Examining Racial Issues through 'A Brief History of Race in America'

Many of my colleagues went to "Deep JS" over the weekend, while I stayed at the office to repay some debts, such as this reflection on "A Brief History of Race in America." Of course, it also contains many of my own viewpoints.

America Has No 'Minority Ethnic Groups'

From the perspective of racial issues, America is a very unique country. In a short period, many races have immigrated to America, including the British, Spanish, Irish, Mexicans, Africans, Japanese, Germans, Jews, and so on. Different ethnicities and cultures have led to intense conflicts and fusions in America. The proportions of various ethnic groups are relatively balanced; the largest single ethnic group is of English descent, yet they only make up 15% of the U.S. population. Strictly speaking, the concept of 'minority ethnic groups' does not exist in America.

Because there is no concept of 'minority ethnic groups,' there is no so-called 'mainstream culture,' and thus no 'integration into mainstream culture.' Each ethnic group has brought its own culture and way of life to the American continent, developing alongside the various races in America, with culture evolving in tandem.

Not 'Racial Discrimination' but 'Selfishness'

Many times, people confuse selfishness with racial discrimination. For example, car dealers may quote higher prices to Black customers; Chinese individuals may receive fewer responses to their networking emails; Middle Eastern tourists may be subjected to extra scrutiny at security checks.

I believe this is due to various reasons—such as media reports, ingrained perceptions, and certain news facts—that lead to biases against certain groups. This bias is based on probability statistics in the human brain. By American standards, there are more impoverished Black individuals, so a car dealer's receptionist may subconsciously think that a Black customer cannot afford the car and thus tries to give a high quote to send the customer away. If the same Black individual is dressed in a suit, the quote will be the same as that given to a white person. Giving a higher quote to a Black person is merely a way to save time and energy; it is selfish, but not racial discrimination. Actual racial discrimination would be refusing to sell the car to a Black person altogether.

The other examples follow the same logic. It’s like when you learn that a student comes from a prestigious high school, you instinctively respect them. They could be an excellent student, or they could be a troublemaker; it’s just that the proportion of good students is higher in prestigious schools, while troublemakers are fewer.

Development, Not Sentimentality

Many ethnic groups arrived in America with nothing, facing poor living conditions and low incomes, while also experiencing discrimination from the dominant white race. Many people today believe this is wrong and that it constitutes racial discrimination, struggling to imagine that they are descendants of such individuals.

However, there are two basic facts: first, regardless of when they arrived in America, all ethnic groups have made significant progress in their living standards. Progress is not a given; many of these ethnic groups' compatriots in other countries have seen little change in their living conditions over the years. Second, even with various forms of discrimination, the living conditions of these ethnic groups are still much better than before they came to America. For Jews, the discrimination they face in America is limited to disdain when job hunting, while in their homeland, they faced existential threats. When Chinese immigrants first arrived in America, their living conditions were poor, but still better than in their home country, and their income, when adjusted for the exchange rate, was significantly higher than back home. Chinese individuals were able to send money back across the Pacific continuously.

As various ethnic groups developed, racial discrimination was ultimately eliminated. The elimination of racial discrimination owes much to 'development,' rather than people's 'conscience' or 'morality.'

If a race is unhappy to hear anyone say it was once dirty, believing this is merely a fabrication by those with biases, it will never become clean. If they think the problem lies solely with racist educators and biased tests, then their children will never overcome learning deficiencies in school. No race can overcome its internal issues—from alcoholism to violence—if it believes these are merely distorted propaganda or inevitable results of 'society's' ills. According to this view, the arduous struggles for self-improvement over the long term would also be denied. This is tantamount to denying history itself.

Rationality, Not Sentimentality

The development of races is influenced by many factors, some of which have a significant impact, while others have a minor effect, some are related to culture, and others are not. In summary, the development of races is a very complex issue. Some people prefer to simplify it using very basic factors, such as economic level and education level, as if this framework can explain all racial issues. In Japanese families, even if the parents have little education, their children often excel in school. The early wealth of Chinese immigrants was not based on education but rather on businesses in 'Chinatowns' and similar ventures. Once Chinese children began receiving education, their academic performance began to shine in schools, largely due to the Chinese culture's emphasis on academic achievement. The historically high accident rates among Irish people were often attributed to their desire to display masculinity, yet many attributed it to 'poverty.' On average, the poverty rate among Black individuals is relatively high; some attribute this to intelligence, while others cite cultural reasons, not realizing that for a long time, Black individuals could not live normally or develop their families, starting their development much later than other races. If you think this is the whole reason, you are gravely mistaken. I reiterate, racial issues are very complex, and it must be acknowledged that there are average IQ differences between races, as well as differences in other physical indicators. In fact, all indicators, including IQ, income, and education levels, show greater variance within races than between them.

If American racial history teaches us anything definitive, it is that 'interpersonal relationships are incredibly difficult.' Not only between races, but even within the same race, relationships can be very challenging.

Culture, Not Genes

From the moment we are born, we live within a specific lifestyle passed down through generations, which is culture. Each race has its unique culture, and modern American culture is the result of the interplay of these cultures.

The differences between races are primarily determined by culture rather than genes. Due to generations of mixed living, millions of Americans cannot articulate which race they belong to, but if they were educated in a certain culture from a young age and grew up within a specific racial culture, they undoubtedly still exhibit the cultural characteristics of that race.

The Chinese Exclusion Act

The inhumanity of the "Chinese Exclusion Act" is rare even in the history of racial discrimination in America. Why was there a "Chinese Exclusion Act"? It seems that "Logical Thinking" had a related introduction. "A Brief History of Race in America" also discusses this, with the general reasons being:

1. Chinese people lived completely different lives from the local American populace and had entirely different attire (with queues).
2. Chinese individuals were hardworking and industrious, taking many jobs from white individuals. Many arduous projects were completed by Chinese laborers.
3. However, Chinese immigrants did not intend to settle in America; they saved money and sent their earnings back home. Even after death, they would have their compatriots transport their coffins back to their homeland for burial.

By the way, wherever Chinese people go in the world, they can take many local jobs and become prosperous (if they intend to settle there). Thus, anti-Chinese sentiment is prevalent worldwide; Malaysia still restricts job opportunities for Chinese individuals to ensure that local residents have enough job opportunities.

A major irony of modern Chinese history is that Chinese people can prosper in various countries around the world, yet they remain impoverished in their own country.

The result of the "Chinese Exclusion Act" is that family-oriented Chinese individuals could not bring their wives and children to America, and many of them never saw their families again until they passed away. A more severe consequence is that, due to the difficulty of marrying within their ethnic group, Chinese families in America could hardly be formed or developed, while the development of a race is precisely based on families.

The Unit of Racial Development is the Family

Everyone is entitled to the nurturing of their parents from birth; the family is a crucial stage in the growth of social members. The development of any race cannot be separated from the progress made by each family member based on their predecessors. Even during slavery, Black individuals had their families and held strong family values. After the abolition of slavery, many Black individuals moved between states in America, searching for family members separated by the slave trade. However, only when they could legally form families could the development of their race officially begin.

Racists in China

In our country, the vast majority of people are Han. Many of us have no concept of race at all because we wake up every day to see yellow-skinned people, walk down the street surrounded by yellow-skinned people, greet yellow-skinned people, and interact with yellow-skinned people. The development history of Chinese culture over five thousand years has been a process of continuous expansion, where assimilation and absorption have been the norm. Whenever there are ethnic disputes, foreign cultures are either gradually assimilated, gradually disappear, or flee elsewhere. China has never experienced the intense racial and cultural fusion seen in America. We cannot comprehend the process of mutual checks and influences among various ethnic cultures in America. As a result, many of us are unknowingly racists: Japanese people are 'devils,' Koreans are 'sticks,' Indians are 'Ah San,' and Russians are 'pubes.' Internally, we lack a racial consciousness, while externally, we exhibit extreme racism.