I have often read that these three subjects should be avoided since they arouse so much passion. My intention here is not to arouse any controversy.
My decision to write on these subjects was initiated by an op-ed article in the New York Times ( June 25th,2010) The Triumphant Decline Of The WASP by Dr.Noah Feldman a Harvard Law Professor who pointed out that " five years ago, the Supreme Court, like the United States, had a plurality of white Protestants. If Elena Kagan .... is confirmed, that number will be reduced to zero, and the court will consist of six Catholics and three Jews". Interestingly it makes no mention of the fact that the panel now has Blacks and Hispanics , which would not have been possible a few decades ago. With Barrack Obama as the President, Bobby Jindal as the Governor of Louisiana and potentially Nikki Haley as future Governor of South Carolina ( two of the most conservative states in the United States with regards to race)it is becoming irrelevant in the United States.
Over the next fifty years with the dynamics of the world changing, not just from a wealth point of view but also from a demographic perspective,the issue of race (and probably religion)globally will become less of an issue than it has been for few centuries.
First on the issue of race. Why do you have racism? In my opinion racism is a result of migration ( either willing or forced). It results from the influx of people seeking wealth ( in the form of adventurers or conquerors )or those who were forcibly brought to provide cheap labor. To quote Willie Sutton the American bank robber who when questioned why he kept robbing banks, replied simply "because that is where the money is "The adventurers from Europe, went to the America's, Africa and Asia because that was where the wealth was. Similarly a few centuries later, the migrants from Asia and South America went to the United States, United Kingdom and Europe because that was where the money was.There will be some who will argue that American was settled by the pilgrims who wanted to avoid religious persecution, but the real wave came, as word went around that there was a lot of land and other riches to be obtained.
India or perhaps I should say the Indian subcontinent has had invaders ( from Alexander onwards ) most of whom came, conquered, settled down and blended into the local population.Their religion and cultures where accepted and adapted to suit India. Similarly the first wave of European adventurers came and adopted local customs, married locals and settled down.
In other areas such as the America's and Australia, the adventurers from Europe came and settled in the sparsely populated land mass, but in the process the native population were reduced to a minority.In Asia and Africa the numbers were just too large for that to happen, although this was attempted in some parts of Africa such as Zimbabwe and South Africa but were unsuccessful.
Race became an issue when the European countries started colonizing the world. The relationship between the rulers and the ruled transformed into a master – servant (or slave) relationship. The Caucasian’s were seen as the superior race because they ruled over countries which were populated by black, brown and yellow natives. As if this was not enough the colonial rulers complicated matters further by the forced “migration” of people , either in the form of slaves ( blacks to the America’s) or Indians as bonded labor to the certain sections of South America and the Indies, East Africa , Fiji, Mauritius, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Let’s not even go into unilaterally drawn boundaries creating countries with total disregard to tribal, ethnic or language origins, thus creating pockets of minorities in countries around the world.
The second wave of migration was effectively the “economic “ migration which resulted from the boom following the Second World War. It created a shortage of workers and the United States and Europe. It opened the doors for migrants to come and work in jobs which the locals were not interested in doing – in fields or the factory floors. Added to this was the flood of illegal migrants who came to escape the upheavals in their countries or simply to seek a better life for themselves and their children. Gradually this was followed by the migration of educated professionals. Their descendants, combined with the fresh flow, have reached numbers which are now causing concerns among the white population that they would become a minority in the future.
It is estimated that by 2050 you will have the browning of America and whites will be in the minority. There is also concern among certain segments in Europe that they might be following a similar pattern. According to estimates, in the United Kingdom the whites will be in the minority in a dozen cities by 2027. White Norwegians are expected to become a minority in their own country by 2021.One could probably look at similar statistics in other European countries.
When this happens or even before,one would hope it would be the end of racism and as an issue it will cease to exist.
My decision to write on these subjects was initiated by an op-ed article in the New York Times ( June 25th,2010) The Triumphant Decline Of The WASP by Dr.Noah Feldman a Harvard Law Professor who pointed out that " five years ago, the Supreme Court, like the United States, had a plurality of white Protestants. If Elena Kagan .... is confirmed, that number will be reduced to zero, and the court will consist of six Catholics and three Jews". Interestingly it makes no mention of the fact that the panel now has Blacks and Hispanics , which would not have been possible a few decades ago. With Barrack Obama as the President, Bobby Jindal as the Governor of Louisiana and potentially Nikki Haley as future Governor of South Carolina ( two of the most conservative states in the United States with regards to race)it is becoming irrelevant in the United States.
Over the next fifty years with the dynamics of the world changing, not just from a wealth point of view but also from a demographic perspective,the issue of race (and probably religion)globally will become less of an issue than it has been for few centuries.
First on the issue of race. Why do you have racism? In my opinion racism is a result of migration ( either willing or forced). It results from the influx of people seeking wealth ( in the form of adventurers or conquerors )or those who were forcibly brought to provide cheap labor. To quote Willie Sutton the American bank robber who when questioned why he kept robbing banks, replied simply "because that is where the money is "The adventurers from Europe, went to the America's, Africa and Asia because that was where the wealth was. Similarly a few centuries later, the migrants from Asia and South America went to the United States, United Kingdom and Europe because that was where the money was.There will be some who will argue that American was settled by the pilgrims who wanted to avoid religious persecution, but the real wave came, as word went around that there was a lot of land and other riches to be obtained.
India or perhaps I should say the Indian subcontinent has had invaders ( from Alexander onwards ) most of whom came, conquered, settled down and blended into the local population.Their religion and cultures where accepted and adapted to suit India. Similarly the first wave of European adventurers came and adopted local customs, married locals and settled down.
In other areas such as the America's and Australia, the adventurers from Europe came and settled in the sparsely populated land mass, but in the process the native population were reduced to a minority.In Asia and Africa the numbers were just too large for that to happen, although this was attempted in some parts of Africa such as Zimbabwe and South Africa but were unsuccessful.
Race became an issue when the European countries started colonizing the world. The relationship between the rulers and the ruled transformed into a master – servant (or slave) relationship. The Caucasian’s were seen as the superior race because they ruled over countries which were populated by black, brown and yellow natives. As if this was not enough the colonial rulers complicated matters further by the forced “migration” of people , either in the form of slaves ( blacks to the America’s) or Indians as bonded labor to the certain sections of South America and the Indies, East Africa , Fiji, Mauritius, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Let’s not even go into unilaterally drawn boundaries creating countries with total disregard to tribal, ethnic or language origins, thus creating pockets of minorities in countries around the world.
The second wave of migration was effectively the “economic “ migration which resulted from the boom following the Second World War. It created a shortage of workers and the United States and Europe. It opened the doors for migrants to come and work in jobs which the locals were not interested in doing – in fields or the factory floors. Added to this was the flood of illegal migrants who came to escape the upheavals in their countries or simply to seek a better life for themselves and their children. Gradually this was followed by the migration of educated professionals. Their descendants, combined with the fresh flow, have reached numbers which are now causing concerns among the white population that they would become a minority in the future.
It is estimated that by 2050 you will have the browning of America and whites will be in the minority. There is also concern among certain segments in Europe that they might be following a similar pattern. According to estimates, in the United Kingdom the whites will be in the minority in a dozen cities by 2027. White Norwegians are expected to become a minority in their own country by 2021.One could probably look at similar statistics in other European countries.
When this happens or even before,one would hope it would be the end of racism and as an issue it will cease to exist.
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