Pity the racist.
Have compassion for the bigot.
Be kind to those who are triggered and threatened by new immigrants.
I, as a person of relative privilege, presume no right to tell people of marginalized and racialized groups how to respond to racism, bigotry, and hate speech. However, to those of us who hold some privilege, I ask us to not act out of righteous indignation or threats to the legitimacy of our values by racists in ways that are unkind.
I am not asking you to tolerate, excuse, or ignore racism and bigotry.
Or, to cease from confronting and condemning it.
I am asking you to extend empathy to the person who displays racism and think about the poverty of spirit that would drive them to speak and act in such ways.
Pity the person whose identity is so tied to the maintenance of the superiority myth of the group they were born into that they are triggered by the idea that new immigrants might take an equal place in their community. How bereft of self worth and of loving affirmation of their value they must be that they are so invested in the superiority of a group they belong to through no merit or work of their own, and only due to the randomness of the birth lottery.
I imagine this view also comes from being steeped from birth in a colonial mindset of racial superiority and competition where life is a zero sum game and worth depends on being perceived as better than others, where your value depends on others being inferior, and only proven by others remaining less better off than yourself.
Can you imagine the miserable, ungenerous, and constantly threatened heart that people have to endure to be held by these beliefs and to live in this framework. I came to tears this afternoon thinking about the misery and self torture these people endure, the lack of intrinsic self worth, security, and value they live with.
I can extend empathy to people whose lives are dominated by this mindset because I can recognize elements of it in myself. The voices of bigotry and racism speak inside me, reflections of my own insecurities and the culture that surrounds me. I try to recognize them for what they are and by doing so try to not let them influence my words and actions, or keep me from being the person I want to be. I forgive myself and extend that forgiveness to others; forgiveness not endorsement.
I get why many people are feeling threatened and are looking for a scapegoat. I can see why racism appeals to many people in our country. Many have seen their real wages drop and are struggling under an ongoing affordability crisis, housing prices, and tax burden that mean they can no longer achieve the lifestyle of their parent's generation.
Instead of blaming a capitalist system that has created record breaking wealth inequality, employment insecurity, and a government that disproportionately places the tax burden on the working class, they accept right wing narratives scapegoating the marginalized. Right Wing propogandist groups like "Canadian Crime Watch" and "Canada Proud" disproportionately highlight crimes committed by immigrants or members of minority groups to encourage this association, foster fear and division, and create the perception that crime is rampant.
This narrative tells us that we, "the majority", are the "good guys" being taken advantage of. We pay our taxes, we follow the rules, while "hoards of immigrants, many illegal, and welfare recipients who are scamming the system, get our money and jobs". It tells us that "immigrants and other criminals" (mainly from minority groups), who aren't following the rules and are getting "special privileges that we don't get", are getting away with it because they have too many rights and protections and "special treatment" that get in the way of their just or sufficient punishment.
Or, so the narrative goes. It is easier to demonize the marginalized than confront the system you have been taught is " just the way things are" or to hold accountable the beneficiaries of an unequal economic system who we have all been taught to revere, and believe we are entitled to become part of, if we only work hard enough.
I have no illusions that loving and extending compassion to racists, those we find least lovable, is easy, especially when they are hostile and speak hate to both ourselves, our values, and others we identify with and love.
I offer this mainly as a challenge to myself. I must admit that I purposefully fail to look at comments on my posts that I get notifications for where I do not recognize the commenter because I fear hate comments that might make me defensive and persuade me to argue and make unkind comments in response (which I have definitely done).
I want to keep in forethought that:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” (MLK)
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