HOME    Mike on what is called RACE.  gg

A Presentation of Plank in My Eye Productions

RACE:  A Human Construct Based Upon a False Understanding of Skin “Color”

It all begins with the fallen, unknowable human heart, capable of immeasurable good and also deceitful, desperate wickedness.  If a heart is not filled with a love of the truth, it will, inevitably, be invaded by strong delusions, believing even the most refutable lie.  There is a seed of bigotry in the human heart, a seed that needs little nurturing to blossom into even the most vile forms of hatred which so often precede the most vile of human behavior.  Like the most undesirable weed seed, it needs to be prevented from sprouting.  If it sprouts, the product of that seed needs to be uprooted and destroyed as early as possible to prevent it from overrunning and destroying the possible good that the heart can know and do, as surely as dandelions will overrun and choke a vacant and untended field of any size, even a continent, if only allowed to do so by good men and women who do nothing.

Due to the nature of the heart, it’s natural for our hearts to desire to divide the world into “us” and “them” for both good and evil. It’s natural for our hearts to attempt to make some of those divisions based upon the most easily discerned differences in the human race.  We see tall and short, fat and skinny, and black and white and brown and yellow and red and whatever other so-called “color” we determine people to be in God’s created variety, in His desire for diversity in His creation.

Can you imagine if roses only came in one color? 

Beauty unrealized.

What is called skin “color,” is actually varying shades of melanin, the chemical that gives skin its “color,” and we are, then, all the same color, melanin, in various shades depending upon the density of the melanin in our skin.  Unfortunately that glorious creation, from the very mind of God, has been used against mankind- by mankind- for thousands of years, exploiting the human heart’s natural tendency to see the world as comprised of “us” and “them,” giving birth to a scandalous division of people called “race,” which is exploited by many for their own hateful purposes.  Race is a human construct we do not need and it does not serve us well.  But if we’re going to define race by skin color then, melanin being the same in all of us, just as all blood is red, we must, by irrefutable logic, come to the conclusion that, in reality, there is only one race, the human race, as we are all the same color of varying shades.  While humanity has for thousands of years, quite contentedly, been destroying itself regardless of skin “color,” this differing level of deposition of melanin has been used as a reason to enslave some or pronounce some guilty of crimes and insults, both real and imagined, with the consequence of encouraging and reinforcing biases based on skin “color” which are no less- and no more- legitimate than biases based upon eye color or hair color, they also being chemically determined.  But we don't call Blue-Eyed a race and we don't call Blond or Brunette a race though they are, like "skin color," differing physical characteristics similar to height or weight.  Seriously, would you call Brunette a race?  (Hold the blond jokes.)  Can  you imagine naming races by eye color?

While all bigotry is bias, not all bias is bigotry; bigotry being hateful.  Bias is often useful, if of mathematical-that is of logical- integrity, but, coupled with an unregenerate heart, there is always danger of bias about others being perverted into bigotry.  And why is hateful bigotry actually evil?  Because it takes a creation of God- His own image- and subjects it to a mixture of human hate and fear to achieve an end that God never intended for humanity, though He tolerates so as to let our free will do as it will.

I believe that nearly every American- and certainly every American who strives for the universal ideal of the righteous pursuit of life, liberty and happiness- hates injustice, including cultural injustice, and would have it all thrown on the ash heap of history to be remembered only so as to recall to never go there again.  And, as we approach a society that, as Dr. King admonishes us, should only judge by content of character as we measure a man, we need to do what is proper.  But, then, what do we all agree is proper?  It used to be that slavery wasn’t universally considered improper and now it is… as the culture changed.  A little introspection all around wouldn't hurt any of us when we consider the culture- our culture.*

It is more than unfortunate that we cannot have a heartfelt dialogue on "race" among all of us, and it is by design that we cannot.  There are too many race-hustlers and poverty pimps, too many politicians and talking heads in various media in America who make their living keeping US and THEM from trusting each other enough to even talk about that which fuels that actual racism that exists in our nation.  They are disgusting human beings!

* I am suddenly reminded of Kevin Klein’s character in Grand Canyon telling Danny Glover’s character that he wants his children to experience other cultures as though they’d be travelling halfway around the world instead of partway across the city to visit the home of Glover's character.  Glover’s character’s reaction was, as I recall, incredulity at the thought they were from different cultures.  I think I need to re-visit that movie.