Dannys corner: I guess Ill find out if anybody actually reads what I write, cause if they do, I expect some push-back on this one. With our current president and recent events, racism is once again becoming a “hot topic”. For years I’ve been saying that race is an issue only when we decide to make it one. I’m not suggesting that racism doesn’t exist. Obviously it does and probably always will, but it exists only because some knuckleheads (from all races) decide that race somehow matters and this world will never be without their kind. I just don’t think it’s pervasive as some would have us believe. In regards to our president, the only people I know who based their vote primarily on race, voted “for” him. Morgan Freeman was interviewed by Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes and was asked what he thought about “Black History Month”. Freeman responded that he thought it was ridiculous and didn’t want his history relegated to a month, emphasizing that Black History is American History. The perplexed Wallace then asked, “How then are we supposed to end racism”? As if focusing on race was the obvious solution. (Did I go to sleep and wake up on another planet?) Freeman’s response was brief, succinct and profound, “stop talking about it”, or as I would say “stop making it an issue”. His solution was that he should view Mike, not as a “White Man” but as Mike, and he in turn should be viewed not as a “Black Man” but as Morgan. The obscure we see eventually, the completely obvious takes a bit longer. I understand that the objective is different, but isn’t having a separate month for history based on race kind of like having separate bathrooms using the same criteria? Isn’t making any kind of decision, even if it is well intentioned, based solely on race by its very definition racism? It is not my intent to trivialize this issue. I’ve admitted that racism exists and that some people (of all races) are sometimes not treated fairly simply because of their race. No, I don’t know what it’s like to be oppressed for four hundred years, but neither does anybody else unless they have the Methuselah gene. Nor have I had to deal with “Irish need not apply” or had my native lands confiscated by newcomers, but some of my ancestors did. How long do we get to claim as our own, the sufferings of our progenitors? Obviously we should never be ashamed of our race, but I’ve always wondered why we are supposed to be proud of it. All of which brings me to an interesting turn of events in our family. I just had this conversation with someone; “What’s the temperature”? Me: “Fifty-four degrees”. Someone: “I need a sweater.” Me to myself: “You were perfectly comfortable until you were told it was a temperature that you deem chilly”. This was not the interesting turn of events I just referred to, but it is important to the story. My most recently acquired son-in-law just found out through DNA testing that one of his grandfathers was black. It’s a bit of a conundrum, not quite a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” situation, but it did provoke some interesting discussion. He jokingly said that this may explain some things, that some of the stereotypes apparently are true. (I need to keep this G-rated) He’s always been very athletic and he’s a pretty good dancer. Maybe this explains the anger he has felt all of his life. Wait a minute, he hasn’t been angry. He and I were wondering if he can now use the “N” word. Could he now be disruptive in class and not be reprimanded because it’s part of his culture? (One of his brother-in-laws who teaches eighth grade has informed us that is now policy at his school) What about Kwanzaa? His ethnicity has been the same for twenty-five years, so if race determines who we are and how we view the world then shouldn’t my son-in-law have had a different outlook on things? As he and I talked about these issues, the whole emphasis on race thing just seemed kind of silly. It’s how we choose to behave, not where we come from that determines who we are, and that is influenced far more by culture than race. Ultimately, we all view life through the eyes of our own experience. Granted, some of our experience is because of race, but we need to be careful when determining correlation and causation. My son-in-law doesn’t have to see things differently now that he’s been told that he’s black. (I know, it’s only 1/4, but in Thomas Jefferson’s day, that was enough to be an issue) anymore than I need to decide that I’m cold just because the thermometer indicates I should be. (Don’t get me started on expiration dates) I don’t see a black son-in-law, I simply see Drew, dedicated husband and father, hard working entrepreneur and really great guy. Maybe Morgan Freeman really is the voice of God.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:54:30 +0000
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