I'm getting more than a little sick of the way black folks get talked about like we're exotic foreigners in our own country-- like there are all of these strange secret customs we have or something-- oh, and anything one prominent black person does is suddenly a "black thing." You see, I don't know anything about "fist bumps" but, I could could tell it was just some cute little thing Obama and his wife do. Is it just me, or is the over analysis of "the bump" as something exotic and foreign something that we would never see for a similar moment between white people? Oh-- and it's fine to call black women "baby momma" since I think some random black person said that once and so that's how we all like to think of ourselves. Yeah.
At the heart of this kind of racism is a stubborn resistance to seeing people as individuals rather than just "representatives of a race." --This is pure and vile racism and it just makes me sick that it's out there, and that the people saying these things don't even seem to know how HURTFUL it is. In their eyes no black person, not even the potential first lady can be anything more than a thug or a baby momma. Our culture isn't really seen as American, even though black people helped shape this nation in to what it is today. Our actions are always suspect, even if you go to Harvard, and do everything pretty much correctly by majority culture standards. Even if you pull yourself up by your boot straps and buck the trends, like drop out rates and teen pregnancy, if you doge the dangers and become successful, well educated, self-sufficent, and a leader you're still just another black girl from the ghetto. If black people produce something that is uplifting and good then maybe it's American, but only the crappy low-class stuff is called "black."
And the same thing happens to other minorities I'm certain. How do we move past this? When will our nation grow up?
Still, even as I write this I see all of these signs that we are growing up. A lot of people take Obama seriously and I don't think that would have happened say 15 or 20 years ago. I'm not talking about voting for him or agreeing with him, I'm talking about treating him like a viable candidate and treating him with respect. I think that's a great sign. People aren't shocked by things like interracial marriage, and we are learning to live together. There are a few kinds of racism, the older kind is the notion that based on a person's appearance-- that is, based on what race they look like, you can tell something about what kind of person they are. That kind of racism is not considered socially acceptable these days, and to the extent that it still occurs, it's more on a subconscious matter, (well except for things like this) mostly I think it's lingering biases and fears. There are still people who think that Asians are genetically more intelligent, or that black people are genetically superior athletes-- and other such nonsense, but I think these things are fading.
Culturally based racism is another matter. The whole "fist bump" flap is based on notions of cultural fear. (And the absurd thing is, I'm not even certain "fist bumps" even are a "black thing" Are they?-- Obama has been very careful to avoiding doing anything that might peg him as stereotypically black-- it's sad that he has to walk that fine line, I'm very familiar with it myself, as are many other black people I know-- But, the whole shake up over the fist bump just shows that such caution is necessary.) I think this is the area where we still have a lot of work to do. One shift, is learning to see the USA as a multicultural nation-- We have always been a multicultural nation, but it's not always acknowledged. --or when it is acknowledged it's done in a trite manner-- I remember in high school they put up some "multicultural posters" or black history month. It was a nice effort, but I have always felt that every month should be black history month, and white history month and Latino history month and Asian American history month... and-- the word AMERICAN includes me! I'm an American too damn it!
So, anything that I do is probably "American."
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