Why Racism Doesn’t Get to me
A Scathing Unpopular Opinion on What Racism Truly Is and How to Stay Afloat!
As a black young girl, I went to university in Hungary. At 17 years of age, I had begun my first year of medical school, a teenager, alone, without family and having to make new friends in a new country, where the residents did not speak English.
As of then and even up till now, one of the questions I’ve always gotten are about my experiences of racism.
And honestly I don’t have many stories to tell, oy I can’t recall them.
I travelled a lot, with my green passport. As a student in Hungary, I had a residence permit which meant it could travel visa free across EU borders.
I’ve experienced so many of the biases black travelers face but I can’t recall them in detail because they never quite got to me.
Racism or Wickedness?
Maybe that’s is what many people termed as racism but I saw it as something else, wickedness, meanness, unkindness. Whether personal or systemic.
You see, I grew up in a predominantly black country, one of the most populated black nations on Earth. I also come from a minority tribe in Nigeria, even though we number over 4 million we are still minority.
This means you won’t see a lot of people from my tribe in big political positions, and this appears fair.
Political appointments are not done by qualification but by tribalism.
There are only three major tribes in Nigeria, which means there are a lot of marginalized Nigerians. Typical case of the one with the greater fists or greater numbers makes the rules.
This phenomenon occurs at the national, state and local levels. In government and even private parastatals.
You could be denied a university admission simply because you are not a particular tribe, you could be disqualified from an employment process because you are a particular tribe. None of it is based on capability or qualifications just pure sentiments.
Sometimes people just need to hear your name or your accent and their attitude towards you changes.
When people visit France and complain that the French would refuse to speak to them in English even though they can speak English, I don’t find it strange.
It happens here in Nigeria. There are offices where if you do not speak Hausa you’re at a disadvantage. I’ve heard my medical colleagues working in Yoruba speaking state asked what they are doing there if they can’t speak Yoruba. If you find yourself in an office in Benue, my own state, you could also be denied some rightful privileges because you are not an indigene.
I’ve been called black, short, wide-nosed, first in my country, by my fellow black country man, before I left to another nation.
I’ve been shunted from the line first by another black man before I went to the white man’s country.
So truth be told, even as a young girl, it just felt like, “ohh, there are mean humans everywhere.”
What is the origin of Bias?
The whole concept of bias or racism arises because one person set the rules on who is superior and who is inferior. This creates inequality. Man cannot be classified simply because of their color or where they live or how they speak into different classes.
Nobody chose where to be born!
You are not American or Nigerian because of your hard-work, no it was simply a matter of fate. A God act!
So there is no basis for inequality, except that it is man made.
The one who has the stronger fists, makes the rules.
The Bible says that the heart of man is desperately wicked. People aren’t wicked to you or mean to you because of your color or your accent, they are mean because it’s inherent.
It certainly is not because of ignorance.
A Hungarian friend had explained to me once that Hungary didn’t not have a good history with foreigners (in the history books), which is why some of them weren’t open to foreigners.
I disagreed with him then, that it didn’t count, it was just another excuse.
I rented a flat with my Hungarian Landlord for the whole stretch of my stay. While others had landlord problems, I didn't. I always got a discount if my Dad paid for a few months upfront, I didn’t pay for internet for the whole time I rented with him. He would travel and give me the key to another of his flats in the same building, with a simple request to help water his plants if I could.
I also lived next to a nice old lady, who would always offer me lunch on Sundays. One of the school breaks I after returning from vacation, her daughter knocked on my door to inform me of her demise. We never spoke a word of English and they didn’t owe me that information, but they were kind people.
So you see, a people can have the same history, but it is one’s inherent nature that decides if they are kind or wicked.
You should be scared of someone who maltreats a disadvantaged person.
This is because one day, when those disadvantaged are no more, it’ll be your turn to bear their wrath.
Remember the famous words of Martin Niemöller,
“First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
And there was no one left to speak out for me.”
All in all,
Do not be disadvantaged
Yes I don’t care which country you were born into or what family or what background, what is done is done. The future is up to you. Take matters into your own hand and make up for where you have the disadvantages.
As many are the disadvantages, the advantages are also there, look inwards, and harness what you have that could set you apart.
It falls to everyone to not be in a disadvantaged position, as much as it depends on you, do not get into trouble for the wrong reasons.
There’s trouble that we put ourselves in, by our own doing or by the doing of the company we keep.
And then, there’s trouble that still comes looking for you when you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.
Posterity will speak to you if you fall in the latter group.
So again, as unpopular as this may sound, racism, colorism, any form of bias the isms. Are just different forms of wickedness.
A very bitter truth is this: Before the white man dared to make slaves out of the black people, our black leaders dared to sell our kinsmen.
Before the Swiss dared to keep our looted funds, our leaders dared to loot them.
Man is inherently wicked, know this and know peace! Now, Move on! Blaming others won’t bring about progress.
Empower yourself, so you could be in the position to make change.
Give People a Chance, Show Love!
Life is simple. Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself: if we could hold unto this, the world would be a better place.
Relate to people, one to one, for who they are and not based on what stereotypes you have heard.
I’m not asking anyone to trust others easily, that would be a foolish thing to do. Trust must be earned.
But Love, Love should be freely given!
P.S. This was written from a point of aiming to combat individual wickedness. As to corporate wickedness, as my Nigerians will say, Na God go judge that one.
The opposite of any form of bias is Love. Darkness can only be stifled by more light!
Hi, I’m Nguper. I write about relationships, life lessons, poetry and health issues. To see my stories in your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Terngu)
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