Is It Really Racism? An In-depth Article Trying To Answer It

Note: Before I begin. I want to make this known that…I AM NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST. This is just MY view of the world. Please do your own due diligence in regards to researching some of the mental illnesses that I will post below. And feel free to correct me on anything that I may have missed or misunderstood. Thank you in advance!

On January 20th, 2009, Barack Obama became the first African American President. This, of course, was truly a most historic moment in American history.

America, despite being called the “land of the free”, had for centuries enslaved its African descendant populace; as well as much of its white populace.

However, there were many attempts by African slaves to get their freedom, and many did before the Civil War (which if you do your homework was NOT what the war was really fought over. But that is a topic for another day).

Many tried. Many failed. And many gained their freedom through their own hands without having the white populace behind them.

“No man knows what that is he can do until he has tried.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gabriel Prosser, Frederick Douglass, Toussaint, and Nat Turner…just to name a few.

Amerian slavery is without a doubt one of the ugliest chapters in our nation’s history.

But the advancement of progress…CAN NEVER BE STOPPED.

And this became evident when former President Barack Obama won office not once…but twice.

His double victory was clear evidence that much of society didn’t/doesn’t really care about race. And much of society wants to move forward; as we should.

I mean how could a nation with a population of mostly white inhabitants (60–72%; depending on the Hispanic population) vote for a black man (12% population) be considered a racist nation?

The answer is that… it can’t be.

Right?

Now, this article is not intended to talk about the politics of racism (as I feel that is an article unto itself), despite me opening up with the election of former President Obama.

But I believe that example shows that society has made great strides in race relationships.

And to be honest, for as long as people are ignorant, and that will be a very long time, there will ALWAYS be those who will

In this article, I will explore more in regards to the sociological, evolutionary, psychological, and emotional factors that play a HUGE role in what I consider to be severe levels of narcissism, xenophobia, and other mental illnesses that passes themselves off as racism.

Why would someone WANT to be viewed as a racist?

Continue to read on as I will elucidate.

Now, before I continue, I must say this — do I believe that there are NO racists?

No.

There ARE definitely racists out there.

But I want to argue that there are far more narcissistic people, uneducated people, and many xenophobic people than there are racists.

Furthermore, I want to argue that the stories of racist attacks, which I will admit needs to be shown and brought out into the light, most often times may not always be racism…but as I mentioned a severe level of narcissism.

Is It Really Racism?

Well, let’s find out… shall we?

What Is Narcissism?

LOOK AT MEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Wikipedia defines narcissism as:

“…the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s idealised self image and attributes."

A narcissist has an insatiable desire, and a need, to be admired and revered by others. They lust after power, recognition, and money. These people have no qualms manipulating others to get what they want.

They have no qualms about stepping on others to get ahead in life. To them… image trumps (this is not a pun) everything. They will lie to their friends, families, and even to their own mothers to get ahead.

They lack empathy and remorse. And if we really look more into the psyche of these people, we will see that they aren’t too dissimilar to psychopaths; as they lack empathy.

There is considered to be seven deadly sins of narcissism. These seven sins being:

• Shamelessness
• Magical Thinking
• Arrogance
• Envy
• Entitlement
• Exploitation (Blaxploitation. Dun. dun. DUNNNNNNNNNN!)
• Bad Boundaries

Take note because these seven sins will explain my point of view later on.

What Is NPD?

According to the Mayo Clinic “Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they’re superior to others and have little regard for other people’s feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism.” — Mayo Clinic

Much like the narcissist, a person who suffers from NPD also may experience a sense of feeling like they are better than others. The major difference being that this is a mental disorder.

A person who has NPD really believes that they are god’s gift to humanity. Although they may very well seem like they are highly confident and really put together, the reality of the situation, however, is that they are really the opposite inside.

The person who has NPD is very much like a “paper tiger”. They appear so powerful and so majestic but once you place their facade to the side, you will discover that they are very weak, scared, self-loathing, and helpless people.

What Is Xenophobia?

Photo by Olesya Yemets on Unsplash

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. Xenophobia can involve perceptions of an ingroup towards an outgroup and can manifest itself in suspicion of the activities of others, and a desire to eliminate their presence to secure a presumed purity and may relate to a fear of losing national, ethnic or racial identity. — Wikipedia

This is an irrational phobia that is oftentimes confused with being racism. This is oftentimes attributed to people in Asia; not to single that continent out solely.

But oftentimes people of Asian descent are viewed as being racist towards certain people when in actuality it is an irrational fear. A fear of foreigners, a fear of not being good enough (because people in Asia have a fear that not speaking English is a sign of stupidity), and a NEED to feel like they are better than others; much like MOST PEOPLE, you come across in life.

Is it Racism? What Is Racism?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity. — Wikipedia

Lastly, racism.

This is a belief that one race is superior to another race. The most recognizable groups in America being the Nazis and the KKK.

Plain and simple, right?

No.

For people who are very emotional, and people who have mental disorders, seeing the world in only black and white is not as rare as you may think it is.

See, mental disorders, and yes I do believe that many acts towards people which appear to be racist are in fact mental disorders, are the key factors into why people lash out against others.

Now, I am not saying that they shouldn’t be held accountable for their action.

They should be.

But…

The person who suffers from NPD, or the person who is a narcissist, is oftentimes considered to be a “racist”.

And I believe the person who experiences the racist attacks suffers from BPD (borderline personality disorder), as well as the perceived racists themselves.

Now stick with me here, because I know I am tossing out a lot of mental disorders here, but it is salient that I post them so that you can better understand my point of view.

So what is BPD, you may be asking?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterised by unstable relationships with other people, unstable sense of self and unstable emotions. There is often dangerous behavior and self-harm. People may also struggle with a feeling of emptiness and a fear of abandonment. — Wikipedia

It Is All Mind Games!

Photo by Gabriel Matula on Unsplash

Now to get to my point; “is it really racism”?

I would have to say that for the majority of the time…it is NOT.

And here is my reasoning for it.

Most people want to be accepted in life. They want to have peers with whom they can be around and with whom they can feel comfortable with. We are social animals after all.

We crave, most of us (I am an introvert. I love my ME TIME), to be around other people. But at the same time, most people FEAR to be alone. They fear being by themselves. They fear being made an…outcast.

Why?

Well, let’s talk about the evolutionary factor.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Evolution… IS A THING.

As our ancestors evolved in the savannahs of Africa, the only way to survive the harsh environment was to stick together. Being an outcast would most oftentimes lead to the outcast’s death.

This is not too hard to understand. A group of men versus a lion or tiger has a better chance of surviving than a lone man by himself.

This fear of being left alone, of being the outcasts, was something that has been passed down to the human animal.

This is exactly why when a kid is left by themselves in a store they start to cry. It’s the fear of being alone in — what would appear to the child to be — a harsh, dangerous, and scary environment.

So imagine that this fear is not just one person. Imagine that we haven’t evolved as much as we think we really have. Imagine that most people aren’t as mature as we think they are and should be (that’s not too hard I bet).

Kidults: 5 Clear Signs That You Are Dealing With Grown Children

We have all met them at some point in our life, these narcissistic kidults who believe the world revolves around them.

And imagine that this fear is something that a whole group of people can all feel.

Photo by Andrei Lazarev on Unsplash

Fear… is very very contagious.

The majority of people that we encounter in our daily walks of life have a black and white (no pun intended) way of thinking. Most people that you come across in life are dualistic thinkers.

If it isn’t good for me then it is bad.

If you don’t love me then you hate me.

If you don’t look like me then you are not like me and that is bad.

Now, what if these people who fear to be alone, who are dualistic thinkers, who have a mental disorder, as well as being individuals who fear to be outcasts, had an opt-out?

What if these people had a person, a group, a religion, a foreign idea, to whom they can vent all their self-hatred to?

What if they could also unite their circle against it; wouldn’t they do it?

Most people come together not through love…but through hate.

Most people unite to hate something NOT to love something.

Having an outside enemy can be the bonding factor for a group.

I mentioned self-hatred because as I mentioned before, people who have NPD, as well as BPD, have a severe hatred for not others but for themselves. Hence the need for excessive admiration by others.

These are the guys who need “fancy cars”. These are the guys who need to show off all their money. These are the guys who need to PUT DOWN OTHERS to feel good about themselves.

These are the females who will let a number of guys run a train (check out slang dictionary for this if you don’t know what I mean) on her. These are the females who will steal another girl from someone, just so she can feel like she is more desirable. These are the women who chase after the “sugar daddy.”

Now imagine a whole society thinking like this. All walking around feeling less than.

Wouldn’t you think that these people would then unite around that “different person”?

Think about.

Mediocrity loves mediocrity and DESPISES anything that would dare remind it of how less than it is.

The World Is Against Me

Photo by Jake Melara on Unsplash

For the person who experiences NPD or BPD, they have a constant negative Nancy that chatters in their head. The NPD person plays it off like they are better than everyone.

But the BPD person believes that everyone else is better than them and that…that kills them inside.

Understand this, that most people project out in the world what they feel about in their inner world.

If they are in love they are as happy as the sky is blue, and they will most often time do good to others. If they feel bad about themselves they will most often time try and make others feel bad about themselves as well.

Misery loves company.

We have seen it before or heard it before. One partner comes home from a hard day at work and the cat comes walking across their leg the wrong way and what does that person do; they kick the cat.

When people are hurt they want to hurt others. They NEED others to feel their pain. And if devaluing someone can make them feel good…THEY WILL DO IT.

When you have people who feel like they are supposed to be better than others, but then see that the foreigners outside their group are doing better than them — that is a massive blow to an already fragile ego.

Then couple this with the idea that their own members of their group look down on them — that makes those certain people then have a huge hatred for the foreigners whom they think should be less than them.

Why do they think this?

Because it may have been taught to them.

They may have a dualistic mindset.

They may suffer from pathological jealousy and envy.

They may be fearful that their influence (because remember narcissists love to influence others) may be overshadowed. And to overshadow a narcissist… is basically calling them out.

There are a number of reasons to which these people can think this.

But understand this…

It, for the most part, has very little to do with racism.

Was That “Racist” Comment Really Racist?

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

People who have BPD, are considered by many psychologists to be emotionally paper-thin. Meaning anything you say, or anything you don’t say is an attack against them.

They feel very bad about themselves and as a result, they think others feel this way about them as well.

This is not solely for a group of people because psychologists are getting a better understanding of how much of society suffers from BPD.

Most times we pass these people off as being depressed (which is in itself a nasty mental DISEASE that really needs to have more research) but the truth of the matter is that these people suffer from BPD.

If you have a society where there is a growing percentage of people suffering from BPD and the other population of society being governed by NPD (and I am not injecting any race into this. I am talking about individual people) often times it will be easier to think that it is really is just race.

But it is not.

It is more about keeping certain mindsets and mental illnesses prevalent.

It is not uncommon for many people nowadays who are on the media to tiptoe around certain jokes, certain phrases, certain gestures to not appear (this being the operative word here) as being racist.

For a person who suffers from BPD, anything can be seen as an attack against them. Remember that.

And remember that this goes for the person who is attacked by the “racist” and the “racist” themselves.

Their perception, both of them, are very skewed.

I Am Not Downplaying Racism

Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

I am an African American. I don’t feel like I necessarily need to say this but I think it lends better, especially in this PC culture today, to hear this from a…heh, minority.

I laugh because I said earlier I am an introvert and being a “minority” is HEAVEN FOR ME. I LOVE being the lone wolf.

I know that there are racists out in the world. I know that there are just some people who have an innate hatred for other people. I know that institutional racism is a thing as well. I know there are people who just want to keep others down.

And I am not contradicting myself here.

But I also believe that evolution plays a huge role in how certain people think and are born. I believe that people’s insecurities, fears, and massive self-hatred also play a role in why they act the way they do. And I KNOW that mental disorders also play a huge role as well.

But the great thing about the world is that in spite of these people’s delusion…it is not the whole of reality.

You telling me “No”…simply means to me…NEXT.

And there is nothing ANYONE can do to stop me from being who and what I want to be in today’s world; save but myself.

I am a xenophile. I love different cultures. I think being different, being foreign, being the outcast…is great.

I love the idea there are different languages. That there are different skin tones. That there are different cultures and philosophies. That there are different people.

Different women.

I Will Never Understand Why People Get Mad At Me For Having A Preference For Certain Women

All of them.

But most of all I love that there are different ideas and perspectives on life.

That is what colors (no pun intended) the world.

I would legit go insane myself if the whole world was the same.

And this is why I understand wholly the mindset of the person who loves only their group.

See, I don’t have a dualistic mindset.

I like to grow.

I like to learn.

I like to discover.

But most of all I LOVE the unknown.

And I love the unknown because I was born this way.

And I think there are some people who are just born in certain ways. For them, it may very well be true love.

But most times…if they were honest with themselves, it is pure fear of the unknown and of the different.

Both of which I love. And if they were taken away from me, much like the stagnant person having change thrust in their face, that would DRIVE ME INSANE.

And I too would be FULL OF HATRED.

Fear, for the most part, NOT reasoning or rationality, is what governs much of the world.

So when a person says to me, “I hate you because your black.”

I can see beyond the fluffed-up chest. The twisted and pruned face. The boiled-up veins protruding from their skin and see that it is not hatred…but fear.

I don’t advocate loving my enemy; I disagree a bit with Dr.King.

I am more of a Malcolm X guy.

And I sure as hell don’t have to hate my enemy or FEAR THEM at all.

But it is very important to learn how others think and feel.

Why?

Because we are still evolving animals.

I have been lied to, used, manipulated, talked about, torn down, and mistreated by people of ALL skin tones; even my own.

And I can bet my life on this that you, who is reading this article, have also had your own people do you wrong.

It is not about race…but about ego for SO many people.

And for people who have mental disorders, as listed above, it is better to understand and sympathize with them than to confine them in a category to which they really don’t belong.

Because in doing that, they will get you to believe their insanity.

And that…that just isn’t happening.

Is it really racism?

I do believe my friends…it is NOT.