Racism and reasons for hope

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Thursday January 27, 2005 19:47 by Michael Hennigan - Finfacts.com

Marginalisng racism will take time and its the young generation will make the difference

When I worked in the US as a student I had a German colleague who lived at the nearby Fort Kit Carson Army Base with her GI husband.

One day in conversation with her , I remarked that Henry Kissinger had been born in Germany.

'He's a Jew,' my colleague said and then swiftly put her hand to her mouth, having left the cat out of the bag.

On Tuesday in a pub, a friend referred to someone he had met and mentioned in passing that the person is Jewish. The information on the ethnicity of the individual had no relevance to the conversation.

My friend who is not a bigot had made an instinctive reference that is a clearly a reflection of something that he shared at some level with my former German colleague.

On the day that the Taoiseach announced that the Government is to set up a strategic monitoring group to oversee the implementation of the first National Action Plan Against Racism, I am optimistic that today's young generation provide a lot of hope.

Last week, my seventeen-year-old daugher Katie, who is a native of the Philippines, was with a group from her school in a coffee shop - some friends and some not. One of the group called her a 'randomer' and asked her why she doesn't go back to her 'own country.'

In an instant, one of the group threw a punch and knocked the offender onto the floor. Katie did not know the guy who came to her rescue.

It takes a very long time in a society to marginalise racism. We will always have ignorant people in our midst but there is also reason for optimism.