Racism in the Family: Too Bad But Real

Discrimination has several kinds. They can be summed up in the following categories; Religious, Political, Racial, Socio-cultural, Physiological and even Psychological. Domination and intolerance of the Sunni Muslims over the Shiites in Iraq is a clear example of religious discrimination. On one hand, harsh treatment by the Burmese Military Junta of its anti-government activists are manifestations of political discrimination, while inhuman practices being committed against the brown-complexioned Asians and black-colored negroes as well in different countries around the world are examples of racial prejudice. The first three appear to be the most popular, yet the remaining two kinds are as common as the former. Mistreatment of handicap individuals or the physically disabled even in the workplace, and derision of the mentally sick or slow, are also prevalent expressions of inequality.

This issue is seemingly brought in the limelight again by the recent historic election of Barack Obama as the first Black American President. His background which includes an ancestry that hails directly from an almost insignificant town in Kenya, as well as neighborhood experiences in Indonesia where his family lived for some remarkable period, and then later in Hawaii, made him a notable blow to the racists. Both places enabled him to have direct societal contact with Asians - the “brown monkeys” as some Caucasians would call them. I could not forget a MTV interview given to one famous American Diva in which she was asked what she could say about Regine Velasquez - the Filipina singer known as the “Song Bird of Asia”. The “white” singer answered, “Well, a monkey that could sing!”

With Obama's victory, a lot of expectations have been hurled unto him over his record making election. One for example, is the possibility of waning if not abatement of racial discrimination in the whole world or at least in the United States. We must remember that the September 11 attacks to the US made them paranoid. Every Asian-looking person that steps into American soil is made suspect - aggravating the already existing contempt for any person with dark complexion. With a black man in the White House, the myth of white supremacy is materially destroyed. There are some setbacks however. Recent reports of the US Security Group reveal that threats against Obama have grown since his election. All of them are viewed to be coming from white racist groups who find it unacceptable to have a black man for their president.

Moreover, I am just equally amused, to learn that racial discrimination could also be real even in a family of inter-racial marriage. Just a couple of days before this writing, I met a Filipino - Australian who happened to be the speaker in one seminar I attended just recently. By his looks, he could hardly be considered a true Filipino anymore; standing at 5'10” height with the reddish mestizo complexion, no one would accept him as a Filipino in the first glance. Maybe, he just appears to be darker when in the company of Australians. Yet, one sad story from him really touched my senses. He relayed to all present in the seminar, which basically has nothing to do with his personal life if he only focused on his intended topic, that he was married to a pure Caucasian woman of Irish-Australian descent. They had four children who are all married now and that all of them had inherited more of the Caucasian traits. They were all white, tall and blonde according to him. No trace of Asian blood whatsoever can be gleaned from their appearance. By Filipino standards then, they were the most beautiful children a typical Filipino parent can have. But this seemed to be more of a curse for him than a blessing. Whenever he was with them, he appeared to be more of an Asian Suicide Bomber than being their father.

This he continued, perhaps made his children aloft from him especially since his wife died about four years ago. He thought that if there was any act of love given to him by his children during the earlier times, it was all because his wife was still alive and his children knew well how she loves him very much. But now that the only link between him and his children is gone, they don't even bother to visit him now, or bring their children to him. In fact he added, he has already three grandchildren from them yet he has never seen them ever since. His children would not even introduce him to his grandchildren.

I cannot exactly say whether his contention that it has something to do with his “different look” that made his children ashamed of having him for their father or in their company to say the least. One could speculate that there could be some other factors which he might have intentionally kept from us. For example, no one bothered to ask him how was he a father to them in the first place? But by just imagining that what he said were all true, indeed discrimination can come as far as within the family itself.

How sad to hear, for two times he described his children as “ungrateful”. He even boasted his ability to address negative relationships by telling us that the best way to cope with such situations - which he successfully did according to him, was not to mind them too as they don't mind him at all. To prove it, he added that just two weeks ago, he sold his expensive car and some other properties in Australia, bought a plane ticket and flew over here in the Philippines to stay here for good. Now he has a new beautiful girlfriend and starting to live as itinerant “professor” in any school or group that would accept him, offering lectures on “how to succeed in life” and most specially “sex education”.

Family values differ from culture to culture and society to society. But so far, discrimination is one being hated by all. One realization though that we can gain from this is, whatever value we imbibe from our own families is generally carried to the way we live in the society. If discrimination is allowed or nurtured at home, it will not be surprising if members become racists in the community.