Labeling of Racial Minorities

Labeling of Racial Minorities

Globally, racism has been a threat to the inferior group in the society although government and non-governmental organizations have been in the forefront of fighting it back. Franz Fanon, a well-known and best-selling author of philosophical books didn’t shy expressing his understanding of racism between the Whites and the Blacks. Unquestionably, it is undeniable to judge that the white man’s culture is perceived as superior compared to the black man’s due to their historical conquests with other nations, the colonization regime as well as their knowledge and skills in science and technology (Dubois, Pg. 13). In his book “Black Skin, White Masks”, Fanon says that an individual from an African cultural setting is prone to undergo cultural osmosis in the western culture (Pg. 118). Significantly, words used to describe the two races gives a vivid description suggesting the intention of one race to the other such as colonizer and colonized, and oppressor and oppressed. The labeling of racial minorities with such names affect the perception of these races. In addition, this labeling sum up that the white man’s culture uses all weapons possible to keep it dominant on the hierarchy of civilization.

Consequently, in his book “The Wretched of the Earth” Franz affirms that the labeling of the racial minorities leads to lack of exoticism thus cultural confrontation. In this case, the dynamism of their culture, as well as. its growth and depth are ignored. For instance, the racial minorities being colonized meant that they ought to have adopted the white man’s culture, that is, their political, social and economic settings (Dubois, Pg. 23). In the light of all these signs of domination by the western culture we can see that the black man’s culture is treated as inferior due to the dehumanization with respect to the -method of colonization. Basically, Fanon agrees that the perceived advancement of the black man’s culture generally allows an organized dominance by the white man (46). The deculturization of the culture has a lot of negative impact to the social setting of the black race since it leads to social, economic, and political enslavement.

Apparently, both emotional and intellectual primitivism decline have also emanated due to the labeling of racial minorities and cultural racism. For example, the western psychological scientists greatly support their findings on the lobotomy of the African Negro but ignore the real history behind the African Negro. The actual facts lie in the information of “the Negros’ emotional instability”, “the quasi-generic culpability of the Jew” among others (Fanon, Pg.52). However, the morphological equation has proved that events that happen more than three centuries ago have restructured a lot of relationships. This is because the evolution of the colonization techniques from the oppression and enslavement of a majority of the social groups and the apparition of European colonies have modified the mode of thinking and approaching the issue of cultural racism.

Destruction of the social panorama is experienced in the racial minorities due to the influence of the labeling technique. This is due to the flaunting, crushing and emptying of the pre-existing social values and believes. For instance, the white man’s influence has led to the sacking of cultural patterns, expropriations, as well as, objective murder in order to maintain their high-profile culture in the hierarchy (Fanon, Pg.67). This has led to the mummification of individual thinking such that an institution functions under the oppressor’s orders and supervision due to pseudo-respect of the white man. All in all, respect and adherence to one’s culture is mandatory and no individual should oppress or undermine it. For example, Fanon (72) agrees that the Kabyle Djemaas choose not to retaliate from their culture and declined the French culture since the natives failed to recognize it.

The psychological and psychiatric insights about the labeling are that if bring about traumatization in the life of the man of color. Fanon vividly says that the man of color undergoes difficulties in developing his body schema in the white world due to intense negating activity (71).  Additionally, he gives an example of a Negro who sees her body as a separation between the world and herself hence becoming disoriented. Furthermore, Fanon highlights that individuals go looking for psychoanalyst who instead of reducing the trauma, inflicts more trauma. Moreover, the labeling technique leads to loss of self-belonging where the man of color influences from developing an independent sense of identity hindering his psychological development. The black race of the man of color is related to impurity and evil while the Euro-American culture is associated with purity and goodness (Fanon, Pg.101). In the end, the man of culture grows aspiring to be white, thus, alienation of sense of belonging. Also, he ends up neglecting his own culture and the losing acknowledgment in the colonial culture due to the presence of inequality and racial discrimination. According to most of the Euro-American psychoanalysts, colonization of the man of color was to teach him the civil behavior, however, Fanon disagrees with then and terms the behavior as destructive and a barrier for the black-man to realize his sense of self (100).

Nevertheless, this issue has been accompanied by a negative understanding of the black-man race since most of the people globally perceive it as an inferior race. Instead of embracing the black culture and showing support, most of the people from this race undergo a lot of discrimination and humiliation in the white-dominated countries. First of all, the world ought to stop referring to the black race with names which suggest belittlement. It should understand and give it a platform for them to show the globe what it is capable of. By eradicating names such as “the colonized or oppressed” will motivate the race to perform better (Dubois, Pg. 14). In addition, governmental and non-organizations have a core role in the implementation of anti-racism guidelines and principles. Besides that, they have to escalate their incentives in creating awareness about the black race. For instance, Black Entertainment Television plays a major role in encouraging and embracing the black race.

In conclusion, Fanon, as well as, other black writers have played a key role in changing the public perception of the black race. They have clearly shown how Euro-American culture and the white race have led to the alienation of the black culture through colonization. Through Fanon publications, the black culture ought to be embraced rather than being seen as inferior and outdated. Furthermore, the labeling of the racial minorities with words which undermine them should be abolished since all races are equal. Although a lot of measures have been put in place to fight racism, the fight should continue until the world reaches to a point where racism cases reach beyond almost zero.

References

Dubois, William Edward Burghardt, and Manning Marable. Souls of black folk. Routledge, 2015.

Fanon, Frantz. The wretched of the earth. Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 2007.

Fanon, Frantz. Black skin, white masks. Grove press, 2008.