There are some things I just don't understand. Some things, although I know they exist, simply defy all attempts at logic or explanation. This is one of them.
I know that there are folks in the world who think they are superior to another because of their skin color. But it makes no sense to me. I also know that there are people who were brought up in a home where race was an issue. I'm fortunate enough to have been brought up in a home where it wasn't. Acknowledging someone's skin color for me is like noticing their eye color, hair color, or body shape/size. It's a physical characteristic, but it's not who that person is.
So, I don't understand.
I also acknowledge that we don't understand all of the different aspects to the various and way-too-plentiful cases where race plays a part in these kinds of things. We don't know the back story, and we are evaluating based on what we can see in the tiny window of opportunity we are given to view these things. This limits us significantly, and causes us to miss things that are intrinsic to the experience these two people had.
I further acknowledge that police officers are often maligned inappropriately. They have a difficult job, and are called on to make quick decisions about a situation to evaluate if deadly force is necessary. I've been trained in the use of deadly force, and it is a terrible responsibility. I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions.
But.
There is a very ugly pattern here that points to something that is terribly distressing.
This is not about assuaging my white man's guilt. This is about addressing something that is alive and well in our society. I am a white man, and I will never know what it's like to be afraid to walk down the street EVERY DAY.
I may have mentioned it in an earlier post, but I recently listened to a radio program where the presenter was talking about race. As a black man, he said, he had to be careful how he overtook people running at the local track. He said he - consciously or subconsciously - did things to diminish his impact or posture in this setting. If, for example, he was going to overtake a couple of white women, he would do things to make them aware of his presence before he got to them so they wouldn't feel threatened. He also noted that he chose his athletic gear to demonstrate that he was "harmless".
In fact, it is the rest of our society (?) that is causing this man harm. What a horrible, evil thing to consider... It breaks my heart.
White privilege persists. We are not in a post-racial society. Maybe we should never be - race is an important part of our world culture and heritage, and racial differences can be uses to celebrate diversity and beauty in all its forms. But we should never, ever forget the terrible costs associated with associating a particular skin color with privilege or advantage at the expense of another.
I know that there are folks in the world who think they are superior to another because of their skin color. But it makes no sense to me. I also know that there are people who were brought up in a home where race was an issue. I'm fortunate enough to have been brought up in a home where it wasn't. Acknowledging someone's skin color for me is like noticing their eye color, hair color, or body shape/size. It's a physical characteristic, but it's not who that person is.
So, I don't understand.
I also acknowledge that we don't understand all of the different aspects to the various and way-too-plentiful cases where race plays a part in these kinds of things. We don't know the back story, and we are evaluating based on what we can see in the tiny window of opportunity we are given to view these things. This limits us significantly, and causes us to miss things that are intrinsic to the experience these two people had.
I further acknowledge that police officers are often maligned inappropriately. They have a difficult job, and are called on to make quick decisions about a situation to evaluate if deadly force is necessary. I've been trained in the use of deadly force, and it is a terrible responsibility. I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions.
But.
There is a very ugly pattern here that points to something that is terribly distressing.
This is not about assuaging my white man's guilt. This is about addressing something that is alive and well in our society. I am a white man, and I will never know what it's like to be afraid to walk down the street EVERY DAY.
I may have mentioned it in an earlier post, but I recently listened to a radio program where the presenter was talking about race. As a black man, he said, he had to be careful how he overtook people running at the local track. He said he - consciously or subconsciously - did things to diminish his impact or posture in this setting. If, for example, he was going to overtake a couple of white women, he would do things to make them aware of his presence before he got to them so they wouldn't feel threatened. He also noted that he chose his athletic gear to demonstrate that he was "harmless".
In fact, it is the rest of our society (?) that is causing this man harm. What a horrible, evil thing to consider... It breaks my heart.
White privilege persists. We are not in a post-racial society. Maybe we should never be - race is an important part of our world culture and heritage, and racial differences can be uses to celebrate diversity and beauty in all its forms. But we should never, ever forget the terrible costs associated with associating a particular skin color with privilege or advantage at the expense of another.
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