Eliminating racism starts at home

It is whispered about around the dinner tables and spoken of in hushed tones in the supermarket aisles.

It is posted and shared on Facebook and Twitter, and now it is gracing the news pages of every newspaper in the country.

The topic of the day is racism.

Omnipresent, it filters down through the social ladders, bringing to the uninformed a picture of hate.

This week has been dubbed ‘Anti-racism Week’, a timeous ideological initiative.

But is it just that, an ideal?

According to a report by the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation, 59.8% blacks, 67% whites and 63.1% Indians and coloureds agree that race relations have worsened since 1994.

The Institute of Race Relations, however, released a report that claims racism was not a dominant factor in a survey about race relations since 1994.

Ninety percent of respondents did not mind what skin colour their children’s teachers are, as long as they were qualified.

The institutes, foundations and organisations aren’t singing from the same hymn book, and neither is government.

Led by President Zuma, government took a firm stand against racism currently plaguing the country.

One cadre even suggested a ‘blacklist’ for those found guilty of racism.

In a country where freedom of speech is advocated, exactly what would the criteria be for a person to be declared racist and placed on the blacklist?

Would psychological tests be done to determine pigment-based hate?

Perhaps the emotions of it all tend to over complicate the issue.

As with most things, racism starts at home.

The sad fact is that the perpetuation of racial prejudices are still visited upon the new generation by parents and grandparents.

During this week of anti-racism, the focus must be on casting off the shackles of past prejudices.

It is the responsibility of each individual to take the first step in the long journey of breaking down the damaging effects of racist bias.

The message is simple – do unto others as you would have them do unto you.