What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009.As Socrates once said, “As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.”
White people (like me) should remember that sentiment as they think about the Henry Louis Gates / Cambridge PD conflict. What white people know about being black in America is very little. Our approach to racial situations should be guided by that core premise.
Every single second of every single day being black could mean that you get treated differently. I literally can’t imagine what that’s like.
That doesn’t mean white people are racist, or indifferent, or not liberal enough. Maybe any of us are one or all three, but most meaningfully, we are white. And it doesn’t mean we are lazy and won’t understand what it’s like to be black. It’s just not something you learn, like carpentry or poker.
That isn’t a flaw, but it is a barrier. And it’s potentially destructive when awareness of that barrier dims. That’s when only the things we understand matter, and prejudice goes right by us as we celebrate the Civil Rights Act, MLK Day, and Obama’s election.
I’m not a self-hater. Of course white people have been a major part of racial progress. But we need to remember that, outside the headlines, bigotry can be a daily, crappy fact of life for African-Americans. Just because we don’t or can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Nice. The fact that the President was roundly criticized for speaking from the black experience tells you we are not “there” yet. And since when are cops above criticism? Part of our collective consciousness is still in the Bush era. Good luck with your blog.
What is truly sad is how conservative media used this as wedge issue to drive people further apart on race. Good blog and good luck.
Actually one of many challenges which individuals beginning a brand new on-line firm face is that of acquiring guests to their net site.