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Culture and social labeling.

As an African, I often become identified according to Majority/Minority dynamics.
Even when people want to know where I come from in Africa, their questioning typically leads to the topic of ethnic number dynamics, and such comparisons.
As a Jew, this minority to majority relationship is also a frequent topic of conversation I hear from people.  This relational grid of logic perpetuates and amplifies the notion that human beings can be turned to numbers. It is a first step of depersonalization, of going into generic designations and arbitrary categorization. Conferring to people the status of “Minority”, was done without the consultation of the ones qualified by that name.
The implicit disempowerment behind this term was even extended to women, and by calling them a ”minority”, they were put in an automatic victim position, to be addressed with paternalistic contempt. Human Rights are concerned with dignity, not with group labeling.
This dignity applies to all, without regard to gender or ethnicity.
Being an ethnic or social minority or majority should make no difference, just as being rich or poor should make no difference, for access to the same vital and basic needs of health, education, and social ascendency. Culture on the other hand can be respected by all; each specific heritage is valuable, and it can be encouraged and developed, to become sustainable and prosperous. Most Africans are aware that cultures are the true riches of their continent.
Their preservation and development bring about the blessing of spiritual and physical abundance. In culture, there is no such thing as a majority or a minority, only strife for excellence, and the transmission of feeling of specialness.
When witnessed displayed and shared, cultures can perform miracles, and literally save lives by giving them meaning and usefulness.

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