H
ave you been watching the news?Have you heard black people ALL OVER AMERICA saying that we never expected to see a black man elected as president in our lifetimes?
Let me say that again:
We never expected to see a black man elected as president in our lifetime.
For the most part, we (black & whites) get along in our day to day lives. But I, as a black person, have never really believed that you white people could get past the racial stereotypes and just see us as "people" and not "black people".
Forget party. That's what Barack Obama's election means to me. That white people are finally getting past this thinking of us as "less than".
But maybe y'all really didn't? Maybe you weren't mostly thinking of us in that way?
And that's the root of racism and bigotry. WE (black people) don't know what YOU (white people) really think of us. So we have to assume. History has shown what you think of us and, until now, nothing has happened to make us change our core beliefs about you.
I don't think I'm saying this right.
Barack Obama's election is not just history making. It's spirit changing.
Maybe now we can start to see each other as individuals. This means: "A man who happens to be black" and "A woman who happens to be white" instead of "A black man" and "A white woman".
When I was in college, one of my roommates, who happened to be white, told me that she didn't think of race.
I didn't believe her. As a black person, I didn't see how it was even possible to not think of race.
Have you ever noticed that when you walk into a conference room or cafeteria that all the black people seem to be grouped together? We do this to ourselves because seeing someone else who looks likes us makes us feel comfortable.
I had to get over this because my father was in the military. We moved every 3 years, and we were often the only black family where ever we went. I was often the only black child in my grade at school.
For white people, I represented the entire black race because I was the only black person they'd ever met.
!!!!!!!
Nevermind.
You can't understand this from my perspective.
But I'm proud of you, White America! This doesn't change or erase the past, but we can finally begin healing our racial wounds and come together as people
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Listening to: Eric Clapton - Change The World via FoxyTunes.
"you white people"
ReplyDeleteWow. Really? You really wrote that?
*sigh*
Sorry you didn't believe your roommate who said she didn't see color. That's sad. 'Cause I would have believed her.
The misconceptions on race won't go away. I don't think. Because it's an individual perception thing and everyone has different experiences.
I did NOT think about the color of my friends all through grade school. Granted, there were very few non-white kids, but the fact is that we all hung out with whoever based on personality and cliques. One of our good friends at the time was Asian. One of my least favorite kids at the time was black but he also kicked the back of my chair all the time. THAT is the reason I didn't like him. Not because of his skin color.
I find the idea that because a "black" man got elected the whole country can heal as ridiculous. First of all he is half black and half white. So what? I could care less. I don't see him as a "black" president-elect. I see him as the President-Elect. In fact, I find all the cheer leading about how historic it is to be sort of annoying. Will we see this kind of celebration if we elect the first Indian-American president (God willing!)? I doubt it. Because he won't be the liberal media's darling.
"You can't understand this from my perspective."
You're right. Just as you probably can't understand mine. Well, that's not true...I CAN comprehend your perspective, but it is not MY perspective. It's hard to argue against someone's perspective though.
"we can finally begin healing our racial wounds and come together as people"
Really? What wounds exactly? Who have I wounded as a white person? I find this whole line of thought insulting. History shows us the misdeeds of this country but it also shows us the amazing sacrifices people made to FREE this country of slavery. Before other countries did so and with much blood and pain. Is there no credit for that? Or for those who worked, to their own peril (and sometimes death), for the rights of all Americans - black and white.
I am so sick of hearing about how oppressed people are because of their past. It's been beaten into me since the 7th grade when I had to hear about how horrible white people were and are. It's all my fault because of my skin color. BS. I don't "own" anyone. I don't discriminate against anyone because of their race. And I never have. I refuse to have any "white guilt" for things I've never done.
*sigh* I guess I thought that you didn't fall into that "victim" mentality. I'm a little disappointed. :(
I see it that God likes variety so he made flowers in different colours, He made trees with different shapes leaves, then when it got to people he decided that he wanted people with different skin tones, different hair colours, different size and shapes of ears noses and mouths.
ReplyDeleteBecause ultimately we are the same on the inside - yeah ok so i can't act as well as Hugh Laurie but God gave us different talents.
Am I making sense??? Please say I am cos i've confused myself!
Casto - I am not a victim.
ReplyDeleteI am the first person to say that most people are responsible for their own circumstances, not someone else or "the man".
But I have also been told, by a white man, that the reason I was hired was because he wanted people to see "a black face" when they walked into the Human Resources department of a major insurance company.
It's insulting. I wasn't hired because I was the best? I was hired because I was "good enough" and black?
Dear, we are not going to agree on this. We come at this from different ends of the spectrum. Just keep in mind that ONE PART OF MY MAKEUP is not the whole.
Angel - You're making sense. :-)
But see...we DO agree!!!!! You should not be hired for your color. You should be hired for your skill and ability! That is why I think Affirmative Action sucks.
ReplyDelete"Just keep in mind that ONE PART OF MY MAKEUP is not the whole."
I know that. Which is why this whole thread upset me so much. Can you imagine if I had a thread titled "Dear Black People"???!!!??? I'd immediately be jumped on for being a racist. Besides the fact that such a title would never occur to me.
=(
Casto - I would at least read a thread titled "Dear Black People" to see what it said before I accused someone of racism.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, at JJHF I started a title called "The Negro Won". Everyone was like "WHO THE HELL STARTED A THREAD LIKE THIS" until they saw it was me, LOL.
Interesting, I think. I get so much joy from pushing people's buttons...
:-)
I think the election was a pretty big milestone, but like the president-elect said on election night, there's a lot of hard work ahead. I wouldn't want people to start getting complacent and interpret this historic victory as "the end of racism in America."
ReplyDeleteElle - You're not a bitch. And define "old", please, I might need to be included in that group.
ReplyDeleteI love that you titled this Dear White People.
ReplyDeleteA) I get that you are a humorous person, so as much as you meant dear white people, it was also funny
B) It spoke to your point of white people and black people as labels
As a white chick, I get it. From the other side, where I grew up with and tried to change the views of us and them. My mom is the type to hold her purse tighter around black people. She is the type to say "the black woman" as a description rather than the woman with the red shirt.
I mentioned in my post about his win, that I took a black history class in college and I really think it would help everyone understand each other better.
What is beautiful is that kids do not see color. They are just their friend. I have worked on my family over the years and now when my niece talks about a kid in her class, they don't say is he black? They just ask what they are like.
I feel the change in the air. More than the history, as you say, but the spirit.
Let's not pretend that racism is gone, it's not. The skinheads, neo-nazi's and KKK are evidence of that. But general every day people who were unsure of each other, now seem to be a little happier, a little more relaxed.
The rally was the picture of this. It was a love fest of all races and economic backgrounds. Everyone here in Chicago was afraid of what would happen because of the events after Bulls games in the past, but it proved that we, as Americans, can come together peacefully and full of equal pride in each other.
It's a new day.
~Kelly
http://30somethingandsearching.today.com/
49 in January.
ReplyDeleteI was born in Alabama, lived in Georgia for a while and was raised in Texas. My grandparents were prejudiced. My mother (their daughter) was born with something that didn't understand that prejudice and passed it on to me. We honestly didn't understand what the color of someone's skin had to do with anything. What the heck? Who cares? I am the color of wallpaper paste. Seriously. If I were ever robbed, I could strip, stand against the wall and never be seen. I see good people, bad people, nice people, mean people, honest, dishonest, loving, caring, hateful, short, tall, slim...not so slim... I see different shades of people and if you blur your eyes just right and move back a little and tilt your head this way, they make pretty pictures. For those who have issues with race, they're missing out. I guess they'll just have to rot in their own little shut up world.
ReplyDeleteAnd being a "white person," it has hurt me that I'm judged before others bet to know me. I really hope that people continue to see and even more will see people. Just people.
Kelly - Well said! Kids have to be taught to hate. It's a shame that there are people still teaching it to their children.
ReplyDeleteRene - "And being a "white person," it has hurt me that I'm judged before others bet to know me." That goes for being any person. But we all seem to think that what we feel is different from what everyone else feels.
I like ur blog entries. ur so spontaneous and u don't seem to have any inhibitions in expressing ur opinions.
ReplyDeleteSue - Thanks. :-)
ReplyDeleteElle - Oh. I'm not that OLD. ;-)
ReplyDeletethis post made me feel all sorts of emotions, at first I was "Hey! that's me you're make general 'seen one, seen them all' statements at"
ReplyDeleteand then a little further down I was "right on!, well said"
and then even further down in the comments I was "hey, you got a point"
even later in the comments I was "ahh, that's so true"
----
Then it occurred to me that the above thoughts could have come from any color head reading this post and that's what made me smile. We can try to understand someone else's perspective but we will never truly know so maybe we should ALL try to change the way we look at things.
If we can all just 'get over it' and learn from the past and work towards a future where people don't congratulate someone for being successful because of their color but for just being successful and others aren't dismissed as unfair because someone in their distant gene pool did something bad once then I think there's a chance we can start concentrating on things that really matter.
The way I see it, the world is what YOU make of it. It's the single thing that YOU have control over. Enough people want something, it happens.
oh dear, I got all deep and unmeaningful there, sorry! suffice to say, whether I think you're right or wrong - you made me think today. dammit
Andy - I'm sorry I made you think. That was very inconsiderate of me...
ReplyDeleteprejudice goes beyond white & black. Am African, Nigerian, & i certainy received a lot of 'you Nigerians' in my life time 4rm foreigners. I hurts me cos i don't fit d stereotype & i hate it wen am dumped into it.
ReplyDeletein a way, being described as 'the black/white woman/man' is not necessarily a bad thing cos dat may be d easiest thing one notices abt another person - their colour. it really does determine on d underlying msg behind d words.