Racism

It seems to me that here in the U.S. you hear a lot of talk about racism. Based on how often it's discussed you would think that the U.S. is the most racist country in the world. I'm sure there are Americans and others out there who actually believe that.

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Now, I haven't been to every country in the world, but I've been to a few. And it never ceases to amaze me how much more prevalent racism is elsewhere, including among our allegedly more enlightened brethren in Europe. I got to thinking about the subject after reading this article in the GWU student newspaper:

Lauren Rurak, a GW junior who lived in Paris from 1999 to 2004, said she was surprised to hear of the rioting, adding that she doesn't think what she called rampant racism in French society will ever change.

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..."I will say that during my two months here in France, I have realized that French people are indeed very racist and have a rigid class structure in place, making it very difficult for poor immigrants to move up the social ladder and out of the ghettos," [Junior Brian] Fernandez said.

It isn't just France. Go to Germany and ask a few average Joes -- er, Jürgens -- how they feel about Turks and brace yourself for an earful. When it comes to soccer the racism is all over the place. In politics we see Germans voting for neo-Nazis in disconcerting numbers and the sizeable number of French voters who cast their ballot for the anti-immigrant National Front, headed by Jean Marie Le Pen. Le Pen, you'll recall, is a guy who referred to Nazi gas chambers as "a point of detail of the Second World War."

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Now, granted, former Klansman Robert Byrd has a seat in the U.S. Senate, but I don't currently see that level of racism present in U.S. politics.

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And it isn't just Europe. Try being almost any kind of minority in Japan. Or look at how television in Latin American countries spotlights those with white skin and light features. Those who are black or have more Indian features are almost invisible.

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It's not to deny that racism exists in the U.S. Of course it does. But among countries with diverse populations -- it cracks me up listening to people from places like Iceland brag about how free of racism they are -- we're doing a lot better than most.