Racism Is Entropy, Nationalism is Design
Tags: Sociology, Racism, Nigeria, Philosophy, Discrimination

Racism Is Entropy, Nationalism is Design

Introduction

In the course of this prose, I would like you to construe 'racism' to include hostility on the basis of differences between human ancestory, heritage or characteristics both at a macro level (as between whole continents) or micro level (as within nations, ethnic groups, etc.). I use 'racism' as an umbrella phenomenon to cover both the macro and micro aspects of said connotation. By this I mean that when I use the word 'racism' you need not only construe it as hostility between races e.g black and caucasian (macro scale) but you should also include micro scale forms e.g as between Hausa and Igbo, South Africa and Nigeria, etc. This is to avoid superfuity of language if I were to use the more appropriate terms of hostile dimensions such as ethnicism, nepotism, xenophobia and so on.

Tribalism Is Normal [1]

As social beings we must naturally interact with one another, thus, each individual becomes part of a social setting of whom they claim association or belonging. The people that form this setting command one's loyalty and affection such that "me" no longer means the individual alone but includes these other people, your tribe.

Relationships between groups are complex but the result of increasing globalization (and perhaps western civilisation) is the denial of the somewhat tribal nature of human beings, this naive inclusivity, forgetting that —

We can all be neighbours but not roommates.

The modern concept of universalism tries to make roommates of 7 billion individuals and this absence of drawn lines, this morbid globalization ignores what will be it’s own undoing. You see, racial blindness and 'the universal' is too abstract and complex a phenomenon for an individual to comprehend because interaction works differently at scale. The whole world is not the same as one continent, one continent: one country and one country is not the same as one municipality, on and on. Looking at it this way, equality cannot really be equality because even though-

we are all brothers, some are more brothers to us than others

When we try to centralise the world as one big happy global village devoid of cultural, ancestral or traditional differences, we dehumanise humanity and counterintuitively all the benefits accrue to the inhumane—the multinational corporations, global trade, Politicians, entitled minorities and businesses. To the individual, his worst fear and highest social punishment is being labelled 'racist’, 'tribalistic' and other equivalents. But for these aforestated class of people/organisations, the absence of racial bounds means boundless power and boundless markets. And so, referring to Covid-19 as the 'China virus' is bad (and racist) but not putting trade restrictions on the chinese market is good; and on a micro level, identifying as biafran is tribalistic but the ruga policy for fulani herdsmen is not and is good for the country, or conversely, people should not elect leaders based on tribal grounds, but producing a President from a particular geopolitical zone is good, but I digress. It is all an endless cycle of self deception. So instead of trying to deny or ignore the fact that we humans are tribal, we should rather make the best of this natural tendency and by so doing avert the unsavory consequences.

Racism is Entropy, Nationalism is Design

The first point to note is that in relation to the tribalistic propensities in human interaction, design is found within the auspices of nationalism but the prejudicial dimensions of racism constitutes entropy. (Again, I have to mention that I speak of nationalism in macro levels, say, love for country and micro levels, say, love for your ethnic group). When individuals act unregulatedly in accordance with their tribalistic tendencies, (either by denying it or by exaggerating it) the result is racism. When this tendency is exploited on moderate bounds, that is, when done regulatedly, the fruit is nationalistic grace. I will try to expound this denial, exaggeration and moderation of the human tribalistic propensity using the philosophical concepts of self interest (egoism) and altruism.

Nobody is Selfless (I do not mean to sound so authoritative, but…)

At the core of every human interaction is perceived self interest. This is the natural trade-off of life. By denial, we ignore this principle and feign altruism which is selflessness —devotion to the interests of others to the complete exclusion of self (what universalism posits). But dear friend, selflessness (altruism) does not exist. For as long as you are a human, some interest of yours lies in every action you take, whether directly or indirectly.

By exaggeration, we take the principle of self interest to an extreme (in an unhealthy manner) — pursuing our interests at the expense of others. Now, the notions of altruism and unhealthy self-interest are at opposite extremes. They are both unsound, though one is subtle and the other overt. The moderate balance between these two notions is "ethical self-interest" or "healthy egoism". Where the principle of self interest maintains it’s proper bounds.

Bringing this same principle to group interests and in relation to human tribalistic tendencies, racism is implicit in any of those two extremes —where one group feigns altruism, say, Western Nigerian Politicians, but are subtly furthering their ethnic interests at national scale —or where another group acts in unhealthy pursuance of their interests, say Northern Nigerian Politicians engaging in obvious nepotism.

The perfect balance is nationalism (whether macro or micro) where we find the moderate or ethical pursuance of collective interests.

Life is Not a Zero-sum Game

Conclusively, I will try to show what racism is not.

Preferring your own race, ethnicity or tribe above others is not racism.

Pursuing first the interests of your own race, ethnicity or tribe before those of others is not racism.

In sharp contrast:

Preferring your own race, ethnicity or tribe at the expense of those of others is racism.

Pursuing the interests of your own race, ethnicity or tribe at the expense of others is racism.

Corollary:

Denying racial differences is a subtle form of racism, much as denying gender differences is in fact sexist and denying that say, identical twins are different individuals is corrupt.

Following this very nuanced thought, a little re-evaluation will have you see that a lot of things being branded as racism today is really not racism and conversely what people think not racism, is racism. With this perspective, you can find peace.

As long as you leave room for the other to thrive: not imposing your position on theirs, but defending your position; Not frustrating their interests, but protecting your interests; Not inflicting injuries, but avoiding injury; Not doing harm to the other, but doing good for your own; you are transforming entropy to design. Nationalism obeys the golden rule.

It is morbidly fallacious to think that you can only procure profit at another's loss. Life and human interactions at scale, complex as they are, are not zero sum games, only if we make them so.

No problem deifying your own, as long as you don't vilify those of others.