A Self-Destructive Fear

Essay #3 – Race and its Representations

“A Self-Destructive Fear”

by Dan Petrovitch

It is a common fallacy to assume that the best way to eliminate the racial fear-mongering that infects the white corridors of our society is to establish its irrationality. It functions as some sort of hypothetical beacon of tolerance for even the most intelligent, morally astute, and well-intentioned members of the majority population. It just seems much easier to observe and digest racism, even one’s own, in simple black and white; in which the racists are ignorant, as their fears are completely illogical, skewed by subjectivity and stupidity; and in which the tolerant are liberal, progressive, and rational, as their fears are alleviated by their objectivity, their education, their distant knowledge of how the other half might live. But, in reality, people who idealize this litmus test for prejudice are selling themselves short. In the long run, this mindset is much more effective at capping one’s racial open-mindedness than it is at promoting it. For although it is certainly illogical to fear a man due to his blackness, or his redness, or his yellowness, it is not significantly enlightening or constructive to focus on this illogicality. Instead, consider the severe opportunity cost of racially-driven fear: it is usually extremely self-destructive, as it segregates the fearful, reducing their exposure to most of the countless unique and beautiful cultures of the human race. In her essay “No-Man’s Land” for The Believer Magazine, Eula Biss confirms that, “fear is isolating for those that fear,” and adds that she has, “come to believe that fear is a cruelty to those who are feared.” I have come to believe that it is necessary to take the next logical step along her line of thinking, and to fully comprehend the parlous implications of such self-imposed isolation: that fear is also a cruelty to those who fear.

In general, I do not consider myself to be a very fearful person, especially concerning interactions with racial minorities. Yet I still undoubtedly possess the capacity for that shameful twinge of fear, or perhaps it is only the threshold of fear, that might unjustly follow in the wake of some innocent African American, or Arab, or Mexican. These feelings are neither intentional, nor desirable, nor indicative of my moral standards concerning the value of a human being or the absolute irrelevance of skin color. Each and every time I ignore this unwelcome prick of bigotry, I find myself more and more enamored with humanity’s diversity and overwhelmed by the unfathomable amount of people out there who are so utterly and incredibly different than I. My initial apprehension, or half-fear, is always so thoroughly erased that I am often disgusted by the mere fact that I even felt it, as well as terrified at the existence of the cultural and historical forces that are powerful enough to create it and ingrain it in my head.

While writing about unacceptable versus appropriate uses of the word “nigger” in modern America, the black New York Times columnist Ta-Nehisi Coates makes an excellent point regarding the deep cultural bounty that minority groups contribute to our great nation: “‘Nigger’ is different because it is attached to one of the most vibrant cultures in the Western world…It tells white people that, for all their guns and all their gold, there will always be places they can never go.” Despite the undeniable reality that no white person could ever fully integrate themselves into the black community, or truly understand or appreciate what it means to be black, I interpret this quote as more of an invitation than a barrier. It tells me that blacks have so much to offer, artistically and intellectually, in their joys and in their sorrows, as distinctive individuals and as a community; it reminds me that this applies to so much more than just the black minority, and that I would be screwing myself over in my quest for both knowledge and experience by shunning Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, Arabs, etc.; and it reminds me that this applies to so much more than just race as well, as any prejudices that I hold, no matter how trace or inadvertent they may be, are constantly limiting my opportunities to get to know and interact with people from whom I have a lot to learn. Fear of the minority will slowly but surely destroy the majority, and there is absolutely nothing that the minority can to do change this. It is the responsibility of the majority to rectify the situation, to stop degrading the minority, and in doing so, stop holding themselves back. For our nation is the clichéd great melting pot, and in this day and age, no white man is doing himself any favors by standing at a comfortable enough distance to ignore that. Go ahead, dive into the cauldron head first: there’s nothing to be afraid of, and you won’t regret it.