From: Tom Lane
Columbus
I found the article by Ant Blair (“Most people – black or white – are racist”, Jan. 20) to be a refreshing look at this insane way we have defined “race” in the world. People of all colors/backgrounds do not understand that “race” was simply a made up classification by some anthropologists or other scientists, many centuries ago. The same way they made up the names of birds/animals/plants, etc.
Unfortunately for human beings, we took this “made up” classification much too seriously. We began to identify and attach to Caucasian as being the prime category. This helped some people justify treating others as lesser than, and thereby enslaving many of them.
We humans have made up many mental constructs that have proven to be deadly to us — like nations, religions, ethnicity, and race — that are then used to separate people. And now we add politics to the mix.
As Mr. Blair points out, try showing up and see a human being without all the names and definitions we attach to them. And it begins showing up that way within our own living. I am a human being first and foremost. Whatever anyone wants to paint on me is their business, not mine.
