Project Vision 21

Recently, for reasons known only to the unknown gods who govern the mysterious algorithms, short videos with a common theme—discrimination and racism—started appearing on my social media feed. However, the message presented in these videos, far from addressing this serious social issue, clearly aims to exacerbate it.

In every case, a variation of the same scene unfolds: Someone is discriminated against based on their appearance, physical ability, or the way they dress, and as a result, they are not allowed to enter a certain place or make a purchase. Then it’s revealed that this person is, in fact, the manager of the place, a millionaire, or someone influential and well-connected.

And therein lies the problem with these little videos: apparently, it's only wrong to discriminate against those who, because of their power, authority, or resources, can defend themselves and even impose sanctions on those who acted in a racist or discriminatory way.

In other words, according to these videos, the way to avoid discrimination is to climb a social rung above the discriminator, whether by amassing a large bank account, becoming the owner of the company, being closely related to someone powerful and recognized, or transforming into an "influencer."

However, a deeper reflection reveals that from this perspective, someone might believe that having wealth, power, or influence gives them the opportunity—and even the right—to discriminate freely against whomever they wish. And that is exactly what happens in real life, as we witness and experience almost every day.

These videos (and surely many others like them, focused on different issues), far from raising awareness of a real problem, proclaim that the reason we are discriminated against is that we haven't climbed high enough on the ladder of success for others to be forced to accept us or pay the consequences for not doing so.

Worse yet, in many cases, these videos present discrimination in the context of someone who intentionally hides or masks their true identity precisely to provoke certain reactions. And while these reactions may be repugnant and unacceptable, one must question whether deception is the best way to expose discrimination.

It must be clear, then, that these videos are nothing more than another example of not only superficial and harmful misinformation but of a profound trivialization of a serious social issue, with the sole goal of getting people to watch the videos and thus collect “likes.”

This is nothing new. In the 1960s, in her study of the banality of evil, philosopher Hannah Arendt warned of the dangers posed by those who operate within the rules of the system they belong to but who do not reflect on those rules or on the origins or consequences of their actions.

We are still the same, or perhaps even worse, because, as Arendt explains, by trivializing evil, we actively or passively contribute to the horror of evil, thereby nullifying all thought and dialogue.