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#politics
Real talk here. Given what has been happening around the world these few weeks (US and Hong Kong especially), and also what happened to me on Twitter earlier today, I think it’s time we all have a real, frank talk about all these thorny issues.
Real talk here. Given what has been happening around the world these few weeks (US and Hong Kong especially), and also what happened to me on Twitter earlier today, I think it’s time we all have a real, frank talk about all these thorny issues.
This will be a long thread - a very long one. You may want to mute me/this thread if you do not wish to see this.
I know why you feel this way. I myself am quite tired of seeing all of this. But I think what needs to be said needs to be said.
I know why you feel this way. I myself am quite tired of seeing all of this. But I think what needs to be said needs to be said.
On race:
What we are seeing in America is the logical conclusion of not just years but CENTURIES of racial discrimination, starting with the slavery of black people and continuing today with the brutalisation of them by the police.
What we are seeing in America is the logical conclusion of not just years but CENTURIES of racial discrimination, starting with the slavery of black people and continuing today with the brutalisation of them by the police.
This is a country that’s collectively convulsing in pain. Raw emotions are on display. Massive anger from both sides.
It’s especially aggravating to see most of their police forces persisting on their brutalisation behaviour.
It’s especially aggravating to see most of their police forces persisting on their brutalisation behaviour.
For other countries, this should be a lesson for them: identify the race issues in your own nations, and take steps to defuse them now, or risk eventually having them blow over like how it did in the US.
However, it is important to remember: not every country’s race issues are similar or even comparable to those of the US. Every country has its own history, social structures and norms, and systemic issues that differ - often greatly - from place to place.
There also needs to be acknowledgement that even non-privileged races can sometimes be racist against other races, whether it be the privileged race or another non-privileged race.
On this front, we all need to acknowledge this uncomfortable fact: we all have been at least a bit racist from time to time, either casually or from benefitting from systemic racism that discriminates the other races.
Once we acknowledge this, we then must also recognise that responding to racism with even more racism (especially casual racism) is only tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.
This was what I tried to point out earlier today on a Twitter discussion about race issues in Singapore. I wanted to point out that yes, we Chinese (the privileged race here) also have been on the receiving end of casual racism from Malays/Indians (the non-privileged races).
What I instead got was mockery from an apparently Malay or Indian person who thought I was belittling their experiences of systemic discrimination against them here in Singapore.
This was never my intention, though I admit it could definitely have rubbed them the wrong way.
This was never my intention, though I admit it could definitely have rubbed them the wrong way.
However, even after I clarified my intentions and opinions, and invited them to have an intellectual (if uncomfortable) discussion about this, one particular person who I will not name decided to persist on mocking me. ...
She even explicitly tweeted that I should not reply because all she wanted to do is just to mock me for what she perceives as a “racist ignorant Chinese”.
Initially I had wanted to do the same to her. Even tweeted something to the same effect. ...
Initially I had wanted to do the same to her. Even tweeted something to the same effect. ...
But then I realised, isn’t this just adding even more fuel to the fire? I quickly deleted the posts and tried clarifying my opinions with her instead. ...
However, she persisted in her behaviour, telling me that I have no right in telling them on how to respond to racism.
Sadly, there were quite a number of other people who seemed to show approval for her behaviour as well.
Sadly, there were quite a number of other people who seemed to show approval for her behaviour as well.
Here’s the thing: if I have no right to even tell people to stop responding to racism with more racism, do I then become a part of the problem, or? Is her perceived solution to systemic racism by the Chinese in this country against Malays/Indians to simply turn the tables around?
If this is how she sees things, then I really fear for the direction this country is headed in regards to race issues. If “revenge” is the endgame, it will be a never-ending quagmire.
What we need is honest talk on how such systemic racism can be dismantled.
What we need is honest talk on how such systemic racism can be dismantled.
We cannot use “revenge” to solve racial discrimination issues. If we do, it simply becomes a racist game of musical chairs in which the different races take turns implementing racist designs on each other.
This is already happening in some parts of the world.
This is already happening in some parts of the world.
On the other hand, the privileged race should not see efforts to dismantle systemic racism by them against other races as an attack on them or who they simply are.
Unfortunately this is easier said than done.
Unfortunately this is easier said than done.
If we go back to America, we can already see this happening, with a sizable number of white people who view the Black Lives Matter movement as an attack on their race.
I have seen tweets from people expressing such views.
I have seen tweets from people expressing such views.
The problem is, how do we acknowledge that racism is sometimes more of a two-way road (usually with many, many more lanes in one direction than the other) than a one-way street? How can we call out racism on either side without being seen as racists ourselves?
Unfortunately I don’t have easy answers for this. This is a huge, collective problem we all must be able to acknowledge and come to a common agreement on.
As long as we are unable to, I’m afraid that we might never be able to effectively tackle racial issues.
As long as we are unable to, I’m afraid that we might never be able to effectively tackle racial issues.
