#46: No More Discrimination (PART 8)

​【Trading Places】
Here are the words of a non-citizen minority who was born and raised in Japan, and never once lived outside of Japan.
For the most part, Japanese people are well-mannered and nice. Even then, we’ve lived the agonies of discrimination all our life. Some were outright cruel, but we endured together while struggling in poverty, and worked hard to earn our degrees from the top Japanese universities. Yet, despite our prestigious degrees, not even one company in Japan would hire us. We had no other way to support ourselves than to start up a tiny shop on our own. Nonetheless, I do sympathize with many Japanese people who discriminate against us.
 
When we stretch our imagination a bit, these words are rather reminiscent of Martin Luther King, Jr. who fought against systemic racism in the 1960’s in America. Back then, the outrage in the African American community was near the boiling point as a result of unjust treatment brought upon them daily by White America. In midst of such precarious moment, King persuaded fellow African Americans that we must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us.
“We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate.”
 
The commonality found between King and the aforementioned minority person in Japan is that they both strive to show compassion even for those who discriminate against them. It’s a terrible truth that those who hate are taught that Discrimination is inevitable at times in life, perhaps unknowingly, from their parents, family, school and the wider society. To understand discrimination, we must strive to develop an understanding for such background even when we’re the victims of that hate.
 
Most regrettably, though, that minority person in Japan goes on to say the following:
If I were a Japanese citizen, I would do the same and discriminate against the non-citizen minorities.
 
As sad as it is, this statement oversteps the bounds of sympathy. And as concerning as it is, he isn’t at all an exception to make such a statement.
 
That is, despite our own personal agonies of injustices that we’re born into, to willingly put others through the same agony as soon as we’re no longer the minority. To flip like that as soon as we’re padded with the security of belonging to the majority. It brings about no meaningful change by merely having Those who discriminate and Those who are discriminated trade places. In fact, it’s one of the surest ways to preserve the wickedness of discrimination.
 
What’s more, it also serves as a twisted justification for discrimination: Discrimination isn’t a problem so long as we’re not the victim of such hate. In fact, we’ll even join the effort to inflict hate against others. When a person who’s born into discrimination shows such poor judgement, we can’t help but wonder what’s blinded him/her to lose sight of the deep sorrows and humiliation brought upon by discrimination.
 
As such, it’s quite apparent that the commonality with King is lost. In fact, they now appear polar opposites. To be sure, King would have pledged a firm determination Never to discriminate even if he were the majority. Indeed, many White Americans who fought the nonviolent resistance alongside King did just that.
 
Despite belonging to a White majority and without experiencing first-hand, they were able to come to grips with realizing the pain and humiliation of African Americans by placing themselves in the images of enduring oppression. And, even though they themselves weren’t the target of injustice, they not only pledged a firm determination Never to discriminate, but also fought against it alongside African Americans.
 
If I were a Japanese citizen, I would do the same and discriminate against the non-citizen minorities. When we stretch our imagination once again, we find that these regrettable words closely resemble the twisted logic professed by those who continue to sympathize with Militarist Japan’s gruesome aggression in World War II, that The war itself wasn’t evil, but losing was. And from time to time, we hear a similar logic from the many gung-ho supporters of military in the US.
 
Is A mass murder called war not a problem so long as we win?
Is Unjustly hurting people by discrimination not a problem so long as we’re the majority?
 
But truth be told, discrimination can’t be eliminated by merely having Those who discriminate and Those who are discriminated trade places.
 
Discrimination – and war, which always manipulates hate and discrimination to force people to kill other people – must be repudiated. It’s because a permanent solution can’t be attained by merely having the Perpetrator and the Victim trade places.
 
Rather than trading places, to prevent and to eliminate. When we truly come to realize that pertinent difference, we can eliminate discrimination.

Read Next: No More Discrimination (9)【Even if Within Bounds】
Read Previous: No More Discrimination (7)【Pre-Determined】
 
Complete Series: No More Discrimination (1)～(12)
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Read Theme: Discrimination