In Search of America

This is going to be long, but I’m not going to apologize. It was a very important post for me on a personal level. If you disagree, that’s fine, but I won’t tolerate pissed off propaganda from a white supremacist, so you can take that bullshit elsewhere. 

I finally finished watching a YouTube uploaded lecture by Tim Wise. It was a fascinating deconstruction on white privilege. I’d learned about critical “race”* theory before in my anthropology and sociology courses, but Wise wraps it up pretty nicely.

*A note on that term. It does not have any scientific basis whatsoever. The term “race” has been perpetuated for the sole usage of “race” distinction (usually linked to oppressive movements for economic and social advantages). Biologically speaking, in terms of taxonomy, race is a social construct and not a scientific construct. 

Anyway, Tim Wise also wrote a nifty piece a year ago and it really spoke to me. 

“Because those who have lived on the margins, who have been abused, maligned, targeted by austerity measures and budget cuts, subjected to racism, classism, sexism, straight supremacy and every other form of oppression always know more about their abusers than the abusers know about their victims.

They have to study you, to pay careful attention, to adjust their body armor accordingly, and to memorize your sleep patterns.

You, on the other hand, need know nothing whatsoever about them. And this, will surely prove politically fatal to you in the end. For it means you will not know their resolve. Will not fear it, as you should.”

Racism, and oppression in general, are tough subjects for people to approach because it means that one party, at some point or another, will have to make an admission about complicity in a historical event that aided in the destruction and disenfranchisement of a group of people. 

In my entire life, having lived in a region of varied ethnic diversity, I haven’t experienced blatant racism often. One instance that I distinctly recall is when a classmate called me a “chink” in third grade. I was a pretty non-confrontational child and didn’t really pay attention at the time. A week later that classmate (who was also in an after school daycare with me) said my mom had “chinky eyes” and that she probably “smelled chinky”. Filled with childish rage I beat her up. It taught me very early on that sometimes people need to be reminded about boundaries (but nonviolence is the key-something my third grade self missed). 

The above text is a very obvious example of racial stereotyping and discrimination. What many people do not always perceive, or acknowledge are the very subtle instances of racism that pervade so much of our society today. 

I am lucky to have had the advantage of a family background that is the typical American dream success story. We’re not millionaires, but not poor either. But despite having middle class distinction, a college education, street cred as a business professional and American roots through and through (born and raised on the West Coast) I still encounter gender and race stereotypes. My hair color, the shape of my eyes, my nose and skin are markers that enable others to classify me as they see fit. 

Working in a management position at an engineering firm has provided a lot of interesting insight for me as well as personal growth. I was fascinated that on the phone being distinguished as a female in an industry dominated by males had me at a disadvantage. Working face-to-face with older, white males meant that I had to work twice as hard to gain their respect. My age, my gender, my ethnicity all worked against me in that industry when truthfully they should have served me advantageously. 

Because as a younger member of society I could have provided acumen in terms of up and coming technology. Because of my gender I could have provided a female’s viewpoint on the workplace and the industry as a whole. Because of my ethnicity I could have provided a wider perspective on cultural issues. I didn’t always have the opportunity; I wasn’t always afforded this opportunity. And sometimes, to be honest, it really fucking pissed me off. I hope that whatever time I spent in that job helped in some way for someone in the future facing the same subtle problems as I did. 

Remember Alexandra Wallace from UCLA? I said it in my Facebook note and I’ll say it again. Our character has a profound effect upon our future. What are the consequences of not only undervaluing others, but also ourselves? About our level of integrity and about exercising it with empathy? That little diatribe of hers really irritated me simply because of how uncouthly shallow it was. That video is a fly on the wall in terms of other grossly committed atrocities, but it’s a good reminder of those subtle, but generally intentional, nuances of racism present in our society today. I cannot help but wonder what the hell is going through someone’s mind as they participate in society as a neo-Nazi, or misogynistic individual, etc. I mean, it really is unbelievable at times. 

I think the majority of people are inherently good, but flawed in the sense that many choose to be flagrantly irresponsible, hurtful, ignorant human beings (or perhaps just lazy?). We should expect more from others and more from ourselves. Tim Wise doesn’t tolerate oppression. I don’t either. I guess I get a little frustrated waiting for some people to catch on and just “get it”.