Folks, we have to find a better way to deal with this. Our society is made up not just of different races, but of different colours too. We have to be able to move beyond our struggle, in order that we may effectively act as one voice.
One Progressive voice raised in unison against the very things we are fighting about in private.
We are Liberals. We are tolerant and accepting of difference because we are different, not in spite of.
I am a white, approaching middle-aged, Englishman. I guess I am the same white caucasian race as the majority here in America. Whatever, I experience no racism directed against me, and cannot begin to imagine what it would be like were that so. The worst I ever get is folk giggling at my funny accent and, to be honest, that isn't something that I think I should worry about too much.
What I do understand is that Black Americans have a great deal to be angry about in the USA, in 2011. That anger is not the anger felt when someone cuts you off in traffic, or cuts i line at the store, or when folk exhibit any of the myriad of petty actions that piss us off.
It is not the anger that I feel, as a white person, when I see injustice. When I hear about an 11 year old who is facing life without parole, or the death sentence. It is not ANY of the things I get angry about, because I am not black, or brown, or Native American.
The anger, and frustration, and sense of loss, even hopelessness, that Black Americans feel as they go about their normal daily activities is emotion that I cannot comprehend, but I can accept that it is real, it is genuine and it is justified.
When black people point to their history, we need to remember that it is not "White America's" history. The view from the shoes of the oppressed is not, and can never be, the view from the armchair of the oppressor. Even if it wasn't you who did those terrible things, even if, right now, you are one of those fighting to remove the stain, provide restorative justice, examine your own prejudices. If you are not black, or brown, you cannot get it.
We may have ended slavery 100 years ago. We have not ended discrimination and intolerance. In point of fact, we have even invented new ones. If that's hard to fathom, then try being gay for a while.
One thing we do all have in common is that we are prejudiced. We all are, prejudice is colourblind. We all bring our experiences and upbringings to the party, and we all come from a place that encourages each of us to "pre-judge" situations, people, comments. Our prejudices are who we are, and it is how we deal with our prejudice that helps to either increase acceptance and awareness, or exacerbate the problem. The choice is ours, and we are defined not by our make-up, but by the choices we make.
We also have a great deal of common ground. Sometimes it seems that we struggle to find it, because our prejudices are strong, and when we allow ourselves to become angry the fist thing that goes is our judgment. We make silly comments, we inflame rather than defuse, we assume before asking for clarification. In that state the slightest word can trigger an emotional response that comes not from our conscience, but from the Stone-age. That's biology, and contrary to "other" opinion was instilled in all of us rather longer than 6000 years ago.
Actually, way back then we were probably all black ... the irony is pretty thick on the ground sometimes.
First comes acceptance ....
We have to accept that we are who we are. That Black Americans have a right to their feelings, and that we all accept our upbringings, and in the case of White Americans, that we accept our privilege.
If we can get comfortable in our own skins then we might just be able to start to redress the balance. I do not seek to draw any false equivalance here. Minority Americans are not the problem, they are the victims, and they continue to be the victims all the while we don't put down our petty anger, and fight.
If Black America demands, yes, demands that we stop what we are doing, and help, then that is a request we cannot refuse, because we have doors open to us that were slammed in their faces generations ago. We can open those doors, and let our fellow Americans in, and we should.
In the meantime, we post, chat, fight, make some progress, on the internet. It's a powerful tool for good, just ask Egypt!
We do need to listen more though. I don't mean "read a post, type a reply and hit submit", I mean listen, really listen and try to hear what is being said. To some black Americans I make a plea .... Please help us hear what you are trying to say, because we, like you, are sometimes a bit hard of hearing ... we have that in common.
I dunno. I walk where Angels fear to tread. I wasn't sure if I should type this, let alone publish it. But it is honest, as honest as my white Limey ass can be, so I hope you take it as such,and respect the honesty, even if I got it all wrong.
If you talk to me, I will try to hear you ... really!