Just Some Thoughts on Racism
Thank you, [], for sharing your personal thoughts with me on this issue and for letting me read your blog. I sincerely appreciate the goodwill and good faith you extend by taking me at my word and believing that I am open minded to the opinions of others. I hope that I will always be worthy of that trust.
Having spent a third of my life outside of my own country, and having lived in places such as Japan, Belgium, France, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, etc., I have always prided myself (perhaps too much) on the idea that I am not insulated from the issues of the world. Having lived in and been immersed in other cultures, I have always tried to recognize the humanity in all people and not to be chained to my subjective view of the world. I have failed, no doubt, more times than I have succeeded, but I continue to try.
When I read your story, I find myself both happily able to relate and tragically at a loss. I relate because as a human, as an American, and as your friend, I feel pain for the struggles you faced and triumph in your ability to overcome your challenges. I am at a loss, because I will never live your story like you did, and I will never know the struggles inherent in being the exact make up of person you are.
I want to say a couple random things before I get to the meat of my response, just because I hope they further cement how much I appreciate your comments. I agree that no where in the world are people more integrated than in the United States military, and no group of people has tried harder. I've also read King Leopold's Ghost and books on the Rwandan genocide which conclude as you do that there is no genetic difference between Tutsis and Hutus. I have family that currently lives in Kinshasa in the DROC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and they see first-hand the results of failed-state colonization and the subsequent corruption of African leaders. Finally, I have recoiled my entire life at some people's interpretations of the Bible and that the "Curse of Cain" or the "Curse of Ham" is black skin or that God is somehow a respecter of persons.
But I want to add the following comments, because, like you, I want to share different perspectives that hopefully will help us understand each other.
[], you have to understand and appreciate (as I imagine you might) that there are millions of people who simply do not want to see things as race-based. They acknowledge the past, recognize the problems that continue today, but because those problems don't touch their lives from day to day, or do so only tangentially, they say to themselves, "Look, I've never persecuted someone based on their race. I've never sought advantage based on my race. I hate that our collective ancestors in the past may have been racist, but a lot them weren't! In fact, if it weren't for the majority of Americans fighting against slavery and racism, there would be no struggle for equality today! And no one ever gives them credit for that!!! So why don't the . . . [insert the racial group here] . . . just get over it! We're all human and we're all struggling to make it here! Quit thinking you're special!"
I realize the potential naivete of these statements, how they may come across as callous, silly and ignorant to those who continue to experience racism and are compelled to see things every day along racial lines, and I realize how these statements truly fail to grasp the ongoing problems we face both in America and around the world. But this is nonetheless their view, and it is not a view taken in ill-will, anger, or even blissful ignorance. It is their attempt at making sense of the world and playing the cards they have been dealt.
And I also imagine there are millions of other people that are stuck with the dichotomy of being compelled through various factors (history, present culture, continued racism, even convenience) of seeing themselves both as a product of their race and the basic human need to be seen as an individual. "You think it's over?" they shout to the other people. "You can't just TURN OFF the problems of 500 years of oppression. You can't just wake up one morning and pretend none of that happened! You can't just say one day that suddenly the rules have all changed and that I am no longer supposed to see myself as [race] but as just another human being. YOU made me and my ancestors see ourselves as a product of our race. And, whether you like it or not, YOU still do. So deal with it!"
These people, too, are of good will, and they too are just trying to play the hand they are dealt. But they too fail to see how this is a hard dichotomy for others outside of that race to accept, and it leaves other people of good will at a loss on how to treat them. Meanwhile the first group of people fail to see how insulated they truly are from the continuing racial problems of the day, and how their perspective may indeed be perpetuating some of the problem.
Neither side in this argument is fully justified in their position, and neither side is fully wrong either. What both sides need, I think, is a healthy dose of "calm-the-fuck-down" and a sincere attempt at seeing the world through another's eyes. I don't know if that would solve all the problems, but I think it would help. (I also realize that, like in all discussions, these are generalizations, and that there are other perspectives on this issue that I don't fully appreciate).
And then of course, there are the bastards, the assholes, the race baiters and the fools, those who live off the conflict and perpetuate it for self gain. I won't waste any more time writing about them because my response here is about overcoming and understanding, not making the problem worse. I will only say about these latter people that there is a cold place in hell for them because of the continuing problems they cause.
In conclusion, my hope is to understand. My hope is to overcome the problems of the past and look to solutions for the future. Your perspective has truly helped me with that, and I thank you. My vision, like so many others, is that one day, a person's race will be as inconsequential to the way we view each other as the color of their chest hair, or the shape of our earlobes (though I recognize in some cultures, this is a sign of beauty ;-) ). In other words, I hope as MLK said that we can all learn to truly judge people based on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Such a day is probably further away than even I'm willing to admit, but that's my hope.
Thank you again for sharing, []. You tha man
Having spent a third of my life outside of my own country, and having lived in places such as Japan, Belgium, France, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, etc., I have always prided myself (perhaps too much) on the idea that I am not insulated from the issues of the world. Having lived in and been immersed in other cultures, I have always tried to recognize the humanity in all people and not to be chained to my subjective view of the world. I have failed, no doubt, more times than I have succeeded, but I continue to try.
When I read your story, I find myself both happily able to relate and tragically at a loss. I relate because as a human, as an American, and as your friend, I feel pain for the struggles you faced and triumph in your ability to overcome your challenges. I am at a loss, because I will never live your story like you did, and I will never know the struggles inherent in being the exact make up of person you are.
I want to say a couple random things before I get to the meat of my response, just because I hope they further cement how much I appreciate your comments. I agree that no where in the world are people more integrated than in the United States military, and no group of people has tried harder. I've also read King Leopold's Ghost and books on the Rwandan genocide which conclude as you do that there is no genetic difference between Tutsis and Hutus. I have family that currently lives in Kinshasa in the DROC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and they see first-hand the results of failed-state colonization and the subsequent corruption of African leaders. Finally, I have recoiled my entire life at some people's interpretations of the Bible and that the "Curse of Cain" or the "Curse of Ham" is black skin or that God is somehow a respecter of persons.
But I want to add the following comments, because, like you, I want to share different perspectives that hopefully will help us understand each other.
[], you have to understand and appreciate (as I imagine you might) that there are millions of people who simply do not want to see things as race-based. They acknowledge the past, recognize the problems that continue today, but because those problems don't touch their lives from day to day, or do so only tangentially, they say to themselves, "Look, I've never persecuted someone based on their race. I've never sought advantage based on my race. I hate that our collective ancestors in the past may have been racist, but a lot them weren't! In fact, if it weren't for the majority of Americans fighting against slavery and racism, there would be no struggle for equality today! And no one ever gives them credit for that!!! So why don't the . . . [insert the racial group here] . . . just get over it! We're all human and we're all struggling to make it here! Quit thinking you're special!"
I realize the potential naivete of these statements, how they may come across as callous, silly and ignorant to those who continue to experience racism and are compelled to see things every day along racial lines, and I realize how these statements truly fail to grasp the ongoing problems we face both in America and around the world. But this is nonetheless their view, and it is not a view taken in ill-will, anger, or even blissful ignorance. It is their attempt at making sense of the world and playing the cards they have been dealt.
And I also imagine there are millions of other people that are stuck with the dichotomy of being compelled through various factors (history, present culture, continued racism, even convenience) of seeing themselves both as a product of their race and the basic human need to be seen as an individual. "You think it's over?" they shout to the other people. "You can't just TURN OFF the problems of 500 years of oppression. You can't just wake up one morning and pretend none of that happened! You can't just say one day that suddenly the rules have all changed and that I am no longer supposed to see myself as [race] but as just another human being. YOU made me and my ancestors see ourselves as a product of our race. And, whether you like it or not, YOU still do. So deal with it!"
These people, too, are of good will, and they too are just trying to play the hand they are dealt. But they too fail to see how this is a hard dichotomy for others outside of that race to accept, and it leaves other people of good will at a loss on how to treat them. Meanwhile the first group of people fail to see how insulated they truly are from the continuing racial problems of the day, and how their perspective may indeed be perpetuating some of the problem.
Neither side in this argument is fully justified in their position, and neither side is fully wrong either. What both sides need, I think, is a healthy dose of "calm-the-fuck-down" and a sincere attempt at seeing the world through another's eyes. I don't know if that would solve all the problems, but I think it would help. (I also realize that, like in all discussions, these are generalizations, and that there are other perspectives on this issue that I don't fully appreciate).
And then of course, there are the bastards, the assholes, the race baiters and the fools, those who live off the conflict and perpetuate it for self gain. I won't waste any more time writing about them because my response here is about overcoming and understanding, not making the problem worse. I will only say about these latter people that there is a cold place in hell for them because of the continuing problems they cause.
In conclusion, my hope is to understand. My hope is to overcome the problems of the past and look to solutions for the future. Your perspective has truly helped me with that, and I thank you. My vision, like so many others, is that one day, a person's race will be as inconsequential to the way we view each other as the color of their chest hair, or the shape of our earlobes (though I recognize in some cultures, this is a sign of beauty ;-) ). In other words, I hope as MLK said that we can all learn to truly judge people based on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Such a day is probably further away than even I'm willing to admit, but that's my hope.
Thank you again for sharing, []. You tha man
