All I see right now is humans, but no humanity. Why does it feel that we are so close to the dead-end? Why have we let hostility and brutality take over? Was this our innocence or the negligence that brought us to the distressing state of existence?
There is no denying that we ourselves are the biggest threat to humanity. We need to accept that we are neglecting the fear that exists within us.
What is that fear?
Racism is embedded into society profoundly, even after the revolutionized movements over centuries. Black men still have to face the false accusations and presumptions of guilt that the white men will never experience. Every black man in America is living with the fear of false allegations and brutality because of the prevalence of white supremacy and superiority in society. Their fear isn’t any less in comparison to that of a woman being afraid to step out of her apartment at night.
The Muslim community in America is concerned about extremism in the name of Islam. They too are living in fear of being victimized by the discrimination. For a moment, it might be effective to put yourself in their position and try to understand their struggle to protect their families from the people who exhibit islamophobia. Their sentiments are crushed when they are perceived as a potential threat to the country.
Under Trump’s administration, Latinx immigrants and citizens were worried about racism and deportation from the United States to their home countries. Immigration law does not mention race, but the way it is enforced has racially unequal consequences. U.S. citizens are not deportable by law. But they still worry about being misrecognized as deportable, given the racially unequal enforcement of contemporary immigration laws and policies. There is also a history of anti-Hispanic bigotry in America, and to date, conservative people in society show resentment towards them.
Scapegoating Asians in America didn’t start just after the pandemic. There is a long history of this. In the 1880s, “yellow peril” was the fear rising among Americans. They despised Asian immigration and resented the cheap labor coming from China. To resolve it, the government paved the way for the Chinese Exclusion Act, banning the new immigrants and existing residents from becoming U.S. citizens. Situations got better with time, but the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has brought increased incidents of racism, discrimination and violence against Asians.
We are only one search away to find the number of cases in America where everyday people are suffering from injustice. How is this affecting us? We are being insecure, and consequently, we hesitate to trust people around us. It is leading to negligible communication among us, and we tend to assume and misinterpret these sensitive issues.
So, now do you see our fear is the primary cause of the unfortunate events that occur with people of different color and religion? I think, if we find a way to fight against the fear revolving around racism, we might reclaim the lost humanity.
To suppress the fear, we need to ask every individual in America that why are we intimidated by people of different colors and religions?