I had an interesting conversation about racism with a friend of mine who offered me a perspective I had not considered. I was explaining "Intuitionist" to her and we started talking about racism that exists today. Her thought was that racism exists in large part because many people are afraid to discuss it openly. I thought of the modern day comedian Dave Chappelle who is able to be so straightforward and I began to think she might be correct. It seems like everything in today's society focuses on being "politically correct" to the point where teachers and those individuals of the most influence just avoid these topics all together.
This same friend also happens to be albino and one of the first things she does when in a new group of people is crack a joke about herself to deflate the tension. She lets everyone know that she is ok with them asking any questions they might have, for her the awkard sidestepping conversations are worse than a straightforward question. I realize that not all people are as comfortable with themselves as she is, but I have to wonder if it would not be easier if they were. I think that language is a powerful tool that can be used to fight the hatred of racism, it should not be something that is ignored because it does still exist.
It also seems that it is more difficult for some races to be able to speak about racism than others. I think that if Dave Chappelle were white it would be awkward and uncomfortable to listen to his routines, but for some reason him being African American seems to make all the difference in the world. I think that in a perfect world everyone would be able to talk to each other openly and there would not be the obvious discomfort in different situations. Of course our world still has a long way to go, but a good start would be acceptance and awareness, not uncomfortable denial.
-Elizabeth
I too agree with that statement. We are so socially correct now that we cannot deal with issues directly therefore we are never conquering or addressing them. We act that if we directly talk about something we are rude or a racist. I think of all the times scientists were classified as crazy for thinking outside of the box. It is a similar thought process to a different situation.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason some races have more trouble than others is because there is history that has not been addressed...directy. These races have situations in their past that the cultures do not feel are resolved there fore they are still at war in a matter of speaking. Some things you cannot act like did not happen however you can't make everyone happy either. If you don't come together and actually talk about these issues honestly how can anything be resolved? When your mother scolds you for getting close to the hot oven. Do we hate her? I agree Liz I love this topic.
- Cassa Arnold