Is it racism that’s causing so much more solidarity with Paris than Beirut?

Nov 16, 2015 | Ethics, History, Race

Instead of a direct answer, a parable.

Conversation the first:

Alice: Australia has a gender wage gap of 17.9%. This is caused by sexism!
Bob: [Pats Alice on head] Au contraire my naive friend! Actually, there are some excellent reasons for the wage gap that are the Natural Order of things and have nothing to do with sexism.
Alice: How so?
Bob: Well for starters, men put in MORE OFFICE HOURS than women! Because they don’t get bogged down with distractions like housework or child-rearing.
Alice: Fascinating. What else?
Bob: Men get paid more because they should be! For performing the important jobs like university football coach, petroleum engineer, Exxon lobbyist, CEO of Transfield. Not pedestrian low-skilled jobs.
Alice: I see.
Bob: Furthermore, the fact that businesses are less willing to hire women for some jobs proves they’re less suited for those jobs. Why would a business not hire the best person and miss out on a competitive advantage.
Alice: Yes, well…
Bob: I’m tired of people who bring sexism into it. It’s insulting and frankly demeaning. They’re the real sexists.
Alice: Your assertions of why the wage gap isn’t sexist actually show just how deeply sexist it is.

Conversation the second:

Alice: The whole world has come together in solidarity for Paris but not (say) Beirut. This is caused by racism!
Bob: [Pats Alice on head] Au contraire my naive friend! Actually, there are some excellent reasons for solidarity with Paris that are the Natural Order of things and have nothing to do with racism.
Alice: How so?
Bob: Well for starters, people naturally have more affinity with cultures that are more similar. You wouldn’t criticise someone for being more concerned with someone they know than someone who’s a stranger?
Alice: Fascinating. What else?
Bob: Beirut is one of those places that’s been at war for a while. I mean civilians get massacred there ALL THE TIME. You can’t expect news organisations to cover things that are not news.
Alice: I see.
Bob: Furthermore, it’s just a fact that the Paris attacks will have more of an affect on the world than a hundred Beirut attacks.
Alice: Yes, well…
Bob: I’m tired of people who bring racism into it. It’s insulting and frankly demeaning. They’re the real racism.
Alice: [Looks at camera]

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