By now word had spread about my taking care of the Rasoul´s. I started receiving more and more lovely messages by friends and their friends. They offered furniture and asked what else is needed. They would send me their Love and positive vibes. Their kind messages gave me strength and hope. One message however, by someone I didn´t know, made me think.
Michael S., an Austrian, reached out through someone we know in common, asking me only why the family had come to Austria and how. I was taken aback for a second and asked him if he was offering his help. He replied that he had no way of helping them and that he was just curious to know why "exactly people are fleeing from Syria and coming mainly to Austria and Germany".
By now, there was plenty of media coverage about the situation in Syria and its consequences. Anyone living in Germany or Austria was informed at all times and it was number one topic. Therefore his question didn´t sound like a question but rather like a passive aggressive provocation.
I couldn´t really point my finger at what exactly the issue was but even in my circle of friends or "Facebook" friends, I noticed more and more a form of indirect racism. Most comments having the exact same structure:
1_stating at first that one is not racist. e.g.: "I am not a racist." or "I am not right winged." or "I find racism terrible." etc. followed immediately by
2_ BUT
3_ voicing concerns such as freedom of speech, loss of culture, loss of traditions ect.
This kind of indirect racism is extremely dangerous. The poison is wrapped in a sentence which makes it even harder to spot when you´re just browsing through comments. However, every word we read, every sentence and its underlying meaning are stored in our heads and will eventually influence us.
After WWII, we learned to spot direct racism and to react immediately. We thought that we learned from the past. Yet today, direct and indirect racism are on the rise and while we all are capable of spotting one, most of us are blind to see the other. Beware of what you read, beware of what you hear. Indirect racism is still racism. Undermining it means making the same mistakes all over again.
As for me, after trying to discuss with several people that I called out on their subtle yet very strong comments, I hit a wall. The modern racist vehemently denies the underlying tone and intention of what he or she says and that alone showed me just how dangerous indirect racism is.
People´s sentences are built in a way that they can justify everything. I call it the elastic indirect racism. You state your comment or your sentence, and while you want people to see what it is, you do not wish to be called out on it. However if someone does, you simply retrieve it.
Racism is like virus. While we are still fighting it, a new form, a more dangerous one has formed. This form has adapted itself to rules and regulations, to laws and social media. It can reach you at any time of the day and when it does, you should recognize it as such show the door.
No comments:
Post a Comment