Todd's Views: Race

What culture do you live in? If you didn't reply with some label that includes "-American", I say, "Bull again." Check your geography. If you don't consider yourself an American, and you're not just here on vacation, then you need to do one of two things: go back to school, or leave the country.

I'm probably attempting to make a fine point with a sledge hammer, but my point is simply this, that we are all human beings. Don't look at me and call me a color unless you can call it right. I'm light reddish brown (mostly freckles, really). I'm not white. Don't label me according to culture unless you can get it right. I'm American. Not White American or Black American or Asian American or Native American or... If you have to call me anything, call me Todd.

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that, when two people are standing side by side, it's easy to specify which person you're talking about if you refer to the person's race. I'm talking about labelling, and specifically I'm targetting exclusionary practices based on race or culture.

It gripes me to no end that every culture on the planet can have a day, week, or month to celebrate a unity based on a common culture.

Unless you're of European descent. That's right --- White.

You can have a Black Pride month, or a Black Unity Club, but if you try to have a White Pride month or a White Unity Club, you're a racist on par with neo-Nazi's and skinheads.

Now you may be saying to yourself, "Todd", (which would be a funny thing to say to yourself unless, of course, your name is Todd, too), "There are many holidays based on white history, white people, white culture." To which I would reply, "Show me one." You could point to St. Patrick's Day, and I would point to the fact that that is an Irish holiday, not a "white" holiday. There are no holidays based on a "white" race.

I would go further and point you towards the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not a Black holiday. It's a humanitarian holiday. Look at what Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for and you'll see he wasn't just for Black rights. While he fought for justice and equality for Blacks, he believed in human unity. "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

Where is that brotherhood when you separate yourself from another, exclude another, based solely on the color of their skin? "In the process of gaining our rightful place, let us not be guilty of wrongful deeds."

The following was a letter I sent to someone who had created a Web site called "The Black Pages".

I was thinking of starting a "White Pages". Would you mind if I borrowed your HTML as a starting point?

Ok, actually, I'm not starting any such thing, but I've chosen you to do a little sounding off. Why "Black Pages"? Why differentiate between races at all when setting up an event or service? Would leaving off a reference to race necessarily make it "white"? And why do we still use "black" and "white" when one is actually light reddish brown and the other is dark brown? Why does a people have to be a color when the individuals' heritages are based on so many different tribes, whether the tribe was African or European? And if you feel that, once in America, all African tribes became merged into the Afro-American culture, then why can't we simply extend that and say that the Euro-American and Afro-American cultures are now merged into one American culture?

Why support and even exacerbate perceived differences that currently inspire violence, intolerance, divisiveness? Isn't there any creative language out there that would say, "African culture will be represented, all are welcome to join us"?

- I was thinking of starting a "White Pages". Would you mind
- if I borrowed your HTML as a starting point?

You may not have noticed but the White Pages has already been around for some time now. It is a copyrighted trademark of the phone company.

- Ok, actually, I'm not starting any such thing, but I've
- chosen you to do a little sounding off. Why "Black Pages"?

You may also not have realized that many people from around the world who are part of the African diaspora refer to themselves as Black. You must not have known that the vast majority of these people really don't care about your limited notion of the term, especially when you display your ignorance with such crassness. It must not have occurred to you that the term Black refers to common culture and history, whereas black refers to race.

Your automatic reaction the term Black reminds me of how Pavlov, in his well-known psychology experiment, got dogs to salivate every time they heard a bell.

- Why differentiate between races at all when setting up an
- event or service? Would leaving off a reference to race
- necessarily make it "white"?

Did you also ask yourself: "Why is there an ammendment in the U.S. Constitution that specifically refers to blacks?" According to you, it would not seem as if such a thing would be necessary.

- And why do we still use
- "black" and "white" when one is actually light reddish brown
- and the other is dark brown?

It looks like you either fell asleep in history class or your curriculum neglected to inform you that the modern use of colours to refer to race in America is attributable to the British. During their colonial era, the British established a worldwide empire. In so doing, they came into contact with many peoples they had never seen before. They found it easy to differentiate (refer to) these peoples from themselves (the British) by using colour labels.

- Why does a people have to be
- a color when the individuals' heritages are based on so many
- different tribes, whether the tribe was African or European?
- And if you feel that, once in America, all African tribes
- became merged into the Afro-American culture, then why can't
- we simply extend that and say that the Euro-American and
- Afro-American cultures are now merged into one American
- culture?

Refer to the previous statement. You may also want to send some email to Margaret Thatcher and the Queen of England.

The only confusion is your own since you haven't figured out that African American is both used as a racial and cultural term. You can thank the person who came up with political correctness for that.

- Why support and even exacerbate perceived differences that
- currently inspire violence, intolerance, divisiveness? Isn't
- there any creative language out there that would say, "African
- culture will be represented, all are welcome to join us"?

The only reason such "differences" inspire violence, intolerance, and divisiveness in America is because it is exactly such things as violence, intolerance, and divisiveness that America was built on. The "differences" are not the problem. It is the way(s) these "differences" are perceived and the value that is placed on them.

If you had done your homework and read our description page, you would have clearly seen that our database in inclusive. Anyone who has an interest in the African diaspora is welcome to include information or request it --- nowhere in our description is race even mentioned. We have contributors and requestors of all races included in our pages.

You make it obvious that you have not done much travelling outside of your country and don't talk to many immigrants and foreign nationals. If you did, you might actually get a global perspective (a clue) instead of being so caught up in your American farce.

- You may not have noticed but the White Pages has already been
- around for some time now. It is a copyrighted trademark of the
- phone company.

Geez, Larry, a little sensitive today?

--- Ok, actually, I'm not starting any such thing, but I've
--- chosen you to do a little sounding off. Why "Black Pages"? -
- You may also not have realized that many people from around the
- world who are part of the African diaspora refer to themselves
- as Black. You must not have known that the vast majority of these
- people really don't care about your limited notion of the term,
- especially when you display your ignorance with such crassness.

Crassness? Or good humored sarcasm? My limited notion is far more informed than you give me credit for, but then you took a rather knee-jerk stance to a different point of view. Open your mind Larry. Thought before anger.

- It must not have occurred to you that the term Black refers to
- common culture and history, whereas black refers to race.

Ah. Case sensitive racism. Very good.

- Your automatic reaction the term Black reminds me of how Pavlov,
- in his well-known psychology experiment, got dogs to salivate every
- time they heard a bell.

And now an emotional jibe. Nice try, Larry.

--- Why differentiate between races at all when setting up an
--- event or service? Would leaving off a reference to race
--- necessarily make it "white"?
-
- Did you also ask yourself:
- "Why is there an ammendment in the U.S. Constitution that specifically
- refers to blacks?"

Well, no, although I often ask myself why those who purport to fight racism are often the least color-blind among us.

- According to you, it would not seem as if such a thing would be
- necessary.

That of course is not what I was intimating. Setting your emotions aside, you might have seen that I was suggesting that it was a shame that we make the distinctions, not that people shouldn't be protected from those that do.

--- And why do we still use
--- "black" and "white" when one is actually light reddish brown
--- and the other is dark brown?
-
- It looks like you either fell asleep in history class or your
- curriculum neglected to inform you that the modern use of colours
- to refer to race in America is attributable to the British. During
- their colonial era, the British established a worldwide empire. In
- so doing, they came into contact with many peoples they had never
- seen before. They found it easy to differentiate (refer to) these
- peoples from themselves (the British) by using colour labels.

Well, if I meet a colonial, conquest-minded Brit, I'll be sure to slap his nasty little hand. Actually I made high marks in history, and it was not an incomplete curriculum. In fact I continue to study history.

Speaking of history, mind if I just throw out a random idea? This is off the topic, but interesting none the less. The theory currently in vogue in the Black culture states that ancient Egypt was at least in part populated by blacks (to use your terms). If that's so, and you believe in the Old Testament of the Bible or any derivative of Judaism's more ancient historical text, then you must have come to the conclusion, based on the facts and simple logic, that it was blacks that enslaved the Jews. Deep, huh? That's not the history taught in schools, but I try to keep an open mind.

[NOTE: I recently ran across a write-up on the curriculum developed in Portland, OR, based on the African-American Baseline Essays, which in part deals with the topic of the skin tone of ancient Egyptians.]

--- Why does a people have to be
--- a color when the individuals' heritages are based on so many
--- different tribes, whether the tribe was African or European?
--- And if you feel that, once in America, all African tribes
--- became merged into the Afro-American culture, then why can't
--- we simply extend that and say that the Euro-American and
--- Afro-American cultures are now merged into one American
--- culture?
-
- Refer to the previous statement. You may also want to send some
- email to Margaret Thatcher and the Queen of England.

I don't suppose you have their e-mail addresses handy, do you? Lord knows, they probably coined the phrases themselves! Damn those racist Brits of old...

- The only confusion is your own since you haven't figured out that
- African American is both used as a racial and cultural term. You
- can thank the person who came up with political correctness for
- that.

Again you assume my ignorance. I understand quite well the distinctions being made, enough to question the wisdom of making certain distinctions. Thank a person for being politically correct? Hm. I'll thank anyone for using their minds and not standing on worn rhetoric to make an argument.

--- Why support and even exacerbate perceived differences that
--- currently inspire violence, intolerance, divisiveness? Isn't
--- there any creative language out there that would say, "African
--- culture will be represented, all are welcome to join us"?
-
- The only reason such "differences" inspire violence, intolerance,
- and divisiveness in America is because it is exactly such things
- as violence, intolerance, and divisiveness that America was built
- on. The "differences" are not the problem. It is the way(s) these
- "differences" are perceived and the value that is placed on them.

Do you suppose that when Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," that he thought color lines would always exist, that America would always be divisive, violent, intolerant? Of course people are different. Always will be, and I'm thankful for that. My point, had you calmed down long enough to think on it, was that color is a difference that has been used as an excuse for such terrible injustices; must we continue to use it to imply exclusion?

- If you had done your homework and read our description page, you would
- have clearly seen that our database in inclusive. Anyone who has an
- interest in the African diaspora is welcome to include information or
- request it --- nowhere in our description is race even mentioned. We
- have contributors and requestors of all races included in our pages.

Actually, I did take a look around. Quite impressive, really. To make
myself clear, I was targetting, solely for the sake of discussion
(not argument!) the use of color, not race.

- You make it obvious that you have not done much travelling outside
- of your country and don't talk to many immigrants and foreign nationals.
- If you did, you might actually get a global perspective (a clue)
- instead of being so caught up in your American farce.

Do I? Why, Larry, I've been around the world! How misinformed you are! How prejudicial to see someone who states an opinion you disagree with as uneducated and unworldly! But then I must be speaking to someone who has travelled extensively. Surely my travels would pale next to yours, right Larry?

Larry, I have many black friends. One of my best friends is black. I was the best man at his wedding. I'm going to his house this weekend to celebrate the birthdays of his sons. You paint me as ignorant and subtly imply that I, by way of protest, am a racist. I'm nothing of the sort. I'm very anti-color though. Sorry you drew the wrong conclusion.

So I pose my question again: Why do we continue to use terms that imply differences in a way that contains negative connotations?