Racism and Self-Interest

Last week I finished the book How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. It gave me a lot to ponder, especially the frame that racism stems from self-interest. There were some chapters sharing how racism links up with sexism, anti-LGBTQ stances, and other social justice issues. How this links up with animal rights was glaringly obvious since people claim entitlement to animals’ bodies for reasons of self-interest too. The main value I got from the book was increased awareness of two areas: racist ideas and racist policies. It’s easier to notice when politicians are expressing one or both, even when they try to disguise it with known racist patterns like “law and order.” Donald Trump is awash in racist ideas and policies, and after reading this book, it’s hard not to see him as even more racist than I did before. In fact, he seems to be deliberately leaning in an overtly racist direction as the election nears. One problem that perpetuates racist ideas and policies is that many people still reward racist behavior, especially when they think it aligns with their own self-interest. Clearly that’s the case with Trump. The more overtly racist he is, the more support he gains from certain people. This perpetuates the racist behavior and even encourages more of it. This makes antiracists scour dictionaries for even more deplorable labels to describe him, but he lost their support a long time ago anyway. If non-racist people do nothing and ...
Source: Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Values Source Type: blogs