OK.. so on rare occasion, I'm guilty of it. Yes, cruising craigslist is one of my seldomly practiced guilty pleasures. I sometimes feel really insecure about my inadequacies, and skimming over craigslist ads inevitably makes me feel like a million bucks! Today I snuck into the infamous "rants and raves" section. I love a good uneducated debate. Someone had posted a complaint about two men of color who were outside of a store, prattling on about an amazing play in today's U of L game. Evidently, they were making a very blatant celebration of the fact that a white guy ACTUALLY made a great play.. given that he was white and everything. The poster of this rant was offended by what he took as "reverse racism". I'm not sure where he came up with this term, but it struck me as funny because racism is racism. White people are NOT the only people guilty of or infamous for racism.
*WARNING!!! From this point on, it IS possible I may seriously offend, so PLEASE read at your own risk or not at all!*
Having been raised in a small town where I would say 99% of the population was of caucasion persuasion, I CRAVED variety. The only exposure I had to any kind of living outside of my own race and belief system was that of stories from my mother who lived in Chicago and had a diverse group of friends and colleagues. I always promised myself and others that I would NEVER exhibit some of the senseless acts of bigotry and racism that I grew up to know. For the most part, I still haven't. I don't discriminate against groups as a whole. Only a prevalent pattern of negative behavior.
Having moved to Evansville which was more of a melting pot than I had ever experienced, I quickly discovered that my bright eyed, bushy tailed dreams of carrying out MLK Jr's legacy would quickly die. There WOULD soon be people that would instantly hate me based upon the color of my skin and their perceived notion that I owed them something. There WOULD be people who would completely disregard my physical presence because I wasn't "one of them". Imagine the horror when I found that there are actually Churches and schools founded and populated by particular races. Who knew that it would be acceptable for a gang of black women walking leisurely through the street, (deliberately avoiding the paved sidewalks on both sides, making vehicular traffic flow next to impossible) to call me a WHITE BITCH when I politely asked them to clear the way for oncoming vehicles.
There is no caucasian American college fund. The NAACP will NOT be beating my door down when I cry "hate crime". Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition will not make a protest when my friends are denied marriage licenses based on their orientation. So all these people we just spent a month celebrating MUST be rolling over in their graves at the notion that all the equality and inclusion they fought for has been flushed. I see more division now than I can imagine would have been an issue in the generation before mine.
I don't know what makes that OK or how it works, and why I'm supposed to lie like a doormat when I'm profiled against based upon my race. Perhaps someone can explain it to me. Perhaps someone can tell me why everytime I end up in a discussion about racism with someone of another race, it all boils down to "I have to treat you like dirt because YOU treated MY people like dirt." Listen.... I had nothing to do with the torture that was inflicted upon your great great great great great great great great great uncle twice removed. WE didn't exist in that day. Those wonderful people who fought for YOUR people's freedom and equality for YOUR people expected that YOU and I would be playing nice by now.
So, in conclusion, I welcome the most brutal of feedback. Please keep in mind this is not, nor has been in any way, shape, or form, a RACIST entry. I'm simply questioning it!
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I never had to experience the brutality my great grandparents had to experience. I never had to experience what Shay's great grandparents had to experience. Being in a inter-racial relationship has allowed me to see things from a different perspective. Yes, there are some African American people who feel Anglo-American people still owe them something, but many different races still feel that way. I get sick of hearing white pride/black pride/latino pride and so on...we as a society didn't have any say in what the color of our skin is...don't have pride in something you didn't work hard to obtain! Embrace what you do have control over and accept with dignity the things you don't have control over...I mean...we do all bleed the same color blood, do we not? The reason it seems like there are so many opportunities out there for African Americans is because there are just as many Anglo Americans trying to prevent them from obtaining opportunities!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that. I'm "with it" enough to know that if I get picked over someone of another race for a job, they can hire a lawyer and cry "discrimination". If they get picked, I have to start from square one. My post wasn't so much about the REAL racism that goes on out there. (I LOATHE organizations like 'White Pride', the KKK, etc.). I'm not ignorant to the fact that there are despicable forms of racism out there, but that's the problem.. they don't just flow one way. I've been profiled more times than I ever dreamed I would. PS.. thanks for returning! :) Was wondering where you've been!!
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