10 ways to spot a racist

By: Vanessa and Monitha

A racist is defined as a person who thinks a certain race is more superior to another. So, are you a racist? No? Well, think again! People tend to forget that their words or actions show racism hence, not even realizing they have offended another of a different race. Below are 10 ways to spot a racist - comments from our friends in SEGi University.

10) Not returning a smile  

·         Well, we can understand if you are shy or just afraid to ruin the Botox injection but, our friends think that if you don’t return a smile to people of other races, then you are racist. Just because they are of another race does not mean that you have to give them the cold shoulder. They would assume you are not in favor of the color of their skin. People are merely being friendly. When someone smiles at you, smile back!

9)  Only dating people of the same race

·         Don’t you know that people say children of mix parentage are usually more intelligent and good looking? Then why restrict yourself to people of your own race only? This is also a proof of racism. We tend to think our own race is superior compared to others; therefore, we are more comfortable staying within the group. Mixing with people with supposedly “equal status” as we are is what a racist will be inclined to do, instead of with people of a different race.

8) Monolingual signboards

·         Ever seen a signboard or instruction which language you can’t understand? Our friends commented that this is one of the ways to spot racism as well. A signage only displaying one language in a multiracial country is certainly biased and inconsiderate! What about the other races which do not understand languages other than their own? Therefore, it is not fair to solely use one language which is understood only by a certain type of race.

7) Insulting another’s language

·         It would really spark the anger of others if you mock their language, especially those who don’t know how to laugh at themselves. Degrading others’ languages is never a good deed. We have seen so many cases in social networking websites which make us wonder, is this a multicultural country we are living in? Making fun of specific words from a different language (those that we know of) is most definitely disrespectful and racist!

6) Refusal to be near a person of another race 

·         Do you feel like you’re getting skin cancer or cursed by sitting next to a person of a different race, in a public train, for example? If your answer is a yes, you are nominated as a racist as well! Unfortunately, some of us think that other races are dirty or harmful; therefore, we would just rather stand than sit next to them regardless of how tired our feet are. Well, they could think the same about us too. Why not rest our feet instead of holding on to our ego?

5) Asking, “Which race?”

·         Every time someone tells you about anything including crimes, experiences, friends, enemies or even when someone calls to rent your place, the first thing asked is: “Hey, Chinese, Indian or Malay?” Yes, we all do that. And yes, we are all racists deep down inside. Does it really matter? To a certain group of people, it does. Having the awareness of another’s race changes a person’s perspective over certain things. At the end of the day, we should not stereotype people based on their race as one does not represent all.

4) Being overly nice; insincere

·         So, someone is feeling guilty about being racist. You think that you can hide your racism by being extremely nice to people of other races. Unfortunately, your friends see through it and they say this is one of the ways to spot racism as well; because it is being insincere and fake. Just because you cannot tolerate someone of a different race, it does not mean you have to be disingenuous towards him or her. Complimenting another but thinking otherwise (the extreme opposite) certainly displays racism especially when sarcasm is involved.

3) Non-acceptance of another race’s clothing

·         Apparently, if you don’t dress like we do, I don’t like you. Perhaps it is justified by the portrayal that one is unwilling to accept another’s culture, especially here in a country rich with various cultures which are worth to be explored. For instance, one might stare at another in disgust because of the “weird” way their traditional clothes look. Every culture is different therefore, how one dresses differs with another.

2) Refusal to eat our food

·         As Malaysians are said to connect with food, we feel offended when people refuse to eat our food when the offer is extended. We might think the other is not willing to taste our food because they are appalled by its aroma or even just the look of it, assuming it would taste worse. Hence, the label “Racist” immediately pops up to our mind when rejected. Why take the risk of being called a racist when you have the opportunity to taste good food for free?

1)      It’s written all over your face

·         Believe it or not, this is the most popular response we got from our friends. They claimed that they can spot a racist just by looking at a person’s face! One does not even need to show any contempt to another of a different race, and they can be identified as a racist just because they have that sneering look on their face. You might want to get some psychic tips from them. So, from now on, shed the racism look of yours!