Race, religion and politics are probably topics you have rarely or never appearing on my blog, simply because I don't write about them. These are topics which are usually treading on sensitive grounds and I don't usually write about them, not because I am afraid but because I think there is never a right or wrong and that everyone has their stand.
Everyone has the right to believe in their own choices, and that is just the way it is.

However, there is an issue which irked me of late and I just hate to see that it is being turned into a weapon to pit people against each other.
It is getting out of hand and I find it despicable that there are people who could constantly use this card to put others down or just simply, judge and stereotype those who are not in the same league.

Racism is an issue I feel very strongly about and of late, this issue has been an instigation tool used by many, especially those in position and this spread like a bad virus, seeping into the subconscious minds of everyone that this topic just comes to one's lips conveniently when things do not go well.
It has become that reason to blame when things go wrong, or when one is angered by another's action and racism is the one thing that comes quickly to mind.

"Oh, he's behaving like that because you know, that's what people their race are like anyway"

"Yeah, they are lazy, because of their race. Everyone of them is like that"

It is painful and depressing to hear the statements people have resorted to just put others down, or to pinpoint an issue to a particular ethnic group.
It is becoming common, and I am sad to see that it has spread like a bad plague and quickly too; like how an accidental drop of color could quickly disperse to the entire small puddle of water.
Everyone is joining in and it is disheartening to see the influence of social media which escalated the issue to further popularity; and this used to be an issue stemming from ignorance but today, it bothers me to see that even highly educated people are quick to jump on the bandwagon on criticizing or making racist remarks.

Racism exists, of course, there is no denying it, in a global population of more than 7 billion comprising of people from different countries where they are further represented by the diversities in ethnicity, beliefs, culture and social backgrounds owing to the many different factors of the environment in which they originate from and reside in.
It is this very factor which led to the conscious factor of the diversity of the world and the constitution of the colorful walks of life all over the planet.
Everyone is aware of people who are different from them, and quickly segregated those who hail from different countries, states, cities, religious beliefs, education and social backgrounds.
Languages and local culture too distinguished one from another; which also created the communication barriers among the worldly population lingering over the marked borders of the international territories.

Perhaps one of the most evident difference among people would be the looks; and that included attributes of the color of one's skin, hair, eyes, features and simply, their way of living.
It is a form of categorizing the world population at an aerial view, but individually, people are classified and stereotyped based on their socio-economic status and of course, definitely at the way they look.

Racism has long existed, and it is probably a norm or a form to discern people from one another, in a good way though the term is often associated with the negative connotation of stereotyping people in a critical manner.
One of the most notable cases of racism is perhaps that of apartheid; one that led to decades of a fight for justice in South Africa.
It is a case which is real and while nations are aware of it, it is evidently still present until this very day all around the world.

The colors of one's skin and the origins of their culture, became the critical point to judge their existence on the planet.
Certain races consider themselves far superior than others, some are considered lazy, some are pinpointed as shrewd and cunning, and then there are those who are just known as troublemakers, just to name a few.
What many did not realize is that when we start classifying or rather, stereotyping people based on their races, we are actually forming prejudices and early judgments in a bid to generalize everyone in that same group (we actually put them in that group, subconsciously).
Everyone is generalized based on that perception and it can quickly become vindictive; which in turn leads to negative perspectives and even discrimination.
Colors became the predominant element to judge one's character and there is no exception, leading to a widespread bias on the races of mankind.

My question is, Who has this right to judge others based on their skin color?
Who mandates which shade of skin color dominates over others and that others should bow down?
Who dictates that certain skin color are born to be slaves and they should always be at the bottom?
Who decides a certain skin color are denied opportunities despite the qualifications?
Who decides all these things?
Who has the RIGHT to?

True that there is never a way to pinpoint the right and wrong, but in this case, it is never acceptable for one to put others down at their mercy simply because one is born with a different skin color or belong to another ethnic group.
No one is far above others, whatever you think, or in spite of the amount of power/wealth of influence you hold over the society despite your social status.
There is no right.

No one asked to be born a slave.
No one asked to be born with a specific skin or hair or eye color.
Just because you have the perfect looks does not make you far above others.
Again, who sets the rules what makes a perfect look?

I understand the presence of racism, and that it has and will probably always exist in the world, undeniably since we are all distinct from one another.
It is to be viewed as a blessing rather than a judgmental measurement of anyone's worth.

Everyone has their own experiences and way of living; moulded by the environment and conditions in which they lived. It is this that created that basis for their beliefs and fundamentally that background for their cultural beginnings.
It is this that creates that diversity in the world, thus making the world a far more colorful place.
Imagine if everyone was like each other, and lived the same way, spoke the same words and just practically, LOOK like each other.
It is incomprehensible the way the world would work then.

Perhaps it is the society and the evolution of the human minds which created the perception of racial segregation and that there is that difference between the multiple races spread all around the world.
That is in fact the truth; there IS always that difference, because simply, we are all different and people from different races and cultural backgrounds are bound to harbor that similarity reflective and even representative of their group.
It is that which makes these races unique.
It is this very unique factor that we should all embrace and appreciate, for it is this fact of difference which creates the world, in general.
The world is about diversity.

I came from a multi-racial country and I grew up studying in a national mainstream school (Kebangsaan) where I studied along with others from different races. We were children then and there was no barrier nor was there any way of separating each other based on our looks and skin colors.
We communicated in our national language (Bahasa Malaysia) and we played with each other and there was never a problem.
We have never called each other names nor make any racist remarks, despite us all being in the same room.
We even enjoyed learning about each other's cultures and looked forward to the holidays observed due to the various festivities in the country. (of course, that included the gifts and festive food often shared among us)
We grew up in this very environment, and we learnt to respect each other while accepting the differences among us. We even cherished that differences and the harmony along with that broadened knowledge we had of each other's backgrounds.
We joked about each other's specialty and also the admired (and sometimes envied) the colorful variety of each of the races.
We are friends until this very day, and looking back, I don't think I would have it any other way.
I can't say we were not racists either, but in a good and humorous way for it was all about the unique differences we learnt to see and grew up appreciating until today, in our wonderful society of diversified racial and cultural landscape.

Racism should never be about harsh judgments and critical and negative stereotypes of others' existence.
It should never be about putting others down and making one feel inadequate just simply because they belong to a specific race.
It should never, never be the case.

Remember, there is NO one above others.

If we should all talk about race, it should be one; the Human Race.
Despite the colors of our skins, we are all the same, and we belong to the human race.
We should not be pitting against each other based on race; or waging wars and fight to our deaths for that purpose.

If there should be a fight, it should be only one; which is for the human race.
We should all fight to preserve mankind, instead of wiping out each other.

Embrace the differences we see in each other; and learn from one another about the history of their origins.
It is what makes one's cultural group unique from another, and forms the ways of their living and beliefs.
Racial differences are not just merely skin color, but comes from a yarn ball of factors comprising of geographical locations, climate, natural resources, struggles and the list goes on.
It is far too easy to just jump to a conclusion on a particular person or even ethnic group based on assumption if you are not even aware of the facts.
Are you sure you even know how far they have come, or what have they gone through to behave that way?

For example, Indians make the best curries because of the availability of the spices in the areas where they are located, and they are also travelers; resulting in them being one of the earliest traders in history.
There are some who are the best voyageurs, navigators, fishermen for that same reason and this is just to give you an idea.

There is nothing wrong about racism, ONLY if you put it in a negative way.
If you want to talk about racism, then start learning about their cultural differences and study their history before you make your statement.

Don't instigate wars against each other based on your personal discriminatory judgment.
If you want to talk about race or fight about race, let's join hands to fight for the human race to live in harmony.

Racism is not about belittling or casting into groups to be judged, but rather should be viewed with a fresh new perspective for the beauty that lies within each of these groups.
They should be cherished for their strengths and attributes and that will make the world a much better place to live in, and even look at.

We are all racists, that is true; after all, human beings are born to be visual creatures and that is biologically determined.
That is the reason we should see each other for who we all truly are; and embrace that unique beauty embedded in each of us backed by our cultural backgrounds.

That is when we truly understand the meaning of racism and diversity in the Human race.

Racist?
Yes, I think the Indians make the best curries, the Malays the best nasi lemak/rendang, the Chinese the best herbal soups, the Italians the best pizzas, the French the best fine pastries.
That is a tad racist, but hey, they deserve the crown.

Make it about the beauty of the races, and you will start to see the difference.