Race Relations...continued
A FALLACY
A fallacy which needs disposing of immediately is that
racial tension is mainly between black and white races. The Hutu/Tutsi conflict
was between black groupings, while in the United Kingdom the vexed Irish
situation is between white groupings, and as we pursue justice for all, care
must be taken not to make an imbalance in the opposite direction, so creating a
new set of problems.
Some so-called 'do-gooders', in their enthusiasm to champion
minorities, only embarrass those that they are trying to help. They do not want
us to patronise them as that is an affront to their dignity. They need
understanding and fairness.
PRE-CONCEIVED IDEAS
We all have our own particular views on racial and cultural
differences. Take for instance a traditional western view of Jesus as a man. We
need to be reminded that He did not speak English and He wasn't a white man! He
was not University- trained and for the first part of His life he was a manual
worker. The religion He founded is not a western religion, it began in the
middle east and is now a world Faith.
And by the way, do we not all belong to an ethnic group?. We
might be surprised if we discovered our pedigree. For instance, according to
research into the writer's family background, our forebears travelled from
Norway to France with the Vikings, and then accompanied William the Conqueror
in 1066 to you-know-where. So what does that make me? Answers on a postcard
please. And thing another to remember, we are all coloured, if it's only
pink!
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