Some thoughts on race
I was thinking today about racism and race in general...as I was walking from the Howard train-stop to my apartment, an area which houses a huge population of people from the Caribbean Islands (and also where you can get the best Jamaican Jerk chicken in the city).
I was thinking about racism and how it is to me just a complete cop out as a human being. People who say that people of other races are "no different than us" or "just like us" are completely wrong and teaching tolerance incorrectly. Advertising someone as being "just like us" doesn't teach us to love human beings who are different from us. It really, to me, is a complete waste...because eventually the learner is going to find out that that indeed IS NOT true- we are not "all the same" and the learner will have to start from scratch.
Instead, what should be focused on is that we are all completely different. Because we are- races and cultures exist because those races or cultures have been rooted in not only different colors, religions, and ethics, but in simple things like food, vocabulary, wardrobe, financial habits, priorities, etc. And what a racist does is look at all of these things and say "Well, they're not the same as me so I don't like 'em!" And that, to me, means that they are not taking the time to even look at the core concepts of that culture. And if you're not taking the time to do that- you're just wasting your time here. There are some many great things to be learn and understood from other cultures.
Only AFTER you have been exposed to a culture and all of its parts (not to mention the sub-cultures within..that's endless) can you truly say that you like or dislike a culture. Just as I couldn't really give a non-biased opinion on the black race until I left Coffeyville and was exposed to another side of African American culture. In Coffeyville I had only one side of the story, just as if you went to small-town Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, or Louisiana you would only get one side of the white race (the side I am most embarrassed about).
I guess I don't assume that most racists (especially the ones I've known in small-town Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) have EVER ventured beyond the walls of what they know and truly gotten to know a culture. I know that is the truth for me- when I went to college and saw a part of African American culture that I had never seen before I just woke up. It became clear to me that this race that I had thought I had figured out in Coffeyville- was only a PART of the culture. And I almost feel sorry for people who aren't given the opportunity to see that particular race from that particular point of view. The African American race can't be judged by its bottom tier- just as the White American race cannot be judged by IT'S bottom tier.
To put it in perspective- what if the only white people you ever knew were just ONE sub-culture- IE: KKK members, people from the hill country of Appalachia, the plastic surgery Barbies of California, the wealthy over-indulgent families that exist on the reality show Sweet Sixteen....there's bad everywhere and in every culture. You just have to be willing to look PAST the bad in every culture and find the good in it. Are there things about black culture that disgust me? Yes. Are there parts of my own White American culture that disgust me? Very much so.
You know what- let's focus on the African American population since they are the group I see most bigoted (Though, I might add that people of Middle Eastern descent are really gaining on them). As I was walking today I was thinking about the BIRTH of that culture. Let's compare and contrast IT'S birth to the birth of the White American culture- I'm not talking White culture, but the beginning of true White American culture in the 1400-1700s...
Alright, so our ancestors came over on the boat...they were farmers, tradesman, entrepreneurs- they were given supplies and support in order to cultivate new communities and build something....what- they weren't quite sure yet. That became clear when wars began to be fought over leadership. But what I want to focus on is that very beginning- the support, the supplies, the spirit, the opportunity for something new, the camaraderie....it was, I'm sure, very scary to venture to a new land...but it also held the promise for something better. And look what we've made of it- some good and some bad. We as a White American culture are doing pretty well...depending on how you look at it. On one hand we have built big business, religion, a democracy, and a sense of patriotism. On the other hand, 50% of us are so obese that it affects our health, 50% of us can't keep a marriage together, something like 20% of girls under the age of 18 are having cosmetic surgery, we have a terrible education system considering what an International powerhouse we are, we emit 25% of the Earth's pollution and we don't seem to give one shit about it, and we are known as a country that is over-indulgent, self-serving, smug, unhealthy, and most of all: stupid. I'd say we're less than perfect. And look what we had to work with in the beginning- we had copious land and supplies at our disposal.
Now let's look at how the African American culture began- not the African culture...but the African American culture. Okay, so in the 15/1600s they are STOLEN (some by whites and some by other Africans) and sent on slave ships to America. Have you read my favorite book, Roots? The ride over hear REALLY SUCKED to say the least. Then, when they arrive- they don't know the language or the culture. They are enslaved and abused. Their women are generally raped and have no way to defend themselves. The laws of the country that enslaves them do not even acknowledge them as people. They are 1/3 of a person.
However, through years of slavery and this way of life, they are still able to develop a sense of culture- they are the beginning of bluegrass music, spiritual hymns, soul food, and many rich traditions- despite the fact that they came here not speaking the same language, against their will, tortured, and overworked. I'd say that's quite an accomplishment. If I were an over-worked slave who did not speak the native language and constantly had an old, fat, drunk white man coming into my room and raping me- I'd have a hard time finding a sense of worth...much less a sense of culture.
Then, they get a small victory- slavery is abolished. Alright- so it SEEMS like a victory. But truth be told, most of them (because they were forbidden by former owners) had no idea how to read and/or write, and therefore had no ability to get a job. So they resorted to just staying at their former "slave" jobs and begin earning a VERY MODEST wage for the work. And this is how it goes for many years- although slavery doesn't exist- they are pretty much still enslaved by the precedents that have been set for them and enforced on them by white slave-owners. It's a vicious cycle. How are they supposed to grow when their growth has been suppressed as long as they have lived? How do you know the value of reading or writing when you're not allowed to look at a book?
Anyway- I don't even have to mention what goes on from the 1860s-1960s...the KKK, church bombings, segregation, lynchings, and overall repression. They aren't treated like second-class citizens for these 100 years- by most accounts they aren't treated like human beings.
Did you know that black people were used as an excuse to make nearly ever drug illegal in this country? Yeah- it's true. White journalists and lawmakers claimed that blacks were "getting high on marijuana" and "going crazy" in the South. Really???? Because I have a lot of pothead friends and none of them will even get off the couch- let alone "go crazy." Anyway-I digress...drugs are a whole 'nother topic for me to tackle another night.
Anyway- when you look at the birth of this African American culture and the constant years of repression and abuse- it is any wonder that they struggle as a culture? The funny thing is, you can't even compare the births of White American and Black American culture because they haven't yet gotten the support and equality that White American's did even in the late 1700s. A black man starting his career in the 1960s did not have the same opportunity and support that a white man had in 1800. Because a white man in the 1960s STILL had to deal with most white people hating him and trying to prevent him from accomplishing anything.
Hell- now that I've spent a few years in the South I'm convinced that the black man in the year 2007 in the small-town South is starting his life/career in the same boat as a man in the 1960s. They're way of thinking is about 30 years behind the rest of the country. Well, I shouldn't pigeon-hole them ALL. But...many. I don't know it all- but I know that in Farmersville, TX it was perfectly acceptable to say the n-word as much as you wanted without offending anyone and that I had 1 student use the word "Rag-Head" to my entire class without blinking an eye...and lastly- that one of my girls came into my classroom saying that her new haircut made her look like a "Chink." She was quickly scolded/corrected by me, and she just let me know that she didn't know that was a bad thing to say. Neither is the n-word apparently. I digress again.
Let me clarify that this doesn't make me feel sorry for the black race as a whole or make me an advocate for affirmative action or anything. If you know me than you know I'm very far from a "bleeding heart" liberal...just a liberal.
It just makes me think- Man, they started out in a really shitty situation and they've had it bad for a long time because of white people- so I understand that it's been a long road and they've got a ways to go. After all- as a culture they've only really be able to celebrate for about 30 years (and in some areas- zero years). We built a "successful" (by most accounts) White American culture in 225 years (with still a lot of work to do)...do we really expect them to build one in only 30? Give them a freaking break. I think as a culture they have done great things in that amount of time and I'm excited to see what they will do in the next 195.
So, racism pisses me off. Racist people just don't see the big picture and they're taking the easy way out of being a human being by not even trying to understand and appreciate culture as a whole. It's about the appreciate of what is good about the culture- not focusing on what is bad and how different it is from your way of life.
That's it for now. Maybe I'll tackle drugs before the week is over. Who knows.j
Lins
I was thinking about racism and how it is to me just a complete cop out as a human being. People who say that people of other races are "no different than us" or "just like us" are completely wrong and teaching tolerance incorrectly. Advertising someone as being "just like us" doesn't teach us to love human beings who are different from us. It really, to me, is a complete waste...because eventually the learner is going to find out that that indeed IS NOT true- we are not "all the same" and the learner will have to start from scratch.
Instead, what should be focused on is that we are all completely different. Because we are- races and cultures exist because those races or cultures have been rooted in not only different colors, religions, and ethics, but in simple things like food, vocabulary, wardrobe, financial habits, priorities, etc. And what a racist does is look at all of these things and say "Well, they're not the same as me so I don't like 'em!" And that, to me, means that they are not taking the time to even look at the core concepts of that culture. And if you're not taking the time to do that- you're just wasting your time here. There are some many great things to be learn and understood from other cultures.
Only AFTER you have been exposed to a culture and all of its parts (not to mention the sub-cultures within..that's endless) can you truly say that you like or dislike a culture. Just as I couldn't really give a non-biased opinion on the black race until I left Coffeyville and was exposed to another side of African American culture. In Coffeyville I had only one side of the story, just as if you went to small-town Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, or Louisiana you would only get one side of the white race (the side I am most embarrassed about).
I guess I don't assume that most racists (especially the ones I've known in small-town Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) have EVER ventured beyond the walls of what they know and truly gotten to know a culture. I know that is the truth for me- when I went to college and saw a part of African American culture that I had never seen before I just woke up. It became clear to me that this race that I had thought I had figured out in Coffeyville- was only a PART of the culture. And I almost feel sorry for people who aren't given the opportunity to see that particular race from that particular point of view. The African American race can't be judged by its bottom tier- just as the White American race cannot be judged by IT'S bottom tier.
To put it in perspective- what if the only white people you ever knew were just ONE sub-culture- IE: KKK members, people from the hill country of Appalachia, the plastic surgery Barbies of California, the wealthy over-indulgent families that exist on the reality show Sweet Sixteen....there's bad everywhere and in every culture. You just have to be willing to look PAST the bad in every culture and find the good in it. Are there things about black culture that disgust me? Yes. Are there parts of my own White American culture that disgust me? Very much so.
You know what- let's focus on the African American population since they are the group I see most bigoted (Though, I might add that people of Middle Eastern descent are really gaining on them). As I was walking today I was thinking about the BIRTH of that culture. Let's compare and contrast IT'S birth to the birth of the White American culture- I'm not talking White culture, but the beginning of true White American culture in the 1400-1700s...
Alright, so our ancestors came over on the boat...they were farmers, tradesman, entrepreneurs- they were given supplies and support in order to cultivate new communities and build something....what- they weren't quite sure yet. That became clear when wars began to be fought over leadership. But what I want to focus on is that very beginning- the support, the supplies, the spirit, the opportunity for something new, the camaraderie....it was, I'm sure, very scary to venture to a new land...but it also held the promise for something better. And look what we've made of it- some good and some bad. We as a White American culture are doing pretty well...depending on how you look at it. On one hand we have built big business, religion, a democracy, and a sense of patriotism. On the other hand, 50% of us are so obese that it affects our health, 50% of us can't keep a marriage together, something like 20% of girls under the age of 18 are having cosmetic surgery, we have a terrible education system considering what an International powerhouse we are, we emit 25% of the Earth's pollution and we don't seem to give one shit about it, and we are known as a country that is over-indulgent, self-serving, smug, unhealthy, and most of all: stupid. I'd say we're less than perfect. And look what we had to work with in the beginning- we had copious land and supplies at our disposal.
Now let's look at how the African American culture began- not the African culture...but the African American culture. Okay, so in the 15/1600s they are STOLEN (some by whites and some by other Africans) and sent on slave ships to America. Have you read my favorite book, Roots? The ride over hear REALLY SUCKED to say the least. Then, when they arrive- they don't know the language or the culture. They are enslaved and abused. Their women are generally raped and have no way to defend themselves. The laws of the country that enslaves them do not even acknowledge them as people. They are 1/3 of a person.
However, through years of slavery and this way of life, they are still able to develop a sense of culture- they are the beginning of bluegrass music, spiritual hymns, soul food, and many rich traditions- despite the fact that they came here not speaking the same language, against their will, tortured, and overworked. I'd say that's quite an accomplishment. If I were an over-worked slave who did not speak the native language and constantly had an old, fat, drunk white man coming into my room and raping me- I'd have a hard time finding a sense of worth...much less a sense of culture.
Then, they get a small victory- slavery is abolished. Alright- so it SEEMS like a victory. But truth be told, most of them (because they were forbidden by former owners) had no idea how to read and/or write, and therefore had no ability to get a job. So they resorted to just staying at their former "slave" jobs and begin earning a VERY MODEST wage for the work. And this is how it goes for many years- although slavery doesn't exist- they are pretty much still enslaved by the precedents that have been set for them and enforced on them by white slave-owners. It's a vicious cycle. How are they supposed to grow when their growth has been suppressed as long as they have lived? How do you know the value of reading or writing when you're not allowed to look at a book?
Anyway- I don't even have to mention what goes on from the 1860s-1960s...the KKK, church bombings, segregation, lynchings, and overall repression. They aren't treated like second-class citizens for these 100 years- by most accounts they aren't treated like human beings.
Did you know that black people were used as an excuse to make nearly ever drug illegal in this country? Yeah- it's true. White journalists and lawmakers claimed that blacks were "getting high on marijuana" and "going crazy" in the South. Really???? Because I have a lot of pothead friends and none of them will even get off the couch- let alone "go crazy." Anyway-I digress...drugs are a whole 'nother topic for me to tackle another night.
Anyway- when you look at the birth of this African American culture and the constant years of repression and abuse- it is any wonder that they struggle as a culture? The funny thing is, you can't even compare the births of White American and Black American culture because they haven't yet gotten the support and equality that White American's did even in the late 1700s. A black man starting his career in the 1960s did not have the same opportunity and support that a white man had in 1800. Because a white man in the 1960s STILL had to deal with most white people hating him and trying to prevent him from accomplishing anything.
Hell- now that I've spent a few years in the South I'm convinced that the black man in the year 2007 in the small-town South is starting his life/career in the same boat as a man in the 1960s. They're way of thinking is about 30 years behind the rest of the country. Well, I shouldn't pigeon-hole them ALL. But...many. I don't know it all- but I know that in Farmersville, TX it was perfectly acceptable to say the n-word as much as you wanted without offending anyone and that I had 1 student use the word "Rag-Head" to my entire class without blinking an eye...and lastly- that one of my girls came into my classroom saying that her new haircut made her look like a "Chink." She was quickly scolded/corrected by me, and she just let me know that she didn't know that was a bad thing to say. Neither is the n-word apparently. I digress again.
Let me clarify that this doesn't make me feel sorry for the black race as a whole or make me an advocate for affirmative action or anything. If you know me than you know I'm very far from a "bleeding heart" liberal...just a liberal.
It just makes me think- Man, they started out in a really shitty situation and they've had it bad for a long time because of white people- so I understand that it's been a long road and they've got a ways to go. After all- as a culture they've only really be able to celebrate for about 30 years (and in some areas- zero years). We built a "successful" (by most accounts) White American culture in 225 years (with still a lot of work to do)...do we really expect them to build one in only 30? Give them a freaking break. I think as a culture they have done great things in that amount of time and I'm excited to see what they will do in the next 195.
So, racism pisses me off. Racist people just don't see the big picture and they're taking the easy way out of being a human being by not even trying to understand and appreciate culture as a whole. It's about the appreciate of what is good about the culture- not focusing on what is bad and how different it is from your way of life.
That's it for now. Maybe I'll tackle drugs before the week is over. Who knows.j
Lins
posted by Mrs. G @ 7:35 PM
2 Comments:
At 12:31 PM ,
Anonymous said...
hm, you should talk to my family. maybe you could talk some sense into them.
At 3:44 PM ,
Mrs. G said...
I can't work miracles, Allyson.
:)
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