Juris Kaža: July in Latvia marked by two levels of racism
In his commentary, journalist Juris Kaža suggests that July in Latvia could be seen as a month of two levels of racism, from everyday “naive” stereotypes to more conscious ones. He argues that even without malicious intent, such attitudes reinforce distorted perceptions of other races and ethnicities.
Juris Kaža reflects on the past month in Latvia, writing that if global events and the first pre-election clashes are set aside, July could be called a month of two levels of racism.
The first level, in his view, is everyday or “naive” racism. It manifests in kitchen-table stereotypes repeated by people who have never met anyone of a different skin colour. As an example, he mentions the possibility that such people once saw film footage on television showing Black men and women in straw skirts dancing to drums. As a result, Africa is not judged as good or bad – it is simply “how it looks”.
According to Kaža, this naive racism, which lacks deliberate hatred or malice, also gave rise to the depiction of dark-skinned people seen in the Sabile Wine Festival procession and the stereotypes about Bolt and Wolt couriers. However, the author stresses that this does not mean such racism is socially less harmful. It still reinforces distorted views about other races and nationalities, only without an intentionally evil purpose.
