I appreciated reading this week’s material as it heavily discussed topics of government involvement and focused on the disparities of the racism, colonialism, neocolonialism and neoliberalism. I do not mean to undermine Holt-Gimenez’s article, in the sense that I agree with him that to rebuild the public sphere we must address racism in the food system, but I think that another important mission is necessary – the uprooting of the terms race and racism. By this I do mean that discrimination and exploitation of others does not occur. What I am referring to is that the term race, when applied to people, is a product of a philosophy and “science” that believed that people of different ethnic/geographic origin belong to different races of people. Such a mentality tended to categorize race by color of skin, continent of origin and examples we are all familiar with.
However, scientists today know that all current people on the plant belong to the same race, and that is Homo-sapiens-sapiens. Thus, scholars know that country or origin or skin color make no difference on our “race”. Despite this knowledge, government (and politics), schools and universities, and markets still perpetuate the idea that people have different races. Even the IRS asks you to mark your race. That’s absurd.
Now, I do not mean to say that if we remove “race and racism” from our dictionaries than all social problems will be solved. Rather, that if we adequately educate, from kindergarten to higher education that we are all the same people, and that we must look past exterior differences and focus on our shared compassion and responsibility we could adequately address social issues.
I whole heartedly believe that alongside food justice campaigns, we have to have educational campaigns that address our misconceptions of societies. Otherwise, while we might be focusing a new system on “racial” considerations, we will still be perpetuating the ideas of different races. Again, I am not saying that racism, in the conventional use of the term does not exist, only that we can work at things simultaneously and make a just food system and a just and compassionate society.
Hi Dor,
I truly appreciate your thoughts on racism. I think a “shared compassion and responsibility” is so important to build a more just society, and I think through stories and dialogue can actually help empower people and make some difference.
I totally agree that race is socially constructed and the best way to start making meaningful change in society is by creating an open dialogue. The food system is so incredibly complicated and to ignore a conversation about race will only perpetuate ignorance and do a disservice to our society. We should embrace the differences amongst our cultural backgrounds and ethnicities and at the same time combat harmful stereotypes.