Barack Obama's very fine speech on race has me wondering, from a spiritual viewpoint, why we are racist? I suspect that even those of us who would say that we are not, in fact, racist have had moments when such thoughts have gone through our minds, if not actually out of our mouths.  My understanding of racism is that it grows out of some very unhealthy needs that we all have from time to time.

The need to be superior...
Especially when we are insecure or fearful, it is a natural instinct to look for someone else who may be a little further down the ladder. In discussing these people (often of another race or gender), we can smugly list their shortcomings to prop up our own very fragile self-esteem. 

This tactic can be vitriolic, as many of the most famous racists have deployed it, or take the form of pity. In either case, this involves putting someone (or an entire group of people down) so that I can feel a bit better than myself.

The need to make things simple...
Racism and bigotry of all kinds depends upon simplistic stereotypes. There is a pleasure in things being simple as it makes understanding the world extremely easy. However, no two people are alike.

I may have met a person, or even several, who seem to fit a stereotype often assigned to their particular gender or race. But the world cannot be explained in terms of such generalization and childishness. Even within a single person, many complex and opposing traits are seen at once.

The need to own patriotism...
Few countries have as difficult a time agreeing on definitions of patriotism as the United States.  It is as if each group of Americans needs to "own" patriotism and prove that their allegiance to the country is the strongest.

But patriotism takes many forms and, for people who love their country but believe it needs to change, patriotism can take the form of criticism or protest. Because minority groups are often those most likely to want change, they are easily demonized by others with more power, and more to lose, as unpatriotic.

The need to identify...
Not all of our motivations behind racism are necessarily ugly or bad. Part of our fear of people who look or act differently comes from our need to identify and be part of a social network. We naturally gravitate toward those who seem to be most like us, even if those similarities are as superficial as skin color.

The need to speak the same language...
Language is far more differentiated than we think.  You and I may both speak English but our particular English also speaks volumes about our income, education, upbringing, and culture. Sometimes racism is as much about class as race, in that two people with a similar income can understand one another, regardless of their skin color, but a rich person and a poor person lack a common language and culture to relate to one another.

The terrible news is that racism separates us. The good news is that, for those such as Barack Obama who care to dig deeper, discussions of race can actually bring us closer together as a country.


The Principles
by Patrick Moore
Available now on Lulu.com, Amazon.Com, and BarnesandNoble.com.