I believe in racial equality. I believe that discrimination based on colour and creed is wrong; the human race has evolved into distinct races, categories if you will, based on geography, history and environment. But these evolutionary truths does not condemn any particular race to a particular destiny. Not only do i believe these things are true, but i WANT to believe that it is true. To think that a society can and should be divided based on their history, their birth and their origins is simply unacceptable.
But what if my beliefs are wrong? What if this world was divided across racial lines? What if the truth was that your birth determined your place in this world, meaning that for every person, there was a predetermined "place". What if all the "progress" that the human race has made so far in the fight for racial equality has only produced lip service and the rare exceptions. What if bigotry, racism and the self-belief that everyone has their "place" is the rule?
Its a scary thought to consider these what ifs. And scarier still as i've begin to realize that they could be closer to the truth than the intellectualism of pole-length "what ifs". Could it be that we, myself included, have deluded ourselves into believing that the human race has progressed, truly progressed, in terms of racial equality? Or worse yet, is it even possible that we have made ourselves believe that racial equality is a desirable goal when, in fact, it isn't?
Notice that it is racial equality that is the issue. Not racial harmony, as we may have that. Not racial awareness, as we may have that. Not racial integration, as we are increasingly achieving that.
Discussions i've had with some of my trainees here in Sarawak have made me question the validity of my beliefs. They told me of the "ruling class" of Sarawak i.e. the Chinese community. They own the major businesses, the live in the best neighbourhoods, they control the state government, if not in name, certainly in influence. No one i spoke to was upset that this was the case, everything was said in a matter-of-fact, nonchalant manner. "That's just how it is," i was told with a shrug of the shoulders.
Is this "just how it is" in the ghettos of the Bronx?
Is this "just how it is" in the shanty towns to South Africa?
Is this "just how it is" in the aboriginal "reserves" of Australia?
Its depressing to acknowledge that it may not "just be how it is", but also, "that's all there is".
Its easy to theorize about how it "should be" from the lofty perch of our ivory towers, from the spewing rhetoric of our politicians, or from the perceptions of what we WANT to believe. But when you're on the ground, a part of the reality, perspectives change. You see people quite happy to accept things as they are; satisfied that their lot in life is decided by the colour of your skin. This is wrong. Racial equality is about being able to make choices, about having options to control your destiny regardless of race. Maybe that's the problem: they don't believe that they have a right to choose.
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