MWBWMS — Racism in Luxembourg

The representation of individual minorities as one part of broader society leaves behind an array of queries concerning the societal changes a majority of ‘us’ claim to have been able to adapt to. One’s ethnicity or ethnically influenced upbringing heavily defines the potential to relate or even understand racism to its full extent. No matter how hard you try, if you’ve never experienced one form of- or any racism at all, you will be devoid of the ability to fathom its’ concept’. Luxembourg is often depicted as a sanctuary for migrants, socially, politically; especially in comparison to other nations. An undeniable truth; It is, however, important to keep in mind that social lives, especially the individual lives of minorities, are, in fact, very different from the political structures which try to maintain this semblance of social openness and racial oblivion.

When it comes to representation, it is obvious that people of colour don’t make up the majority. However, they still embody a large array of this continuously-changing spectrum; Another reason Luxembourg should want to prevent racism with greater animosity and intricacy. Racism has always been a part of white societies… Once an innate function as a means to define wealth and maintain classes, these same notions are now used to explain or justify the state of social lives in and out of Luxembourg through standardised, conforming procedures. What results is banalised and every-day racism which often goes unnoticed by the abuser and sometimes even the victim. These very archetypal notions still define how we interact or think we should interact with one another when all it does is further perpetuate the idea that racism is now long gone and those still suffering under its reign are not fully or well-enough-integrated. Yet banalised racism isn’t the lesser evil. More so, it is the logical conclusion to inaction in the face of behavioural atrocities.

When you want to depict or contextualise an issue accurately, you want to employ actors who fit a set of descriptors. Evidently, without an implied context, it is impossible to understand what the intentions of artists are. Is the artwork recreative or only a mere aggravation of what people of colour represent to ‘natives? Does the movie carry a social message, or is it solely a movie where dealers are black and good guys are white? Do we equally represent white criminality? Who is providing the message? Is the intent opportunistic or maybe a performative act of socialisation? -The problem is not ‘asking black people to play the roles of black dealers’… it is, however, the lack of representation of ‘white criminality’ in movies, or at least the ratio thereof — the lack of representation of minorities in a good light or their representation at all. Mostly black people are depicted in movies as miserable and impoverished; Still, they fail to represent their culture, knowledge, and the beauty thereof from an internal point of view. Now, of course, movie makers will mostly portray what they are accustomed to. A white person will not understand racism against minorities because they lack the historical and personal context to relate. It is important to reassess who makes up Luxembourg. What are the different ethnicities that are a part of Luxembourgish demographics? How can we prevent from propagating the idea that Luxembourg is only but a mix of Europeans and their ‘acceptance’ of foreign influence the utmost proof for individual kindness and social growth? If we want to commit to what Luxembourg stands for fully, we need to further stray from prejudice; We need to be accepting of our diversity! Suppose you’re a writer for wurst.lu, I’m sorry to say you have misjudged your audience. Yes, I definitely laughed. However, banter in times of social disruptions takes away from the dire fact of what it means to experience neglect and categorisation, eventually ‘racism’. Yes, black people deal, yes black people commit crimes, but using them as representants of crime is deceptive at best; most crimes are committed by white men using their families’ inheritance. The real wurst here is the lack of knowledge around the topic, not the seaming ridicule attitude of those who feel offended by ‘banalised’ racism. Criminal representation is dependant on ‘place’ but also time. If you were to ask drug users who they’ve acquired their drugs from, these same people would refer you, young white boys who live in the most privileged parts of Luxembourg city and who can deal even in daylight.

If you want to resolve the internal issues of racism within different social or corporative clusters, you need to reassess how you act and interact with the real outside world. If you need black actors to play the role of dealers, the context should be explicit. Sometimes this won’t be as clear cut. If you’re a company and treat yourself equally as you would foreigners, you don’t have anything to add or subtract to the uproar. If people get upset, prove them wrong if the work justifies the approach, of course! If people get upset and you can’t prove them wrong, you need to allow yourself to grow (as an individual, as a company, as representants…) But most importantly, if you notice inaction in the face of racism or xenophobia, the issue should be tackled and eventually called out. This is how you solve a social issue. We can work on differences through either change or continuity; by understanding them, fighting the inequalities, and representing our society in an updated fashion.- The hypocrisy of striking though text and adding childish remarks, does not provide insight into the issue at hand. It is an immature reaction to legitimate feelings towards who and what we consider to be the ‘norm’, affecting our ability to resonate and understand why racism persists in 2021.