Contradiction of a Modern Day Colonizer

According to Memmi, the colonizer who seeks to justify his/her privilege faces an agonizing contradiction (on the one hand, the colonizer wishes to eliminate the colonized and on the other hand, he realizes that his privilege does not exist without the colonized) and uses racism as the way to overcome it. How does racism help overcome this contradiction? How does this relate to social reproduction as it is described by Macleod?

The term, “charitable racism” (Memmi, 1965) strikes me as its own contradiction. Initially, I snubbed this notion and felt disturbed by the arrogant rationalization made on behalf of the colonizer; however, after my second reading, the power of persuasion and perspective motivated my thoughts to widen.

The idea of racism being of any help to a situation or concept is new to me. I have always felt it hinders progress, growth, and critical thinking, but as Memmi (1965) points out, colonialism is rooted and symbolized by racism and without our early colonies and establishment of social order, it’s hard to imagine what our world would be like today. Although, it is uncomfortable for me to bend my mind around this perception, I do acknowledge the importance of social order and appreciate how communities develop and evolve. Memmi (1965) refers to racism as a means of survival for the colonialist and notes how is contributes to the existence of a colony. To join this avenue of thinking, I believe the colonizer who accepts their position, also accepts racism as part of the routine they must recognize in order to support the structure colonial living. In other words, the privileges acquired under the title of colonizer are supported by those colonized, which substantiates their purpose and maintains the colonial circle of life.

Moving back to the term, “charitable racism,” to overcome the contradiction, the colonizer uses racism as the soap between one hand washing the other. This is not to say that hands cannot change, but even in our modern society, change is dependent upon the goals and objectives of individuals (MacLeod, 1995). The intertwining idea of social reproduction (MacLeod, 1995) factors into that which hinders, as well as grows our society (colonies). I believe although we do not (or no longer) intentionally teach prejudice in schools, our current system of academics inherently divides and assembly-lines children, which instills an us vs. them ideology. Be it by class or nature, social reproduction suggests that colonizers will birth future colonizers, while the colonized will grow their colonies. In our world today, as I reflect on how these perspectives relate to my society, I believe racism, as well as other prejudices, continue to be used as tools and/or avenues for sustaining social and political positions. Stepping away from racism as the core of this topic, I evaluate how my own position to collaborate and advocate (colonizer) for children with special needs (colonized) would not be in existence if absolute acceptance and equality were applied without voice. Therefore, discrimination is alive today, but without it, I would not have my career. Is this how I, too, overcome the contradiction as a modern day colonizer or am I only wearing a mask?