Is Racism Racist?
Zachary Beck
© Copyright 2011 by Zachary Beck
| Is Racism Racist? Zachary Beck
© Copyright 2011 by Zachary Beck
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The seed from which racism grows is fear. All children experience fear whether it be from new experiences, being separated from a parent, a loud noise, being exposed to anger or even abuse. This fear is the driving force behind racism. Everyone knows and understands fear. It is a natural instinct. Some of us suppress our response to fear and some of us express our response to fear. As we grow older we become less fearful of different experiences. Even though this fear doesn't have the same effect it once did it still has an impact on our behavior.
Fear caused by psychological, sexual or physical abuse is very traumatic to a child and never loses its effect much like a scar. Scars become less hideous over time but they never go away. Eventually, this fear emerges as anger. Yet, the majority of these victims don't even realize that they are angry or more importantly, why? It's a well know fact that a child's defense mechanism is to suppress abusive experiences. These abusive memories become like a scar on a part of your body you can't see.
The part of the mind that has suppressed these memories of abuse is the "conscious". The part of the mind that still carries these unseen scars is the "subconscious". For those who have unintentionally erased memories of abuse it is the subconscious that is harboring the effects of the abuse. Your subconscious mind influences your conscious behavior daily. Some people go a lifetime not understanding why they behave the way they do simply because they fail to educate themselves on the subconscious part of their personality. If you are a victim of abuse, regardless if you understand this or not, if you do not confront these suppressed memories of abuse they will consume you.
Even though these scars never go away there are treatments to minimize the effects. For many people who go untreated for psychological abuse their anger becomes unpredictable and misdirected. Usually these memories of abuse, regardless of where they originate, are activated by a sense of fear that is "triggered". As children we mimic those around us. By watching how others behave we learn how to behave. For someone who hasn't learned how to properly behave when these memories of abuse are triggered they will mimic the behavior of their abuser because it's the only way the know how to respond.
Memories are cognitively processed under shapes, colors, scents, audio vibrations (music) but for the most part, shapes and colors are how our minds process and retain experiences. The shape of an abusive memory would naturally take the form of our abuser, a person. The color, whether it be the sun shinning behind our attacker, the color of someone's teeth, color of a shirt or the color of landscape where the abuse took place. This cognitive processing takes place like any other natural instinct, i.e., eating, breathing, recognition. Subconsciously, when we combine the two triggers (a person[shape], a color) we naturally, without intent, have a living color.
Humans are identified by a shape and a color. There isn't a more commonly viewed triggers in our existence then shapes and colors. For many with uncontrolled behavior, a living color becomes the easiest target. With our minds programmed to always seek the path of least resistance it is no coincidence why many who suffer from psychological abuse unintentionally pick a living color to impulsively act out on. These shapes and colors represent scars of abuse that trigger an uncontrollable response of abusive behavior. This abusive behavior is only satisfied by making its victimization known by making victims of these triggers, people.
Now our subconscious mind and our conscious behavior become a functioning unit. Much like two separated parents reuniting for the common good of the family but in this case the common good is a common trigger, a living color, a person of color. Unintentional racism triggered by the scars of an abused past. Now this once unpredictable, misdirected behavior has direction, a purpose when before our anger was expressed randomly without an identifiable trigger. This sense of purpose and reunification of our identity is extremely comforting regardless if it is understood.
Subconsciously, this not only reinforces negative behavior but justifies the cognitive process of identifying the common denominator, the trigger. Now the source of the abuse also becomes a source of comfort. Our subconscious minds are always analyzing, configuring patterns and when these patterns begin to take shape our subconscious is rewarded by our conscious behavior, acting out on these patterned triggers (shapes/colors).
Racism compensates for feelings of insecurity by concluding that everyone else to be inferior. This superiority complex is applied not just to people of other races but to people of our own as well. Eventually, this cognitive processing becomes the primary application to understanding any challenging experiences, regardless of their content. Justifying the aggravation to the world's incompetence as the direct result of someone elses work, thereby, negating all responsibility for our own behavior.
We further segregate ourselves from the world in order to prevent contradictions to our misunderstood feelings of superiority. By doing so, our delusioned perception of ourselves is allowed to grow unrestricted while compromising our views on everything else in the world until all that remains is an elevated consciousness of divine appointment. Absolutely delusional, mentally ill.
Racism is a mental illness caused by an abusive past evolved from mimicking our fear instincts, "fight or flight", assault or segregate. Racism destroys lives, families, friendships, hearts, minds and eventually YOU! Racism, just like a disease, degenerates its victims, consuming their identity for its own. Racism is not a "school of thought" but a regressive primitive instinct, a mental illness. A mental illness does not discriminate. It knows not ethnicity, age, income or geographical boundaries.
ls racism racist? No. It's a disease!
Thank you for your time and patience.
Zach Beck is 32 years old, he was born in Marin County, Calif., but has grown up all over the West Coast, lived in other parts of U.S. and Mexico. He is currently incarcerated but that doesn't define his character.
He is an aspiring writer who is currently writing a book about his extensive history and experience on the subject of racism. He has lived and advocated both sides of the argument on racism.
Zach Beck grew up promoting the liberal values of the West (left) Coast, idolizing such figures as Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison as a child.
He was later indoctrinated into the world of hate and was a well publicized figure in the "White Power Movement." He was once labeled, "one of the most dangerous White Supremacist in the world" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Since then Zach Beck has come to realize the truth behind racism with a deeper understanding. He offers a unique perspective on a subject that affects all of us.
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