The Global Concept of Race and Racial Hierarchy

Race relations continue to suffer on a global level. In large part, I believe this is due to a lack of empathy on all sides. Empathy, which is all too commonly mistaken for sympathy, actually refers to our willingness and ability to see the other side’s viewpoint from their perspective, not our own.

In particular, key points of contention have been and continue to be the following:

• Disagreement about the extent to which racism currently exists
• Disagreement about the true extent to which racism affects the daily lives of non-Whites
• Confusion abut the issue of White privilege – what is it, whether or not it really exists, and what Whites are supposed to do about it

It appears that there are specific reasons for the polarization of perspectives we tend to encounter on these issues. How we actually go about resolving them, or at the very least, finding common ground that can enable us to achieve some degree of shared understanding, is the million-dollar question.

In the U.S., Black/White race relations tend to serve as a lightning rod for most issues pertaining to race. This is in large part due to our unique history. But shifting away from this narrow focus, to race relations in general, highlights a common issue - the role of those at the top of the racial pyramid: Whites and the perpetuation of global White dominance.

This article examines the concept and reality of a global racial hierarchy, focusing on the role of those at the top of the hierarchy and presents suggestions for both Whites and non-Whites in an effort to support both sides in truly empathizing and understanding one another.

There’s Limited Visibility at the Top

Martin Jacques, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, writes, “Color is something White people never have to think about because for them it is never a handicap, never a source of prejudice or discrimination, but rather the opposite, a source of privilege.”

Martin is White. He acknowledges that for him, race was always difficult to understand because it was never really something he experienced firsthand. The turning point for him was marrying an Indian-Malaysian woman and deciding to live in England. “Over time,” he says, “…I came to see my own country in a completely different way, through her eyes, her background.”

A move to Hong Kong later taught him that racism and racial hierarchy are global phenomenon. Although he assumed that the move would be more comfortable for his wife – Asian and fluent in Cantonese – he soon learned that he would be treated with greater deference and respect solely because he was White, and that she, because of her darker skin color, would instead be treated with a blatant disrespect.

White Privilege

The moment of awareness for many Whites that White Privilege exists is often a genuinely uncomfortable one. Furthermore, the realization that it is not necessarily something they have sought out, but have nonetheless benefited from, tends to evoke feelings of guilt and shame.

One professor speaks about the shame he experienced upon realizing that his expectations of an African-American speaker who was to present before him were low simply as a result of his color. When he considered the arrogance of race, and reflected on the feelings of superiority he had felt solely because he was White, he felt ashamed. It turned out that the African-American professor had credentials that far surpassed his own, that his experience and qualifications were more impressive than his own. The arrogance and sense of superiority he experienced was nothing more than a byproduct of racism and racial hierarchy.

What role does social conditioning play? Learn about this on page 2 of this article...