Racism is not merely a matter of prejudice; it is a structured way of thinking with identifiable patterns. Two prominent features characterize the racist mind: the desire to homogenize others, depicting them as a single, uniform image, and an intense, variable hatred toward those deemed “other.” At the same time, the racialized mind reflects how different groups are socially constructed, perceived, and treated as “other” in diverse ways.
1. The Impulse to Generalize
A defining trait of a racist is the deep urge to lump people together. Their attitude toward the “other” is dominated by generalizations and stereotypes. This tendency manifests in various forms, from the written accounts of orientalists to the everyday behavior of colonizers. It may appear as linguistic pride or, more subtly, as racial humor.
Edward Said observed that orientalists’ generalizations arise because the attribute “Eastern” overshadows any contradictory evidence. An Eastern man is primarily Eastern and only secondarily a man. In this framework, Arabs, for instance, are portrayed as historically and collectively stagnant; there is no individual life worthy of narration. Arabs “from one end of the documented history of the deserts to the other” are depicted as unchanging. Similarly, a French colonizer’s description of Algerians treats them as a uniform, primitive group.
In contemporary Iran, the racist perception of Afghans mirrors this logic. Afghans are seen as a homogeneous whole, their traits and temperaments presumed similar. Individuals are invisible within this collective. The same applies to Turks: even if they are fellow citizens, they are lumped together under a single label. The same racist may individually target people from Isfahan or Shiraz in jokes. But they will not refer to the entirety of Persians, unless speaking in their praise. At the same time, an Iranian racist will shamelessly consider these two types of joke-telling equivalent; as the translator of Bishouri said in a televised debate: if jokes are made about Turks, it is okay, as they also make them about Isfahanis.
2. Variable Hatred Toward the “Other”
A racist also possesses another trait: they are full of hatred toward those they perceive as “other.” But this hatred manifests differently depending on the nature of the “other”; sometimes it is mixed with disgust and pity, bordering on exoticism, and sometimes it is full of anger, envy, and ferocity. For the ancient Romans, the Gauls were seen as wild and repulsive, interesting only when controlled or showcased in certain ways. In Rome’s eyes, they were not worth military attention unless they posed a real threat. Yet the same Romans, in rivalry with Carthage, waged the Punic Wars—centuries of conflict whose unrestrained violence became legendary and devastated regions known as the “Bride of the Mediterranean.” The Carthaginians, descended from the Phoenicians, were a worthy rival, deserving hatred intertwined with envy and ferocity.
An Iranian racist, depending on the nature of the “other,” behaves differently. They hate Afghans, yet also feel pity for them. They see them as poor and unfortunate and sometimes exhibit an exoticizing gaze toward their culture, which they consider primitive. All words they use for this culture—strange, interesting, disgusting, contemptible—reflect this. Yet the same racist behaves differently toward Turks. They know at least a minimum of contemporary Turkish history. They see two neighboring Turkish countries and are aware of their population size and their influence on Iran’s political and social spheres—spheres affected even by the Turks’ silence. The racist sees them as at least equal, if not superior, to themselves, and perceives this equality as dangerous. Here, pity does not satisfy the racist. Exoticism alone does not suffice because the “other” is present and active. The racist becomes ferocious and seizes any opportunity to express raw anger; a will to humiliate, destroy, and condemn arises—a vile will whose stench emanates from every opening. They deny the identity of the Turks, chant “death to Turks” in a stadium, liken them to cockroaches, call them rebellious and ignorant in a magazine, align themselves with the PKK and unrestrained terrorism against Turks, and recently, in an unusual poll, rejoice in voting to eliminate the favorite football team of the Turks.
Note: The term Afghan is used here in accordance with the Constitution of Afghanistan, which designates all citizens—including Uzbeks, Hazaras, and others—as Afghans, without any evaluative judgment.
Keywords: Racism, Racialization, Homogenization, Othering, Stereotypes, Orientalism, Hatred, Exoticism, Iran