All to often during the course of normal political disputes we hear over and over the word Racist being used. In

many cases we hear this so often it becomes like the story of the“Boy That Cried Wolf.” The more it is used the less attention it receives. To understand this term racist and why it’s being used so often we first need to know the definition, from the Miriam Webster Dictionary, racist:” poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race.”

President Donald Trump has been accused by many as a racist for wanting to secure our southern border with Mexico. No where in President Trump’s proposed wall with Mexico is it stated that legal Mexicans will not be allowed to enter the United States because of their race.

Actually Mexico itself is a very racist country with two main opposing factions: those of Spanish descent; the taller light skinned Spanish descendants and those of the Native Indian which we are more familiar with as construction workers and laborers working in our communities.

The descendants of the Spanish who conquered the Aztec empire in 1521 have the best, highest-paying, most important jobs in addition to having the best education and the strongest connections. There is the root of the illegal immigrant problem from Mexico, a two-class society with the Spanish Mexicans getting the elevator and the Indian Mexicans getting the shaft.

With what seems to be every other line in some newspapers and a flood of verbal accusations of racism on TV and radio one would assume we live in the most racist country in the world.

Not so fast. Although finding statistical comparisons of the degree of racial tolerance in the world’s 195 countries was quite a challenge, there was a study conducted in 2015 called the “World Values Survey.”

In this study a list of various nationalities, races, and religions were given to the survey participants which they proceeded to mark off every group they would not want to live beside, (The higher the percentage, the less tolerant.)

Least racially tolerant nations:

Over 40 percent – (of individuals surveyed would not want a person of another race as a neighbor)

India, Jordan

30 – 39.9 percent – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea

20 – 29.9 percent – France, Turkey, Bulgaria, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Hong Kong.

Most racially tolerant nations

0 to 4.9 percent – United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Britain, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Australia, New Zealand

5 – 9.9 percent – Chile, Peru, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa

10 – 14.9 percent – Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Slovakia

15 – 19.9 percent – Venezuela, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Russia, China.

So, keep this survey in mind the next time you hear a politician using racism to get minority votes or some Media ”Star” tries to tell you the United States is full of racists. And remember:“When it comes to tolerating

differences in our country’s individuals we may not be perfect but there is none better than the good old U.S.A.”

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Mark Schenck

Contributing columnist

Mark Schenck is chairman of the Scotland County Republican Party