`Reflection Assignment: Color of Fear
After watching the film, I came to know about the intense and disgruntled feelings of the ethnically different people, who go through the demeaning experience in their daily lives. It reminded me that, even in the twenty second century, the ugly heads of racism keep raising their heads. It provoked my mind and forced me to question why the color of skin comes in between the people and their humanism; why this stereotype image is associated with the people of ethnic background; why the people of different culture are not considered as human beings first.
The American society is considered to be one of the most civilised societies in the world, known for its diversity and pluralism. However, there is significant amount of dust, in the form of racism under the carpet. There is a need to sweep away this dust for the betterment of the society.
How did you react to the anger in the film?
The anger of participants, particularly Victor, in the film is justified. To put it in the different words, it was not the anger but a suppressed frustration that vented out in the form of an emotional outburst. It did stem from the never ending ill-treatment that he had been subjected to all these years.
If someone is asked to shed what he is dear to his heart and embrace something else out of a fear, the mind revolts and manifests in the form of negative emotions. In fact, Victor had been discriminated against right from his school days when he was put into the lowest reading group because of his color. The fire of racism ignited at an early stage intensified and took the form of a volcano as he grew up. When this mental heat and internal pressure found an outlet, they came out in the form of hot lava. Every word he uttered originated from the pain he experienced over the years.
How has racism affected you?
Racism has affected many and I am not an exception. I am originally from China and faced many such humiliating experiences. In the beginning, I would get upset and brood about it for several days but now things don’t bother me so much. It can be attributed to my religious belief. Many of the people who saw me for the first time compared me with the Chinese actor Jackie Chan and thought that I must be having the similar fighting instinct. They did not give me a chance to say that I come from a place called Tibet in China where Buddhism, a religion of peace, flourishes. They also did not want to know how Lord Buddha has shaped up my emotional priorities- peace and love.
The story continues now also. My English becomes the laughing stock for many who sometimes say that I dishonour this language by making so many grammatical mistakes. They hardly recognize my efforts to learn this language despite it not being my mother tongue. Besides this, they also pick up my English accent and mock it by mimicking my style. All these experiences do demotivate me but my upbringing provides the much-needed relief.
What kind of things did your parents teach you in order to survive as a member of your ethnical and racial group?
I am fortunate to take birth in a family influenced by the teachings of Lord Buddha. Right from my childhood, I have been taught to be tolerant and accommodative. My parents have moulded me to look at the negative action of others with a positive outlook. They have instilled this feeling in me that unless I accept the abuse pelted by others, I can’t be humiliated by anyone. I remember a story, often, narrated by my mother. Once, Lord Buddha requested alms from a lady. Instead of giving anything, she started abusing him in her rage. The lord did not retaliate and he kept listening to the abusive words. Finding no reaction from the Lord, the lady eventually relented and asked him, “Why did you not respond to my provocation?” The Lord Buddha calmly answered that he had not taken a single abuse hurled by her, so there was no question of any retaliatory action. I try to follow this principle while dealing with the discriminatory behaviour. The method of following the godly traits keeps me going when it gets tough.
What kinds of changes do you think are needed to unlearn and undo racism on an individual level, institutional level, and finally, cultural level?
Racism is not new to the world. It has been in existence in some form or the other for ages. Though things are not as worse as they were when the slavery was openly practised, a lot is yet to be done. Awareness of human rights has encouraged the oppressed class to rise and seek justice. However, I think that this problem is deep rooted and is attached to the people’s attitude. There is a human psychology to think that one is superior to others on account of some characteristics. It is evident from the general views expressed by the people on racial discrimination. In a new nationwide poll conducted by CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly half of Americans -- 49% -- say racism is "a big problem" in society today (Shoichet,2016)
At an individual level, one should go beyond the color of the skin, structure of the face, accent of English etc. These are all superficial things. One should look at the people as the human beings first. In other words, the true compassion for the people around alone can unshackle them from the chains of racial attitude.
At the institutional level, there should be an adequate representation to the suppressed class so that the voice of underprivileged gets heard. The integration of the diverse group to the mainstream will go a long way in providing relief to the affected class. This can bring about a change on a large scale.
Every culture has certain positive features, which present the best opportunity for inter-mingling. History is a witness to the fact that when two or more cultures blended properly, a new powerful culture emerged. This led to increased peace and love in the society. So, instead of resenting a particular culture, assimilation of the same can render a great service to the society.
Conclusion
At regular interval, the issue of racism in the American society has been cropping up. The recent presidential poll campaign has fuelled it again. The domination of the white colour on the campaign can be clearly seen. White supremacy runs through our veins and rears its head as it will, when it wants, with little fear of being shut down (Smith, 2016). It seems that the problem will never come to an end, yet I am hopeful. Whatever positive change that has taken place is due to the efforts and optimism of the people. So, the journey towards a better tomorrow must continue.
Works Cited
Shoichet, Catherine E. "Racism Is a 'big Problem' to More Americans, Poll Finds." CNN. Cable News Network, 25 Nov. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/24/us/racism-problem-cnn-kff-poll/>.
Smith, Rev. Dr. Susan K. "Can Racism Be Eradicated?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/can-racism-be-eradicated_b_9585534.html?section=india>.
