Racism vs. Ignorance: When To Respond With Anger

It has been a while since I wrote my last blog post. It is about time I get off my butt and start writing about some controversial topics again now that the summer is over. So here we go: today we are talking about racism!

Often when there is any conversation concerning racism or the act of being racially biased, it can be easy to “jump to conclusions” or “rise up” and be upset. Of course, I do not necessarily want to condemn those who react this way. However, I think there needs to be a distinction between racism and ignorance.

Mariam-Webster defines racism as “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.” Mariam-Webster also defines ignorance as, “lack of knowledge or information.”

These two definitions are important here. Racism deals discriminating against a race because of a superiority complex. Ignorance deals with those who lack certain knowledge.

Why might this be important?

How we respond to a situation plays a significant role in defining the future. There are times to be angry, and there are times to be calm. Ecclesiastes 3:1-9, Proverbs 14:29, and Ephesians 4:6 are excellent verses that supports this idea.

In short, it is okay to respond with anger (in love of course) when dealing with racism. However, It is not wise to respond with anger when dealing with ignorance. But, for whatever reason, we treat the ideas of racism and ignorance as synonymous. This should not be so.

For example: say I, as a black man, am followed around in the store by a store worker (a common enough occurrence). Are they being racist?

Perhaps not.

They have not done any action towards me personally that show that they are discriminating against me due to a superiority complex—they are just adding more to their step count! In this case, they are being racially biased based on false or little information. They are being ignorant.

Often, we throw the “racist” word around like it is a football, when in fact, they are being ignorant. Let us as a society be better at this. Let us not be lazy in our terminology and be more diligent toward initiating real change.

Defining our terms might be helpful, but what should we do? How do we respond to hate, or at the very least, ignorant misunderstanding?

Perhaps I will speak on a personal story from my past.

Once during undergrad, a professor did not believe I would do well in their class because of my racial background. They said, “You people don’t do well on my tests.”

You people?

What was that supposed to mean? Clearly by their tone, they meant “you black people.”

Now there are several ways that I could have responded to this issue. Anger is one way. I could have easily gone to social media, posted this comment, and got a variety of responses and support. I am sure the college that I was attending at the time would have reached out to me, and for PR purposes, made it seem like they were supporting me (I should mention that there are many people at the college who would have done this genuinely). But for me, this would not bring about change. This would just get a whole bunch of upset people yelling at each other while telling the other side to “listen.”—what ever that means. #roads. After all, they were not being racist. They did not automatically give me a bad grade because I was black. At best, they were unprofessional, and at worst, they were grossly misinformed and uneducated (not the first time that I have said the later about someone who holds a doctoral degree).

But no, what I did (hopefully) instituted real change in the individual.

I worked my butt off after that comment and scored a 103 on the following exam. I had the highest grade, and no other student matched mine. On the subsequent exam, I scored a 101, which again was tied for the highest grade. To say I made an impression on the professor was an understatement. From that time, until the end of their time with the institution, they treated me as an equal. They treated me with more respect. I would like to think that my actions caused them to think differently about blacks and their ability to score well on the professor’s exam. Maybe that professor stopped making such ridiculous comments because they knew their ideology was misguided.

Some may be disappointed by my resolve. One might think to themselves, “Jerome should not have had to work so hard just to be treated like everyone else.” And yes, they are right in theory. However, those who are in the minority need to work twice as hard to even be considered as equals to the majority. I encourage one to check out my other blog about this topic if they wish to dive into this argument more. In that post, I go into more detail of what it means to be a minority and the right approach to take.

So, then, what should we do?

How should we respond?

Jesus calls us to show grace and to forgive. (Matthew 18:21-35)

As a result, this is the path that I have chosen to take.

It comes down to is this: If we do not know the intentions of the abuser, it is not fair to accuse them of being racist. For me, the defining difference between racism and ignorance is intention. If I do not know the intentions behind why the person is treating me a certain way, I believe it is more fruitful to give them the benefit of the doubt and respond with grace and truth through my actions.

If one is actually being racist—that is, holding a prejudice because they think their race is superior—they should be called out, thus, it is okay to respond with anger (with grace of course). However, if a person is being ignorant, I believe it is wiser to respond with kindness, take the high road, and to prove them wrong. After all, actions speak louder than words.

As with all my blogs, this is solely my opinion. I do not want to pretend to have the absolute “right answer.” I am speaking to myself as much as I am speaking to others. It is okay to disagree with me, and I welcome discourse. My only request is that every word of each blog is weighed heavily and considered before agreeing or disagreeing with the points presented in each entry. Please keep in mind that I am a Christian, so my beliefs and opinions will be influenced by my faith. I will upload blogs every Friday. If you would like to suggest a topic for me to cover, you can do so via Facebook or twitter. You can follow me on twitter @mjeromebell #themiddlegroundblog

#blog #racism #ignorance #BlackLivesMatter