To the Editor:
At one time or another, we all have come across references to the 7 deadly sins. Doing some research revealed they were referenced back to the 4th century. Although worded slightly different, they were in
essence the same as they are today: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. All of us have experienced a degree of these sins in our lives at one time or another. It is to be human to fall prey to them.
Pride - an excessive belief in one's own abilities.
Envy - wanting what others have, be it status, abilities, or possessions.
Gluttony - desire to eat or consume more than you require.
Lust - a powerful craving for such as sex, power and money.
Anger - loss of rational self-control and the desire to harm others.
Greed - desire for material wealth or gain.
Sloth – laziness and the avoidance of work.
I am going to add an 8th. Racism. Racism is a sin because it: denies the very source of humanity, the image of God in humankind; destroys God’s likeness in every person and thus repudiates creation and its goodness; assumes that human beings are not equal before God and are not part of God’s family; is contrary to biblical teaching; denies basic justice and human dignity; is a flagrant violation of human rights. Racism tells you that you are superior to someone of another race.
Like the other deadly sins, every human being possesses a degree of racism. Racism can occur at both an unconscious and conscious level, can be both active and passive, and can be intentional or not.
Racism exists at three main levels: individual, institutional and cultural.
Individual racism takes the form of individual attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviors. Racial prejudice, bigotry, belittling and jealousy are racist attitudes. Examples of racist beliefs are racial stereotypes, the belief that some races are better than others and even the belief that people can be classified according to race in the first place.
Institutional or systemic racism takes the form of the practices, customs, rules and standards of organizations, including governments that unnecessarily disadvantage people because of their race, color or ethnicity. They do not always involve differences in treatment and can result in what is known as “disparate impact”, i.e. de facto discriminatory effects, which may or may not be intentional.
Cultural racism involves the cultural values and standards that disadvantage people because of their cultural differences, viewed as inferior.
I do not believe that racism can be “stamped out.” Just like the original 7 deadly sins, the 8th must be understood that it exists within us, and to acknowledge that is to begin addressing it. The institutional and cultural forms are based upon the individual form. Addressing our instincts toward it at an individual level will then carry over to address it at the institutional and cultural level. This is not to say that racism cannot be addressed at those levels. It must be — through laws, application of those laws, and practices that in essence, promote racism. The effects of these actions can be direct, or indirect. For example, police departments across the nation can re-examine their training procedures regarding the use of lethal force. Banks use of “redlining.” Changes in these procedures can have an indirect effect on racism as blacks are disproportionately targeted as statistics have shown.
We need to recognize that laws, rules and goals have been created by the dominant culture. “Come and be like us” will not be sufficient to create a just multicultural society. Neither can the people in power and control be the only ones to benefit from the system. We need to make every effort to use the gifts and perspective of all participants and allow all to benefit for the sake of the common good.
Dennis Auld
Alexandria