The Fallacy Of Racial Superiority |
by M. Quinn |
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“Quote” “The concept of race and alleged racial superiority fit into a social requirement of a thoroughly exploitative period in the development of Western (European) man. The idea of race was developed in direct response to the exploitation of other people, to provide both a pretext and a justification for the most unjustifiable conduct, the enslavement, murder, and degradation of millions of human beings”. (paraphrase) Dr. Ashley Montagu - Race, Science and Humanity 1963 Whether you fervently believe that concept of race, racism and the notion racial superiority as a social, political, and economic instrument began with the importation of Africans as slaves to the New World by means of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade; or that racism made its first appearance within the ancient Roman Empire with Emperor Tacitus, or that the notion of racial superiority began when Emperor Constantine commenced the rewriting of Christian doctrine at the Council of Nicea 325AD (modern day Turkey) and changed the deities that were formerly represented as Black to reflect a European image of Christendom which similarly propelled people of Caucasian descent to the position of alleged racial superiority, or have absolutely no concept of it’s nefarious origins; it remains undeniable, that the immoral influence of race categorizations and racism has been utterly devastating on the cultural relationships of the human family. From a historical perspective the practice of race and so-called racial superiority was non-existent when juxtaposed with what we bear witness to today. In fact, author and historian Basil Davidson cites in his book titled; “Africa in History”; that the Greeks held the Africans of the ancient Nile Valley civilization in extremely high esteem and would never contemplate judging them according to their skin color or ethnicity. Moreover, the ancient Greeks were completely dependent on the ancient Egyptians for their education and intellectual advancement in the areas of; religion, philosophy, metaphysics, mathematics, medicine, architecture, agriculture, engineering, the culinary arts, and much more. “Quote" "Greek civilization derived its religion, its philosophy, its mathematics, and much else from the Ancient civilization of Africa above all else from the Nile Valley in Egypt. To the founding forefathers in classical Greece, the notion that the Africans were inferior, morally or intellectually would have been seen as absurd." - Basil Davidson, Africa in History 1991 So where did the concept of race and the notion of racial superiority begin? An array of historians and intellectuals have deduced that one of the first forms of race based categorizations dates back to the rewriting of Christian doctrine by Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea in 325AD; and was subsequently followed by the Roman Catholic church in 1411AD with the institutionalized concept of racial inferiority; when Bishop Bartholomew de Las Casas on the island of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and Santo Domingo) reduced black people to infidels in order to justify the enslavement of Africans. Most scholars likewise concur, that the concept of race, racism and the fallacy of racial superiority was born entirely out of a European consciousness, coupled with a pretext for self-preservation. Be that as it may, it remains critically important that we begin to advance our intellect beyond the utterly primitive belief of alleged racial superiority, and begin to address an illness that has influenced, and contaminated our mental capacity for far too long. It remains vital to the very survival of the human family that we begin to educate and incorporate the answers to the questions below into the educational systems of western societies with the clear objective of implementing sustainable solutions for this social and cultural impediment. The academic curriculum must be based on; A) Where did the pseudo-scientific philosophy of race begin? B) Who implemented this despicable practice? C) Why was the system of race classification put into practice? D) Why haven’t effective solutions been formulated to educate the origins of alleged racial superiority, and to eradicate this tainted notion. What's more, while many Caucasians continue to proclaim that the decadent system of racism is a manifestation of their forefathers, who are now all deceased; and that the current generation did not create this despicable dilemma and therefore should not be held responsible for it; I propose these questions. A) Who are the benefactors of a system based on race classification and so-called racial superiority? B) Are the problems of racial strife and the notion of assumed racial superiority genuine in American society? Then to knowingly benefit from a decadent system predicated on hypothetical racial superiority and do nothing about it, makes that person part of the problem, not the solution. Moreover, rather than decrying foul or reverse racism over diversity in action programs which are still essential in America’s racially polarized economic and social society, or at the slightest advancement of people of color; more specifically African Americans over their Caucasian counterparts; it is incumbent upon the progenitors of this disease to actively participate in extinguishing this highly combustible predicament that was born solely out of European ideals and cultural practices, coupled with the proclivity for self-preservation at the expense of the human family. "Quote" “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it”. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The manipulation of race and racism as a socioeconomic and political instrument has been strategically applied to particular segments of American society for far too long. It is time that “We the people” of the United States of America judiciously deal with the matter of racism straightforwardly. America and the rest of the European world can no longer present themselves as the moral beacons of the world without putting forth concrete measures to education, and eradicate the contaminated “pseudo-scientific philosophy”, and practices of racism in the 21st century. RECOMMENDED READING:
Blacks in Antiquity “Ethiopians in the Greco-Roman
Experience”
The Came before Columbus, By Dr. Ivan Van Sertima
The Iceman Inheritance, By Michael Bradley To read more, click on "or" copy & paste the link below.
THE FALLACY OF RACIAL SUPERIORITY: |