you would think that our constant predisposition of race would eventually tire out. but, just as we move on from imus, michael richards, and fox news, the world makes another u-turn and decides to go back down the heavily trodden path yet again.
yesterday, i read two articles that illustrate our vexed opinions of each other very clearly.
race as a liability. jena, lousiana. a story about a town determined to hold onto its hateful roots by hanging nooses from trees outside the local high school to scare the current 85 black student population. apparently, tradition is in the form of “no colored’s allowed” underneath a popular tree where seniors gather. the conflict has ultimately exposed a corrupt justice system where harsher penalties are given to black residents despite white residents having committed similar, if not, more serious crimes. (via chicagotribune)
race as an asset. memphis, tennessee. an editorial about the effects of professional african-americans possibly moving away from memphis because of its recently high negative crime and unemployment statistics. highlighted by its recent absence from the top ten cities for african-americans, the author ultimately reemphasizes the importance in diversity and the economical benefits of having an appeal to professional community, especially black professionals. (via commercial appeal)
so, what question do these two articles pose? it’s the same that i can’t seem to get an answer to, despite my thoughts on the history of affirmative action for whites, the tragedy of shaquanda cotton, and the incessant bickering on obama’s blackness.
why does it still matter?
i mean, we’ve been down the path of how useless race is when used as a measuring stick for character. there are countless examples of how ‘things should work’.
what do you think, ybp’s, will be the defining events that will eventually make the ‘race debate’ discussion as dumb and as old as using a floppy disk?
side note: a floppy disk, for our younger readers, was a way of saving and transferring computer files in the late 80’s, early 90’s. its maximum capacity was generally around 1.44 MB. (via wikipedia)
ETS
If the race debate gets old, it’ll be because we’re not debating it correctly. It’s already been proving that there is no science that suggests there is a difference between whites and blacks. What we need to be debating is culture. And not just between different races – but within races and within religions and within genders and within faiths, etc.
A frat brother of mine not too long ago kinda bragged that potential employers can’t tell he’s black from his resume. I thought that was wack as many companies are looking for people of color. It would suck to see you get passed over because they think you’re white, because you chose to hide your blackness.
I always view my demographics as an asset. If someone else/something else doesn’t like them, then we’re just not a good fit for each other. And that’s okay with me.
May 22, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Fredric
very well put. i guess i’m caught up in the mathematics of it all and sometimes forget the ‘culture discussion’.
i guess what makes it difficult for me, is that culture, for the most part, is self-defined. it’s like hip-hop. people define what hip-hop is, not the other way around. but i feel that the negativity mostly stems from the stereotype of what a culture is mainly because of the person’s skin color.
i would like to see the debate about race ‘get old’ because the variety of all culture and accepting different cultures is the issue, not what we look like.
May 22, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Shemeka
I view my being a young black woman as an asset. However, I did not always feel this way. I once thought if I did not have the name Shemeka that maybe…just maybe I would get more call backs. Then, I realized if I was not accepted as a young black woman named Shemeka…..then I was not really ‘accepted’ at all.
May 22, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Fredric
excellent point. no one wins when we all look, think, and act alike especially if we are all named ‘karen’.
May 22, 2007 at 10:19 pm