Don't Be Racist - by Klaus Varley

Don't Be Racist

(or "How to not become a racist while living in a country founded on racism and some might argue continues to have a system of institutionalized racism discriminating against the "other" while normalizing whiteness")

by Klaus Varley

In a diverse society (such as, oh, let's say a city called "Los Angeles") there are many strategies to avoid becoming racist, but I'm only going to touch on one: have many friends of different races.*

If you have a racially diverse group of friends, then when you see someone who is the same race as one of your friends, you might think, "Oh look, is that my friend? Oh, it's not, but they're probably just as nice."* Then you'll treat that person as you would your friend.

Like the other day. I saw someone who looked like my friend Jon and thought, "Oh look, is that Jon? No, it's another Vietnamese guy who dresses like Jon. I wonder if he owes me money like Jon. Man, I hate Jon. And Vietnamese posers who dress like him. And Vietnam."

Perhaps that's a bad example. Reverse the sentiment and you get the idea.

And you might want to make better friends than Jon.

He sucks.

Just like Vietnam.***

-KV


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*This is not WHY you should have many friends of different races, it is merely an advantage to choosing your friends based on their personality rather than however the hell fraternities and sororities choose their members and end up with all white clubs at colleges that are 50% Asian.

**It's a little racist to think that people of different races look similar. Or it means you have bad eye sight.

*** Not true, not true! Everyone I know who has visited or lived in Vietnam LOVES it.