Race
Erik Tisthammer wrote this to me on Facebook. I edited it a little to make it a blog post. Sorry, Erik, I didn't post this earlier. I leave it as it is, and allow for any discussion as desired. Here it is:
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I know we joke and talk a lot about race, but I was wondering if you would post a column on your blog just talking about what progress, or lack of progress has been made in the last forty years. The only thing that really spurred me in asking you to do this was considering I'm engaged to a 'minority', I laugh when i say that, and this article that i just read this afternoon:
http://www.msnbc.msn
or
http://www.msnbc.msn
It's kind of long but a good read. I have a lot of comments myself relating to this but it's your blog so you might as well start us off.
Or maybe I can be a guest columnist?
Oh yeah, the big reason this is happening now is b/c this weekend baseball is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier for MLB [again sorry, Erik, for not getting this out earlier].
- Erik
posted by Chris Hill @ 4/23/2007 09:27:00 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I think it's come a long way, longer than most people think. I could be completely wrong. I guess I'll probably just come out sounding racist but oh well. I think some of the biggest problems are within certain races themselves. I think if someone walks around thinking that everyone hates them then they are in a way putting up a wall just by saying the other person is putting up a wall if that makes any sense. Anyway, since I guess my parents are an interracial couple then I guess I am an interracial kid and I've never really thought anything of it. I guess it will truly be accepted when people don't care enough to write articles on it.
PS I do hate dealing with the stereotypes. AFrican Americans are always complaining about thiers. I hate it when people assume that Caucasian/Asian kids are supposed to be good looking and smart and work in health care. Those are a lot harder to live up to.
People always ask me what my ancestry is...seriously, within 5 minutes of meeting someone it always comes out. And when I tell someone what I am they always say "...that's a strange combo" or sometimes I get the "oh, those Asian/Euro mixes are always so good looking." You would think I'd have developed some sort of response to the later but I haevn't yet.
I've seen some pretty funny race videos recently. That will be my next blogh post.
I like how you spelled blogh. Was that on purpose? It's a funny spelling - kind of like a mixed race of spellings.
I think, Mark, you're right on many accounts, especially that it will truly be accepted when people don't care enough to write articles on it. However, I wonder if, on that point, that some write about interracial marriage, etc. in order to stir more racial division. The Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons (and much worse people) of the world seem to desire diversity over unity. They seem to want to separate, almost as a way to be able to complain about their woes, and thus get special treatment. I wonder if they really want interracial marriage and equality.
Lastly, I think you're good looking too, and if that makes me a racist... well, then call me a racist.
chris you're still a gem.
I have the same sentiments as mark. I'm not an interracial kid, my kids will be because I'm engaged to someone who is dominican, but I think the media's emphasis on diversity will go away when there is no need to write about it. I think people can also exploit it and use it as an excuse for their failings. Racism still does occur, no question, but not at the level or intensity as it did forty years ago.
I think our generation is so exposed to different races that someones color is only an afterthought. There is an interesting book, I've only seen excerpts, called Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in 2000 by John Mcwhorter. (He's an african-american too so no one go down that road).
He analyzes the seeming contradiction that in the 1950's and 60's, racism was more overt and violent than it is now, but families held together (to include marriages and children not raised by single mothers) and violence was much less frequent than it is 40 years later when more doors have been opened and opportunities given.
Yeah, I think it's pretty clear why there are more problems: people looked to the government to solve them. Government became the father for minority communities (mostly black communities), and real fathers left. It was initially done with good intentions, but has since caused a lot of the problems seen in the inner city. Show me where welfare money is spent and I'll show you a high crime area.
A different movement, that being one of equality regardless of race, happened at the same time. That is why, as a culture, there is much less racism today. I think some took part of this movement and saw it as a license to give money (hence the giver gets more power) and a license to get money (and those who took it hurt their communities beyond repair).
I say it is distinct, because the libertarian-conservatism that still exists in some of the Republican Party (the part I consider myself part of) is pro-equality (very few people aren't anyway) and anti-welfare. The distinction was shown back when Republicans pushed for civil rights acts, and Democrats pushed for welfare benefits.
To clarify (for any foreigners reading this... see the VA Tech discussion): Not all Democrats are racist, nor do they all use it to gain power, and not all Republicans are non-racist (and today many still keep power by handing out free money to urban areas). It overlaps. But the general terms I spoke in regarding history are true.
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