Race: Human [part III: the final chapter]
the end of the discussion - at least for now.
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...A host of young people with brilliant business minds are in jail right now, because they signed with the Folk Nation instead of Bear Stearns.
This is not to say that any person is blameless for making bad decisions. We’re all responsible for our own choices. No matter how limited they are.
Going back to some earlier points about trust and loyalty, it should be pretty clear why there remains a division between blacks and whites in America today. There are still people alive who remember not being allowed to ride elevators; being restricted to specific water fountains; having to ride at the back of the bus. My dad is one of them. That’s only one generation from me. I’ve experienced very little overt racism compared to what he’s been through, and yet I have been followed around in a clothing store this year. Consider this: on regular network television - even on cable -how many black people do you see portrayed as capable, educated, intelligent? In a women’s magazine, how many ads have black women included in them - how many articles? And so on, and so on, and so on.
Face it. The default setting in America is white. When someone says to you, “I met a new guy in purchasing, his name is Scott.” Do you automatically assume him to be white? Almost certainly. Even if you’re black. Although, if you’re black, you’re more likely to ask if he’s white. And most often, white people think of everything else in terms of being white - not consciously - but as humans, we all relate to things based on how we identify with them. As the majority, it is much easier to do so. So when a white person sees my hair, they often exclaim about how soft it is and wonder aloud how it could be so curly. I’ve actually had people ask me if I curl it myself [using a curling iron or curlers or some such device]. Many can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves and have to actually touch my hair, disbelieving that my braids will stay together without a band at the end to keep them from unraveling. To make it plain: white people don’t understand my hair. And my hair is half-white. So beauty magazines that talk about doing this, that, or the other, to your hair - I just skip those sections cuz they don’t apply to me. Just like the parts about the makeup and a bunch of other stuff [not based solely on my racial heritage but also my cultural/religious background]. Once again, it’s not hard to see why there are black beauty magazines, since traditionally white magazines don’t speak to black beauty regimens - or even know how to. [one reason I don’t go to a hairdresser (besides being a generally low-maintenance girl and not wanting to spend the money) is that I don’t trust anyone to know how to do my hair]
I just spent 300 words on hair alone. Do I need to keep going?
No.
Suffice to say, there are other physical and cultural differences between blacks and whites besides hair. It is far more effective to look at people as individuals to determine cultural similarities though. Because there are people of different races who share very similar cultural experiences, while there are some people of the same race that have completely different cultures. As to any kinship towards African, Caribbean, or Black Europeans, often, there’s not a lot of connection there either. Those people may have black skin, but they don’t share the heritage of a black American. That may be getting to complex for this essay, though. I’ll leave that for another discussion.
Until those people who benefit from the oppression of any group realize their entitled position and begin to effect change, everything will remain as it is. Truly, if you are a member of the privileged class and don’t really believe yourself to be, all the words above are like tinkling cymbals.
I highly recommend damali ayo’s I Can Fix It! It’s fairly succinct, and gives good suggestions/guidelines on being more sensitive and aware and generally improving your life. Otherwise, I’m tapped out for now. I think it may be awhile before I write about race again.
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...A host of young people with brilliant business minds are in jail right now, because they signed with the Folk Nation instead of Bear Stearns.
This is not to say that any person is blameless for making bad decisions. We’re all responsible for our own choices. No matter how limited they are.
Going back to some earlier points about trust and loyalty, it should be pretty clear why there remains a division between blacks and whites in America today. There are still people alive who remember not being allowed to ride elevators; being restricted to specific water fountains; having to ride at the back of the bus. My dad is one of them. That’s only one generation from me. I’ve experienced very little overt racism compared to what he’s been through, and yet I have been followed around in a clothing store this year. Consider this: on regular network television - even on cable -how many black people do you see portrayed as capable, educated, intelligent? In a women’s magazine, how many ads have black women included in them - how many articles? And so on, and so on, and so on.
Face it. The default setting in America is white. When someone says to you, “I met a new guy in purchasing, his name is Scott.” Do you automatically assume him to be white? Almost certainly. Even if you’re black. Although, if you’re black, you’re more likely to ask if he’s white. And most often, white people think of everything else in terms of being white - not consciously - but as humans, we all relate to things based on how we identify with them. As the majority, it is much easier to do so. So when a white person sees my hair, they often exclaim about how soft it is and wonder aloud how it could be so curly. I’ve actually had people ask me if I curl it myself [using a curling iron or curlers or some such device]. Many can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves and have to actually touch my hair, disbelieving that my braids will stay together without a band at the end to keep them from unraveling. To make it plain: white people don’t understand my hair. And my hair is half-white. So beauty magazines that talk about doing this, that, or the other, to your hair - I just skip those sections cuz they don’t apply to me. Just like the parts about the makeup and a bunch of other stuff [not based solely on my racial heritage but also my cultural/religious background]. Once again, it’s not hard to see why there are black beauty magazines, since traditionally white magazines don’t speak to black beauty regimens - or even know how to. [one reason I don’t go to a hairdresser (besides being a generally low-maintenance girl and not wanting to spend the money) is that I don’t trust anyone to know how to do my hair]
I just spent 300 words on hair alone. Do I need to keep going?
No.
Suffice to say, there are other physical and cultural differences between blacks and whites besides hair. It is far more effective to look at people as individuals to determine cultural similarities though. Because there are people of different races who share very similar cultural experiences, while there are some people of the same race that have completely different cultures. As to any kinship towards African, Caribbean, or Black Europeans, often, there’s not a lot of connection there either. Those people may have black skin, but they don’t share the heritage of a black American. That may be getting to complex for this essay, though. I’ll leave that for another discussion.
Until those people who benefit from the oppression of any group realize their entitled position and begin to effect change, everything will remain as it is. Truly, if you are a member of the privileged class and don’t really believe yourself to be, all the words above are like tinkling cymbals.
I highly recommend damali ayo’s I Can Fix It! It’s fairly succinct, and gives good suggestions/guidelines on being more sensitive and aware and generally improving your life. Otherwise, I’m tapped out for now. I think it may be awhile before I write about race again.