Jason Allen,
Langhorne, PA.
I believe the reason we have not effectively dealt with racism is because race is an easily recognizable symbol that obstructs us from seeing our true natures and intentions. If one were to ask racists the reasons why they hate another race (think the ‘5 Whys’) , you would hear the things the race they hate symbolizes and if one kept asking ‘why?’ for each reason eventually the real fears and motivations for their hatred would tell you more about them than the race they hated. Symbols tell us not of ‘others,’ but of ourselves: the things we love, hate, need, want and fear. We humans, care more for the symbols than the people the symbols represent (national flags, team colors, gang colors…).