hidden racism

HIDDEN RACISM BY KAKAJAN HAYTLYYEV

Leo Tolstoy said: “Everyone thinks of changing the

world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” This

quote is more than a hundred years old and yet it sounds

very fresh because it is perfectly relevant to our modern

reality. I like it. It clearly demonstrates that although

people would talk about changing the world, they would

not really mean it. And since they do want to change

themselves, I assume that they want the word to fit into

their personal perception instead. Perhaps it would not

such pressing issue if not an alarming rise of sentiments

which cannot be qualified other that racism.

K.J. / HIDDEN RACISM / 2

It is not difficult to spot a racist because he or she would

clearly express views which are not just inappropriate but

also should be criminalised. Racists’ look has specific anti-

charm. Maybe it is the reason they all look alike as siblings

who were given birth by the same parents with a very long

history of alcohol abuse and drug additions. Therefore,

racists clearly manifest symptoms of either slow or complete

absence of intellectual development. These “brothers and

sisters” are filled with severe hatred for anyone and

everything different from what they think shall not have the

right to exist.

However, it is not as simple to identify those who

mastered the ability to camouflage. This category of people

represents a much larger layer of a society. Somehow, they

understand that although radical views are becoming

increasingly acceptable, it is still not included in the list of

items that would describe a positive image. Therefore, these

people adopted a wait-and-see position. Nevertheless, once

the environment is right, they will rip off their disguise and

show the true nature in its all ugliness. It happened before

and it will happen again if normal people would not respond

appropriately and prevent it from happening.

Despite a commonly accepted opinion that only white

people represent this closeted group, it does not reflect the

true picture. This virus exists in every society regardless of


race or geographic location. Therefore, we need to learn how

to recognise it Early intervention could be very effective as I

still hope that most of most of the people who have reached

a borderline condition could be cured of their mental illness

and returned as healthy and functional members of the

society.

I assume that they were polishing their skill to

camouflage long enough to make it close to perfect. But

thanks to the Law of Imperfection that was adopted long

before humans have emerged, these people are not able to

hide their true nature for long. This dark side is an integral

part of their inner world and it will eventually force them to

start showing the huge mismatch between words and

actions. My experience suggests that if we pay attention, we

may see a few main signs that could help us to recognise

hidden racists.

Just like their out-of-closet relatives, they do not

respect intellectual evolution. Although they have attended

school and a significant number of them have certificates to

confirm university degree, it is obvious that the way they

perceive events does not qualify them as educated in the

original meaning of this word. Typically, they would have a

poor vocabulary and you may sense that they are struggling

to express what they mean.


Due to their grossly underestimated assessment of

intelligence, the representative of this one-shade-of-grey

group have adopted a false vision that can be summarised

as follows: it is only real if they want to accept it as a reality.

Anything which does not fit into their extremely narrow

understanding of life would be considered as something of

alien and hostile nature.

Surprisingly, almost all of them would try to create an

impression that they are dissent citizens with high moral

values. They would appear to be very religious people who

follow everything that religion teaches them to do. I believe

they managed to fool intelligent people because they know

precisely how to manipulate the language to ensure that the

cover looks good.

They have a very specific way to identify themselves.

They often use either religion or citizenship to highlight that

they are the most positive individuals and they start a

sentence by saying: “As a good (representative of their

religion), I…” or “As a good citizen, I ….”. I suspect that

they specifically mention religion and/or citizenship because

subconsciously they think it automatically makes them a

better person. They seldom identify themselves with people

because, possibly, in their mind, it takes away the

unfounded and wrong perception that they belong to the

best of the best.


Their assessment of either other nation, race, religion,

or any anything else which is different from their way of life

would be heavily generalised. Without knowledge and clear

understanding, they blame representatives of different

religion or race or nationality in all troubles that they face.

They do not consider such approach as unreasonable

labelling or not appropriate. Any attempt to explain that

facts indicate otherwise will be rejected straight away.

Most of these closeted relatives of open racists,

recognise Fox News and any of its spinoffs as the main and

only source of information. Any other channels of the media

will be qualified as either fake or propaganda. However,

when asked why they are so sure about it, most likely, the

response will contain no factual evidence to validate their

view.

These people also deny climate change and confidently

express views that it is nothing but exaggeration by

scientists. It would never occur to them that for scientists to

come up with the conclusion, it is an absolute requirement

to obtain a wide range of facts that would confirm the real

nature of the climate change. They do not understand that

scientists worked on this issue for many decades collecting

every bit of evidence to ensure that the result is beyond a

reasonable doubt.


The one-shade-of-grey would display a poorly covered

dislike of Barak Obama and blame him for all misfortunes

without any exceptions. Any factual evidence to suggest

otherwise is immediately dismissed.

They aggressively oppose any attempts to reform sale of

guns by claiming that the second amendment is sacrosanct

and, therefore, it shall never be changed. They are convinced

that the second amendment represents all their rights and

with the change, the government will take them away.

These people are always loud about their rights only.

They never talk about their obligations. I assume that they

do not consider obligations as something important because

they do not see themselves obliged to do anything. After all,

this world shall fit into their views.

It is important to remember that it is still not too late

because the virus of racism does not fully affect this

impressive number of people. However, if representatives of

the progressive part of people will do nothing, eventually

favourable environment will ensure their transformation. I

do not know what exactly needs to be done, but I assume

that the following could be helpful for a start:

We shall not turn away when closeted racists begin to

voice their opinion. They are still concerned about social

image. Therefore, if we make it clear that any


intolerance is unacceptable, it might make them stop

being loud.

Mass media, including social media, shall not provide

them with a platform. Because by doing so we are

assisting evil to rise. TV shows shall stop inviting them

to give an interview. Because discussion requires the

presence of opinions. They do not have any opinion

because they do not have any knowledge. Those who

may argue that democracy requires freedom of

expression shall keep in mind that democracy also

requires a great deal of responsibility. These people do

not have the sense of responsibility.

It is vital for all of us to remember that the more

powerful they get, the fewer chances we must remain free.

hidden racism

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