Racism Properly Defined, A Quote from Carson

The following is an excerpt from D.A. Carson's article on racism. Simply put, he plainly explains that racism takes shape in the form of discriminating against cultural differences. I don't think anyone would object to that. But he keenly observes that racism can happen within a supposed race. The following example of racism concerns the kind of discrimination that happens between the generations of a particular race, specifically Korean. I suggest you read the whole article: link.

Once again if we are interested in integrated local Christian churches, it is high time that we recognize that the challenge extends beyond the black/white divide and that the attitudinal problems are on both sides of most divides. Many a Korean-American church (to take but one example) is run by first-generation Korean Christians who are most comfortable with the way things are done back home. That means that "otherness" is hard for them, especially if part of the issue is language, part of the issue is preserving Korean culture (and even Korean forms of "spirituality"), part of the issue is a Confucian preservation of hierarchy and order, and part of the issue is their desire that their children marry other Koreans. Sometimes these churches keep calling senior pastors fresh from Korea, thus renewing the strong linguistic and cultural links with "home." This practice may have the effect sooner or later of repelling second- and third-generation Korean-American Christians, whose command of Korean may not be all that good anymore and, more importantly, whose cultural adaptation means they no longer live in the world of their parents. Those same parents can easily see these developments as cultural or even personal betrayal, or the fruit of degenerative and corrupt moral influence. Some of this judgment, of course, may be right! But some of it, quite frankly, is racist. To add to the complexity, some in the third generation, by now profoundly Americanized, choose to revert to their Korean roots, and in consequence tend to shun other American "friends." At what point is this an expression of racism?