I enjoy hearing people say that they are not racists. I particularly enjoy it when they go to lengths to prove just how far removed they are from being a racist they can possibly be. They will say everything from the proven cliché, “I am not a racist. My many of my friends are...” to making sure that they are seen by others as being around a certain group or another just to prove that they are not racists. The fact of the matter is that we are all racists in one way or another. It is just either we don’t want to admit it for fear of social alienation or because we have been brought up to believe we are all created equal. Neither of these thoughts is wrong as we are all equal as humans and social stigmas are there to help us conform to social standards. But while we are all equals as humans in creation, we are not equal in all other aspects. This is not a negative thing but quite positive. Imagine for a moment that all the fingers of your hand were made exactly alike. While they are all made from the same material, it doesn’t mean that they play the same role nor should they as they complement each other by being different to one another. Without the thumb, think how hard life would be. Yet does that make the thumb better than the other fingers? Then again, what would happen to the hand if all the fingers where thumbs? I know that this might sound like a childish question but think about it from a racial point of view. If we were all equal in physique as well as mental abilities, would that make the world better? So what if one race stands out in one manner, does that make the world better or worse?

The benefit from being racist in business is something most of us shy away from considering yet it is the most natural thing to do. If you look at the successful races in business, the Chinese, the Malwaris of India, the Jews, the Arabs and even the British just to name a few, you will see that when they plant their feet in an area, no matter where that might be, they have a tendency to create a racist enclave both for protection from the external and also as a way to settle themselves within that land. They create businesses that benefit them by themselves. They hire family members and sell to each other at first to establish themselves and then open up to others once they feel that they are ready to face the external challenges. They tend to specialize in products and services that best serve their communities because they play to their strengths—their race. This is the ultimate in racism but it is a positive one. This is why you will find in companies, even large multinational ones, groupings from within. It might be more subtle but not only do they exist, they thrive. Oh! And before you accuse me of being a supporter of racism, think about the last time you helped someone who happened to be from you country, your religion, your university, your city, or even a fellow supporter of a football team just because they had this advantage in your eye that everyone else did not. This is also racism but not a negative one because it is a natural one.

A quick lesson in business is that most businesses start out as an owner who quickly adds members of his or her family to the business. Then they look for people outside their family who fit a certain trait that they deem acceptable to them. Usually they will be pulled from their own community because they understand their community better than that of others. This too is a form of racism but this is something most will not talk about because this racist act is something everyone can identify with. Even in a diverse metropolitan city where people come from all over the world, you can see that very same racism being acted in that people will look at the people not from their city or not even from a city as damaged goods. If this is not racism, what would you call it?

I know that people will say that racism is to do with a race and not any other thing. The word you that is best suited here is prejudice. No! To pre-judge means that one makes a judgment before knowing the facts. The problem is that most people make their judgment because of the fact. What is defined as race is usually considered in terms of color of skin, looks or cultural background. However, in my case, I believe racism is a better term because if you widen the definition of race to mean any grouping of like minded people, this would work out better in understanding human behavior.

Yes people like to believe that they are open-minded and fair, but the reality is that we judge people from the moment we see them. Short, fat, tall, stupid, handsome and so on and so forth happens in our minds almost instantaneously the moment the image of the person is projected in our brains. Why? Because we are wired to do so. To be racist in business is not only natural, it is beneficial...but to a point. Once a business is able to stand on its feet, then it must break away from its comfort zone and seek out a new world. The only thing that should be its driver then is its ambition.