For The Child
March 01, 2005

Ignorance and Fear: The Seeds of Cultural Bias

We pass on customs and traditions to our children in order to preserve our heritage. But customs and traditions are not all that are passed on.

Woven into our songs, recipes, and ceremonies are ideas about other cultures and races, and these ideas are carried in undercurrents of fear and ignorance, which often promote racism, inequality, and violence.

We see these nasty symptoms come to the surface occasionally in intense fashion, boils rising on our nation's skin.

We see evidence of this everywhere and not just in gang activity in black, Hispanic and Asian neighborhoods but in upscale suburban areas and our cities, towns and villages. We see the KKK active in the rural South and "bum-burnings" and other crimes against the homeless in the major cities all across America.

We hear people say, "Dirty Mexicans" with disgust or joke how their teenage son has to start out at his new job as "the Mexican". White women whisper the word "black" as if it were a secret, or to their husbands tell racist jokes about Asians when just in the company of other white men of equivalent social standing.

Blacks accuse whites of being racist without any proof, often from their own insecurities, or listen to them blame their circumstance on a white society and not on their own actions. Listen to light skin blacks smear those with darker skin.

Teens, from all backgrounds, talk of Muslims with fear and hate. We listen to the news and hear of the Muslims who believe the Christians are determined to kill them all, and then listen to those Christians here in America who believe it is the other way around.

Listen to the thems. Can you hear the sound of separation?

These sounds and sights are happening daily. They are currents and undercurrents. And when the melting pot begins to boil over, the government must take action. This intervention, however, often takes the form of quick fixes instead of real reform.

We see this pattern throughout American history—movements toward cultural acceptance and the opposition they encounter. For example:

• Thomas Jefferson knew that slavery was a serious violation of the Declaration of Independence. However, he still felt that blacks were inferior to whites-and owned slaves. He only addressed the surface of the problem without getting at its root.
• The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified by a slim majority, granting black men citizenship after the Civil War. The opposing southern states implemented "black codes" in order to restrict the rights of African Americans, and race riots occurred with increasing frequency.
• As America began to industrialize, more and more immigrants of varying cultures poured into the United States, creating further cultural tension. In response to political pressure from the public, strict immigration laws were created in the 1920s, making it difficult to become a citizen.

Why could this happen then and how can it continue into the 21st Century. The reasons: ignorance and fear.

Is America was really destined to be a country full of people who were afraid of each other because we don't understand each other?

With each culture trying to protect its own interests, has America become a melting pot of suspicious racists, everyone thinking that everyone else was trying to steal their slice of the pie?

Is the government, to blame? Is it the media?

True, the government, while well intentioned, has arguably been inefficient and ineffective in dealing with these issues: witness the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960's and the unexpected racial bias generated by the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994.

And, clearly television reinforces our assumption and our stereotypes with respect to black culture with shows like Sanford and Son, All in the Family, Good Times, and The Jeffersons.

These popular television shows reinforced the stereotypical distrust shared by each race of the other, and they pointed out the intolerance of both blacks and whites of interracial marriages. And, of course, racism is only one type of 'ism'.

• The AIDS epidemic introduced homosexuality as another cultural group suffering from intolerance and discrimination. A lack of understanding of the disease, and fear that it would spread led to violent acts against homosexuals.
• The fall of the twin towers on September 11, 2001 and the "War on Terrorism" created a backlash of discrimination and suspicion towards people of Mediterranean descent, despite the fact that they, as Americans, were hurt and affected by the attack, just like everyone else.

This pattern of ignorance and fear continues with the current generation.

We can see the pattern and it will unless we do something about it. Not by rely on others i.e. the government or the media, but by relying on ourselves:

The only way to get rid of fear is by getting rid of ignorance.

The only way to get rid of ignorance is to educate.

A widespread understanding of each other's cultures is needed to dispel the cultural biases that promote fear and violence. People need to be taught that there is nothing to be afraid of, and that their neighbor is not their enemy.

If you are afraid of the dark, what do you do? Turn on a light.

By bringing to light the positives of diversity and stressing that all cultures and races can contribute to the betterment of our nation-and our world, we can overcome our collective fear of the dark.

We can educate ourselves and be better for it and we can prepare our children to inherit a world that is infinitely more complex and diverse than we, as parents, could have ever imagined.

So, start today. Think about what you can do at home to promote the celebration of all cultures, choices and 'abilities.'

You will be glad that you do.