If you were to, say, take a month off from your life and live in Japan instead of wherever you live currently, it would be quite a culture shock. Maybe you would get used to it after a month. Maybe you would hate living in Japan. Maybe you would notice that Japan, like the rest of the world excluding America, does not see race.
But what does this mean exactly?
In America, we live in our own little bubble. Because our society and culture and economics are booming, often we forget that the rest of the world exists. We don’t realize that the rest of the world is different from us. We don’t need to realize that they’re different, since we presume we’re better in every way.
However the American superiority complex is a topic for a different article. I’m writing today to talk about race - something us citizens here in America made up. That’s right Americans, it’s completely and utterly made up. Your American ancestors invented it to enhance and protect slavery. By taking away the culture of Africans when they came to America and simply calling them “black” or words that are much worse, they were able to increase the white-black class system and devalue Africans as a whole. However, this too is a larger topic, perhaps for a different article. The point here is that race and labeling people as colors in general is a practice America made up.
If you were to go to Japan for a month, you might notice that they don’t see race - they see nationality. They would probably see you as an American. Your friend from France coming with you for the ride would be French. Your best friend from Spain would be Spanish. You wouldn’t be considered “white” or “Caucasian” in any aspect, your friends wouldn’t be “black” or “brown.” But this isn’t just Japan, it’s everywhere that isn’t the United States. We’re so encompassed in our own little bubble that we don’t realize the destructive habits we have formed by labeling someone purely by the color of their skin. Other countries don’t have this practice - it’s really just us. America what are you doing?
Speaking of caucasian…
Did you know the word caucasian is a made up word? I mean, you could make the argument that every word is, technically, “made up.” However the word caucasian was created to classify those with white skin; it’s the version of “African Americans” for white people. It’s considered more “respectful,” and despite being completely made up, it’s entirely integrated in our society. While applying to colleges this past fall, I had to label myself as either “white” or “caucasian.” Almost Never “European American,” which is what I am. I had to fill out all the boxes with a FAKE WORD. What???
In Melanin Minds, a club at my school centered around racism in America (and the world) which used to be our African American culture club, we do not use colors. We do not classify people based on their race. There is not “black” or “white” or “brown.” We use only “European American” or “African American” (or Hispanic American, Asian American, Native American, etc). This is the way the rest of the America needs to operate. But why?
Without realizing, we are reinforcing racial stereotypes by using these words, and we continue to devalue individual Americans as a whole. Describing someone as black erases their culture as an African American. It helps to edge on stereotypes about people who are African Americans, and vice versa with those who are white. Race has established certain connotations of these words, most of the time negative. Calling someone “black” and “white” has a negative effect on the person you are labeling, whether you meant it or not.
Sometimes we forget that other things exist outside of our own little world. America currently has some really bad habits we need to get rid of, especially the one outlined in this article. Labeling others based on the color of their skin is a destructive habit. We need to learn to act like the world around us, and adapt to the practices of other nations.
Finally, I hope this article helps you to notice this practice in your own life. Do you use black and white often? If you do, maybe try not to call people colors and instead use their nationality, like Japan and other nations that are not America. I’m not white. My friends aren’t white, black, brown, etc. No person should ever be labeled as such.
