts and actions, to remain open to the words of others that might point out when I am at fault and be quick to acknowledge when I am wrong and make amends.

I enjoy the conversations we have in our class, and when I am unable to attend I am disappointed. I tend to think of racism as a fear of change or perhaps, more rightly, a fear of the different or the other. When I look at a person’s clothes or their manners I might think that these people are to be feared or worse, but really it is my own inward fear of the strange and different, my own ignorance about other people and other cultures that are different from my own, that gives my fear strength. The more we talk about racism, the more I think, and learn and grow, and the better equipped I am to deal with my own fears and insecurities. It makes me wonder though, because there is always change and there is always difference, so does that mean their will always be racism? I hope not, but I really don't know.