Will Smith Says Racism Is Rare, Discusses How Actors Can Improve Race Relations

DO YOU AGREE WITH THE ACTOR/RAPPER?

(AllHipHop news) As protests to bring awareness to police brutality against African Americans continue around the country and many people call for reforms to the criminal justice system for unfairly targeting people of color, race has been a major topic in the national media for years. Despite those reports, actor/rapper Will Smith told The Hollywood Reporter racism is not a major problem.

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Smith said:

Everybody is prejudiced. Everybody has their life experiences that make them prefer one thing over another — it makes them prefer blond hair over a brunette; if you see somebody with dark skin walking down the street, you have a different reaction than you have [with] someone who is 5-foot-1 and white. But there is a connotation with racism of superiority: You feel that your race generally is superior. And I have to say, I live with constant prejudice, but racism is actually rare — someone who thinks their race is superior.

The conversation then shifted to the 47-year-old star of Concussion discussing how actors could help stop discrimination against other races. Smith added:

As actors we have the ultimate power. Historically, story combined with imagery moves humanity forward. What we do — not that it’s a responsibility, but it is the ultimate forum for changing people’s hearts and minds. So when I’m choosing a movie, I understand the global power of being able to send imagery around the world. A large part of the way that America is viewed globally is from the historical imagery that we have sent around the world through cinema. Any time I put something in the world, I am always connecting to an idea.

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