It’s Lonely for the Oppressed
By: Hayati Zainal
Tags: Change, Politics, Racism, Human Rights, Equality

It’s Lonely for the Oppressed

No human race is superior, no religious faith is inferior.

Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

The BLM movement in America is shedding light on an issue that has always been around but never been properly dealt with. Racism is not an easy subject to discuss, especially for those on the receiving end of it.

However, my experiences have taught me that the more we have the courage to talk about a difficult issue, the closer we can get to fixing it.

We hear the same disheartening stories in different forms across the globe, they remind us of the kind of society that we’re living in today.

“No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.”― Elie Wiesel

It’s impossible for anyone who saw the disturbing video of George Floyd being asphyxiated to death not to feel rage and resentment towards the system that allowed for so many of these cases to happen. I felt it, it makes the glimpses of racism I see around me even more profound. I won’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I feel the disgust and frustration.

There were probably hundreds of George Floyds out there who weren’t recorded and those who are still alive but are forced to suppress their anger because no one would listen.

Even though the spotlight is on the African American community today, it is important to remember that racism and discriminatory violence exist all over the world.

It’s a painful reality to accept, but I have hope that if America can stand in solidarity to fight for change, then the world will take that as a lesson. Perhaps the world will see that it is possible for people of different ethnicities to coexist as equals. Not because of any policies set in place, but because there is no superior race.

It is not just people’s mindsets that have to change, but everyone has to truly and completely believe this in order to abolish racism. I say this because collective subconscious racism can have a profound impact on the future if it is not addressed.

In today’s digital age, we are exposed to much explicit and inappropriate content online that it is easy to get nullified. I can’t tell you the number of times my family and I had to cringe watching content that was outwardly racist and humiliating which was supposedly ‘funny’.

People are good at disguising their hurt with humor, I’ve done that many times before and I’m sure that many people have. It makes the situation even more painful to think about.

You can find so many videos promoting racism, disguised as a comedy that we forget those issues are real. People are living with discrimination every day. With what's happening in America today, people are finally snapping back into reality.

“Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated.”― Kofi Annan

It is those who are not directly affected by racism whose voices should be heard the loudest. They should speak up, educate, and inform anyone who thinks that the color of a person’s skin is indicative of their worth.

Those who are not compelled to do this should understand that it is an individual’s responsibility to speak out when they see something wrong. The death of ignorance is the death of racism. I know that this is something I definitely need to improve on.

I hope that protests in America remain peaceful, but I am doubtful that any meaningful change can happen when things are peaceful. Therefore, to those standing up for change in America, I say this. Amongst the chaos, don’t ever forget the message you are fighting for.