The Watson Seven
Subscribe
Cover photo

Racism Doesn't Exist?

How language impacts the truth in racial conversations

Benjamin Watson

Sep 28, 2021
4

A recent conversation with my father had me thinking long after it ended. We talk about everything, marriage, fatherhood, football, theology, history, and current events. We discuss our struggles and our victories.

Sometimes he will throw an unexpected curveball into the conversation, proposing a question, not necessarily because he agrees or to find an absolute answer, but for the exercise of healthy debate and dialogue. As I was sitting at my daughter’s tennis practice, talking to her grandfather 800 miles away, he said unexpectedly, “Benjamin, what if I said racism doesn’t exist?” After resisting the urge to toss his question into the sarcasm/satire category, I decided to take a moment to fully consider his proposition, allowing myself to unpack its multiple implications. “Well Daddy, I’d say you are one hundred percent right…and one hundred percent wrong,” I responded.

There is but one human race. From one blood, God made all mankind. And from one person to the next, our DNA is 99.9 percent the same. As we check the race category boxes on surveys and the census, it is essential to realize that race is merely a social construct, a jail with no doors and no guards. It relies on physical characteristics for its continuation even though two individuals from different “races” could quite possibly be more similar from a genetic standpoint than two individuals from the same racial category. Scientifically there is no such thing as race, so it logically follows that the creation and weaponization of a hierarchy derived from this falsehood would need to at the very least be reclassified or altogether renamed, I offered as an answer. We desperately need new language to describe our differences more accurately. This does not mean that changing a word or a definition will magically solve issues of inequality and injustice. Instead, when we acknowledge who we are as God's creations, the conversation about a divided society takes on a different level of accountability, not to the government but to God. Biblically speaking, the real issue is hatred, partiality, favoritism, and lack of love. All sins that scripture speaks very clearly against.

For the geneticist or biologist, race is nearly impossible to decipher. Still, in the lived experience of everyday people in the evolution of the American saga, it has and continues to be a determining factor felt in every stratum of society, influencing everything from income to incarceration.

In the arena of race, we must not allow the righteous quest to debunk the lies of the social construct to blind us to the tangible ramifications of its damaging tenure. That would not only be a grave and costly mistake for the individual but a missed opportunity to change the soil and cut the vine, releasing its grip on the structures it has invaded. It would also dismiss the offense levied upon the victim, absolve individuals and institutions, and curtail the just process of restoration.

So often, my conversations with my father meander as we consider points and counterpoints, leading to moments of clarity amid the clouds. At the end of our conversation that day, I concluded, there is no such thing as race, but the impact of racism is one hundred percent real. Its overt and silent instruction informs the “inferior" and emboldens the “superior.” Racism creates fissures in holy institutions, political parties, and municipalities. Its perpetuation thrives as much in passivity as it does in promotion. But its existence has always produced a call to those of goodwill, to join in a forever fight against the evils of human nature and false narratives that have real-world consequences. That's what Daddy and I think. What are your thoughts?

Subscribe for free to The Watson Seven
By subscribing, you agree to share your email address with Benjamin Watson to receive their original content, including promotions. Unsubscribe at any time. Meta will also use your information subject to the Bulletin Terms and Policies
4

More from The Watson Seven
See all

Conversations On Diversity Are Traumatic. But The Work Is Necessary.

I recently attended a panel discussion entitled "Belonging- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion". Joining me as panelists were a Korean American man and a black American woman. As we sat on the panel with the moderator, I gazed at the audience of nearly one hundred white men and women, leaders of well-known Christian nonprofits. A growing number o...
May 16
6
1

Lasting Lessons From A Football Life

Eighteen years ago, on April 24, 2004, I heard my name announced as the 32nd selection of the NFL draft. A childhood dream realized; the shouts and tears of joy flowed from family and friends assembled in anticipation and eventual celebration. During my 16-year career, my family and I made six different moves while playing for four clubs, two of...
Apr 24
4
1

The Bunny Is Expendable. The Resurrection Is Not.

Why Not Celebrate Jesus on Easter?
Apr 15
3
Comments
Log in with Facebook to comment

4 Comments

  • Michael S. Naddef
    I agree with your point Ben. I would ask you to look to takechargemn.com for some answers to those question. Kendall Qualls is an amazing man and has an amazing plan to help those in need. Like yourself, he is a dedicated Father, Christian, and willi…
    See more
    TakeCharge MN
    TAKECHARGEMN.COM
    TakeCharge MN
    TakeCharge MN
    • 30w
  • Holly Lewis
    Your point is appreciated - I wholeheartedly agree!! we are all one people - the effects of hatred can do so much damage . “Let us not grow weary in doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up “~Galatians 6:9
    ....and personal accou…
    See more
    • 33w
  • Paul Milewski
    Benjamin I so do enjoy following you and your lovely wife and children....that being said one paragraph...... 'accountability, not to the government but to God. Biblically speaking, the real issue is hatred, partiality, favoritism, and lack of love. Al…
    See more
    • 33w
  • Andrew Provence
    Thanks Ben. A watching world has its eyes on Christ followers. We need more conversations like you and your dad have at tennis practice.
    • 33w
Share quoteSelect how you’d like to share below
Share on Facebook
Share to Twitter
Send in Whatsapp
Share on Linkedin
Privacy  ·  Terms  ·  Cookies  ·  © Meta 2022
Discover fresh voices. Tune into new conversations. Browse all publications