It is racist to insist on indigenous rights. It is racist to be white. It is racist to believe that. And so it goes on.
Stereotyping, to be sure, is the refuge of last resort in most debates in a multi-cultural community. When arguments fail, lash out at your opponent’s ethnicity.
But words must mean something and they become meaningless if they’re hurled like identical lumps of mashed potatoes.
Consider the word “racist.” The dictionary defines it as “1. the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others”; and, “2. abusive or aggressive behavior toward members of another race on the basis of such a belief.” Now if we stick to these definitions, we’ll end up with fewer “racists” and quite a lot of very angry commentators.
I must admit, however, that there is racially motivated criticism out there, some coming from the politically correct no less. To cite an example, if a stateside reporter commits an error, it’s because he’s careless or lazy. But if his Filipino counterpart makes the same mistake, it’s because he’s Filipino, of course. As an exceedingly wise (although Filipino) writer once noted, “When a white man fails, it is human; when a brown man fails, it is racial.”
On Guam, some insist that their island is still a “colony.” The U.N., after all, agrees. And this is the same organization whose human rights council was once chaired by Colonel Gaddafi’s Libya and whose esteemed members included such human rights loving nations as Cuba, Saudi Arabia, China, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
Historically, however, a colony is ruled by foreigners, and colonial governments are oppressive, repressive, unjust and exploitative.
To its credit, American Samoa, which is also on the U.N. list of “colonies,” wants to be delisted, saying that it is a part of the American family and not a colony. Guam is also a part of the U.S. and its people are Americans. True, unlike the CNMI, it has yet to hold a self-determination plebiscite, but there is no doubt that Guam, like the commonwealth, is self-governing and most Guamanians are proud to be Americans on an island where “America’s Day Begins.” (When President Clinton visited the territory in the fall of 1998, he began his short speech to the Guamanians with the words “My fellow Americans,” which triggered a deafening roar of cheers and applause.) Sure, a group of 15 U.S. senators stopped by to have their plane refueled at an Air Force base without saying hi to Governor Calvo, but if that “snub” is an indication of colonial rule then yes, Elvis and Osama are still alive.
I do understand, however, why some maintain that this or that island is a “colony.” Colonials are “victims.” Thus they are not responsible for the mess they’ve created and are entitled to an endless stream of dole-outs without conditions from their colonial masters. Right?
Another frequently abused word is “stupid,” which is usually attached to the names or latest actions of certain CNMI leaders.
Sometimes, I do wish that these politicians are brainless. Unfortunately, they’re not. It requires intelligence — which is not just about being book-smart and being articulate in a second language — to go out there and to talk and listen to the people so they will believe in you and entrust you with public office. (One of the most brilliant advisers — a Harvard lawyer — of then-Philippine President Cory Aquino complained to her that she never asked his views on politics, only on policy. She replied, “Until you have begged for every vote and prayed to keep it safe, I really don’t want to hear your opinions on local politics.”)
Well, you say, what if the people are the ones who are stupid? Is it stupidity, however, to vote based on your interests — on what you believe is good for you or your family? Short-sighted, perhaps; selfish even. But there are not a lot of people on this planet willing to lose their jobs or their source of livelihood just to be called an “intelligent” voter. (If you pay close attention to the campaign pledges of stateside politicians, you would realize that they are basically promising “bribes” to voters: more of the good things, less of the bad — a skinless chicken in every pot, an electric car in every garage, and trees for everyone to hug.)
Humans, in any case, are complex beings. Each of us is a bundle of contradictions. We cannot be reduced to just one type. We resist generalizations. We are individuals first before we are members of a particular family, an ethnic group, a political persuasion, a religion or even a nation.
We must also realize that, to quote another wise man, “aside from the injustice it does to others, stereotyping impoverishes us…. A person who lumps his fellow men into simple categories…is in danger of becoming a stereotype himself. He loses his capacity to be himself, to see the world in his own unique and independent fashion.”
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