Discrimination
The act of discriminating
The ability or power to see or make fine distinctions;
discernment
Treatment or consideration based on class or category
rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice:
racial discrimination; discrimination against
foreigners.
In the words of the immortal
Sesame Street,
one of these things is not like
the other.
Specifically, the first two definitions of
discrimination are correct, and the third really means:
Racism
The belief that race accounts for differences in human
character or ability and that a particular race is
superior to others.
Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
Discrimination is a good thing, and is a function of an
healthy human mind. Without discrimination, we wouldn't
be able to live, as we wouldn't be able to act upon the
nature of things. For example, choosing between foods
isn't easy; one must consider health, taste,
availability and price. In other words, one must clearly
discriminate between foods, based on their objective
properties. Unfortunately, in modern parlance, the terms
'discrimination' and 'racism' are used almost
interchangably.
Consider the infamous
John Wayne
quote, "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks
are educated to the point of responsibility. I don't
believe in giving authority and positions of leadership
and judgment to irresponsible people." Clearly, one
could only make a statement like that, if one considers
'black Americans' to be an identity to which attributes
such as 'irresponsible' can be applied. Other attributes
applied by racists to black Americans include 'violent',
'criminal-minded', 'stupid', and ... 'disadvantaged'.
Indeed,
Affirmative Action
has as its underpinning the notion that black Americans
are somehow disadvantaged. For this to be the case,
advocates of Affirmative Action must consider
that an individual cannot be judged solely as an
individual, that he in fact derives certain attributes
from his race. Thus, in effect, the only difference
between the
NAACP
and the
Ku Klux Klan
is their choice of attributes they associate with all
black Americans - effectively, one group chooses
'disadvantaged', the other 'inferior to white
Americans'.
So, what is the cure for racism?
Individualism.
If one thinks of a person as an individual and judges
him by his actions alone, then racism is impossible. The
catch is that this will never happen as long as pressure
groups keep insisting that people think of others in
terms of their race. In order to destroy the
philosophical foundations of racism, groups like the
NAACP will have to give up
their support for Affirmative
Action, and start
denouncing it
instead.
Duncan Bayne is a
contributor to The Rational Argumentator.
(C) 2003 Duncan Bayne
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