Greg Jones

Eng 111 53 Spring 1998

Essay 4

Differences? What differences?

The subject of race will draw a cornucopia of responses from diverse people, no matter the social setting. Some people view themselves as victims of it. Others see racism as being a historical prejudice that has been virtually overcome in our modern society. Still, the subject is considered taboo in certain circles for the fear of offending or being offended. Our perspectives on race are molded primarily from two places: relationships and the media. Aside from my early school years and few acquaintances at work, I rarely have a chance to interact with African Americans. This leaves my observations to be limited to the media s presentations of this subject. With stories such as the Rodney King beating and the O.J. Simpson trial, the media gives the impression that the differences between blacks and whites are many and great. This is why I was pleasantly surprised to find this portrayal called into question when I had the privilege of interviewing Angela Reynolds.

Angela is an African American classmate of mine. But this is not a very good description of her because, as we shall see, she doesn t look at the world through "race-tinted" glasses. Angela could be better described as a single, 18 year-old, full-time college student, who is studying to be a CIS (Computer Information Systems) major.

As we began, our interview almost immediately turned to the subject of race. Angela was adamant on her belief that we re all the same so therefore racial differences should not affect how people treat each other. I share a similar viewpoint but I go one step further. I don t even believe in race. I think that what we call race is merely aesthetic. I am convinced by my Christian

faith coupled with some reading that I have done on the subject of genetics, that the idea of race is illusory. Because of our similar views on race, Angela and I both agree that people should be judged, as Martin Luther King Jr. stated it, "by the content of their character" as opposed to the color of a person s skin.

As our conversation progressed, we discovered that neither of us celebrate any additional holidays nor hold any special customs because of our race. I was curious if Angela thought that Black History month was a good thing. In response she said, "Well, yes because of what we have been through I think that we should be, you know, allowed a month because we have been through a well some African Americans have been through a lot " I can see why most people are in favor of Black History month. Unfortunately, I don t share this view. I believe that we should treat race just as we treat any other aesthetic trait. We don t have blond history or blue-eyed history month, so why have black history month? I believe that proponents are well intentioned but the implication is that African-Americans can only derive their identity and self-esteem from the historic achievements of other African-Americans. I would argue that an African-American can derive his/her self-esteem from both George Washington and George Washington Carver. The same goes for a white person. Nevertheless, I do agree that every American needs to reflect upon the suffering that African-Americans have went through. In my mind, this partially vindicates Black History month.

As I pondered Angela s above statement regarding the suffering of blacks, I was particularly interested in the fact that she said some African-Americans have been through a lot. This led me to the question of whether Angela felt that she had ever been a victim of racism. I was astonished to hear Angela state that as far as she knew, she had never been a victim of racial discrimination. My impression from the media is that virtually all African-Americans feel that they have been victims of racism at least one time in their life. I still believe that Angela is probably the exception to the norm. A couple of years ago, I had an African-American friend with whom I was able to discuss this issue. She stated how she felt that she had been subtly subjugated to racism at one time or another. I have never, to my knowledge, been a victim of racism. This does not exclude the possibility that a minority could have made a racially derogatory statement about me behind my back.

I have generally thought that relations between blacks and whites have improved over time. Despite the fact that I have heard other African-Americans express otherwise, Angela once again surprised me with her concurrence. Also, when questioned, she expressed her opinion that approximately less than half of all whites in America are racist. I also agree with this estimation. As we discussed our perceived improvements in race relations, we both pointed out how the prosperity and popularity of notable African-Americans such as Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey was virtually unheard of before the 1960 s.

Even though I use the term, I have often thought that the label "African-American" was divisive in that it seems to express an identity towards an African heritage to be equal, if not dominant, to a black person s American heritage. As a white person, I would equally be offended if I was called a "European-American." I m an American first. I m not even sure where my ancestors came from, but it doesn t matter. Even if my ancestors had been victims of slavery or racism, this has not affected me today. When I asked Angela about the term African-American, she stated that she definitely identified with America more than Africa. She also stated that she had no preference for either the "African-American" or "black" label.

When I was a kid, I was forced to integrate to a predominantly black school. Aside from the inconvenience of being bused to a school on the other side of town in a high crime area, my experience was greatly beneficial in fostering a tolerant attitude toward minorities. Angela also sees the benefits of integration, although neither of us are certain whether or not it should be coerced.

I have never viewed racial discrimination to be limited to the traditional white against black pattern. It was in this context that I asked Angela if she thought that there might be such a thing as reverse discrimination and whether or not she had ever observed such a case. She stated that it was rare, but she has occasionally heard other African-Americans make disparaging comments against whites. She noted that when this occurs, she pays little attention to such aspersions, "I feel like, I say, we're all the same, it's just a different skin tone "

Angela is the only African-American in my class. I asked her if this made her feel uncomfortable. She responded, "I just noticed that not too long ago .When I go in there, you know, I go in there to learn and I don't go in there and say, 'Dang, I'm the only black in here.'"

It is rare that I am ever the racial minority in a group setting, but I could understand how this might make a person uncomfortable. I do frequently find myself to be in a gender minority at work because I work with mostly women, but this doesn t bother me.

In the course of our discussion, I was astonished to hear Angela make the following statement. "To me, we re all alike some white people know how to act they re more mature." Angela s experience with white people has given her the overall impression that white people, as she later put it, "carry themselves better." This actually seemed like a derogatory comment about other blacks. As for myself, I don t have a dogmatic opinion as to the overall maturity of blacks. I don t think that my experience enables me to make such a call.

I was also amazed to find that Angela tended to believe in some of the stereotypes that African-Americans are more likely to commit crimes and be poor. She didn t attribute these deficiencies to be the result of racial oppression. Instead, she sees these shortcomings to be the consequences of bad choices. As for my impression concerning these stereotypes, I am suspicious of the shadow that the media has cast on African-Americans. However, my experiences have been mixed. I have met some blacks who seem to be lazy and irresponsible, and others who are exceptional. But this observation is also true of my experiences with whites as well as any other race or ethnic group. If this stereotype of African-Americans is true, then I ascribe these disparities to be caused by a combination of things including a breakdown of the black family. This breakdown, along with real or imagined perceptions of racial tension, contributes to a proliferation of pessimism on the part of African-Americans. Ultimately, past or present racial discrimination may be a contributing factor to these impediments but if this is the case, it hasn t stopped Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey or Angela Reynolds.

Near the end of our interview, I asked Angela if she were king of the world, what she would do to prevent racism. After careful thought, she replied that she would fine racist speech/behavior in hopes of deterring racism. This provoked the following discourse:

"What if somebody says one racial slur, will they get fined if you're king of the day?"

"A Warning."

"How would you enforce that, would you have racial police walking around?"

"I'm going to have to think about that."

When we concluded this interview, I walked away realizing that, at least for Angela and I, a black girl and a white guy, despite our differences, our perspectives really aren t that much different. Even though I fear that Angela is the exception and not the norm, I can t help but be inspired by a sense of optimism and hope that racial reconciliation is on the horizon.