Read on Twitter
In the discussions about racism one of the tired tropes that keeps on popping up is that ppl need to be educated or, sometimes, that ppl need to educate themselves in order to tackle racism. This, it appears to me, is a really thread-bare account of anti-racism.
Its an exhortation which reduces racism down to an intellectual/cognitive dimension. It implies that racists are stupid/uneducated which, if youâve spent long enough on Twitter & discovered anon white nationalists accounts on here who are clearly highly intelligent, is a nonsense
No, I dont believe you can reduce racism by âeducatingâ people or by reading books. There are plenty of well-educated/well-read racists. No, I think you reduce prejudice, in general, via human contact & the building of attachments with others that transcend race/ethnicity.
A society which makes it easier for people of different backgrounds & cultural heritages to mix, intermingle, to become school pals, adult friends, colleagues, lovers, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, etc is a society which will be less prejudiced in general.
I think thats how you tackle racism & prejudice. Not through âeducationâ or via reading books - which implies that racism is merely a cognitive/intellectual process & implies that racism denotes a lack of intelligence, it doesnt, there are plenty of highly intelligent racists.
Build a society which facilitates & makes it easier for people of different backgrounds/heritages to mix/intermingle & become friends, lovers & the all the rest. Thats how you reduce prejudice, not by reading Robin DâAngelo.
& I say this as someone who loves books & puts great store in book-reading & book-learning. Hatred lies in the human heart & from there it metastases towards the human mind, not the other way round. You cant reason ppl out of positions they weren't reasoned into.
This is what I think anyway & I have thought about it. This best-sellers list isnt going to defeat racism.
