Pick Your Ethnicity!
Politics
| February 14, 2005
| Tim
Leftists are so weird. Tonight I heard a woman claim that it wasn't any of our business whether Ward Churchill was Indian or not. She said he could choose to be whatever race he wanted to be. Another supported stated: "He writes from an indiginous perspective, which is a state of mind."
You know, genetically, I'm from Danish and Welsh descent.
But I think I'm going to choose to be African American for a while.
So please, congratulate me on my new ethnicity.
Maybe I'll be Hispanic when I get bored with that.
Or Native American. That seems to have worked out well for Ward. Maybe it's time I got me some of that.
And what is the "state of mind" necessary to be one of these groups? Leftist, of course. Amazingly, just by being a leftist, you can be any ethnicity. And, even if you are black, Hispanic, or whatever, if you're NOT a leftist, you're not really that ethnicity either.
Could I spout leftist doctrine for $110,000 a year? Hmmm...
Welcome to the 'brother hood'
But
You have no idea what is to be like non-white guy do u :p:
Welcome to the 'brother hood'
But
You have no idea what it is to be like non-white guy do u :p:
Imran asks: You have no idea what it is to be like non-white guy do u
I'm not sure how to answer that. On one hand, I could always say the lame "I have lots of friends who aren't..." line, and it would be true. And I'd like to think I've learned something from all that dialogue, reading, and thought.
On the other hand, I'm perfectly comfortable confessing, at a deep experiential level, I have no clue what it's like to be another ethicity. (But isn't that true of everyone?)
But that's precisely my point: I have no more "life-experiential" clue about what it's like to be, say, black than Ward Churchill does to be Indian. He's every bit as white as I am, and every bit as non-Indian.
If he can be "Indian" by just reading about it, having opinions about it, and perhaps having hung around with Indians, then I can be quite a number of ethnicities on the same basis.
The positions are equally absurd.
Except in my case, everyone understands that. In his case, for some reason, his supporters imagine his political views verify his authenticity. As though the true test of being a Native American was holding extremist anti-American views.
(Don't try telling a Navajo that!)
And your statement seems a bit telling too, as it, perhaps unconsciously, divides the world up into "white" and "non-white". (This is common, so I'm not faulting you particularly.)
The idea implied is that approximate skin tone determines affinity and outlook -- as though a Christian Laotian refugee will have more in common with a Jamaican Rastafarian, Nepalese Buddhist, or Saudi Wahabi cleric than with a white Christian.
But that's absurd. For example I had far more in common with a very black African girl I dated than with many white left-leaning European friends. (I've gotten the same impression from several other African acquaintances as well.)
Sure, skin color has some impact. But I personally think its influence pales (haha) in comparison to religious beliefs, political ideals, upbringing, culture, and/or personal style.
But hey, that's just one man's opinion, and I'm open to evidence to the contrary.
Never been hunted as a 'noplease' are you?
Once a Eoropian hunter came from Africa. His folks asked what did you hunt. Hunter said: "3 Elephants, a Lion and 19 nopleases"
Folks asked, "WTF is noplease?"
Hunter said, "I dunno. It's short, black, thin and runs waving his hands and shouting, 'noplease, noplease'"
Anti-white racist joke, eh?
So would you view it as 'racist' if someone told a similar joke about a Muslim in Africa capturing slaves?
(Or one in Europe?)
Or do you hold others to different standards than the one you hold yourself to?
There are people of every race and color who have done both bad and good. We should look at the individual, not some unchosen external characteristic, nor what someone who looked like them did.
Racism is truly an equal-opportunity employer.
If you're asking if I've ever been attacked, assaulted, or spoken badly of simply because of the color of skin, the answer is yes, to each. My first memory of meeting a person of a different skin color involves me being physically assaulted by them, and being told, explicitly and directly, it was because of my skin color. In fact, a parent was there, instructing them to do it, and instructing them to tell me it was because of my skin color. To name one incident.
Why are these details of my personal life so important to you?
And what bearing does it have on the idea that race isn't socially constructed?
It sounds like you have an axe to grind.
Perhaps you too could assault me if it would make you feel better? I will offer you my face, and you may strike it. Then I will turn the other cheek so you can strike me again. Go ahead, take your hatred out on me. I have a nice, white face which has been struck many times; I will pose you no threat.
If someone of a pale skin color has hurt you, then I hope you'll forgive them as you youself would wish to be forgiven. You truly do have my sympathy, and I'll agree with you that that was a very bad thing to do. Sadly, I cannot apologize to you on their behalf because I do not speak for another 'white' person any more than I speak for other right-handed ones. That's between you, them, and God.
I believe we all have quite enough to account for for own on individual sins, without needing to go blaming others for things which someone completely different did. The world is bad enough as it is, Imran, without that kind of nonsense.
Somehow, we've learned to condemn racism when it happens in people of one skin color, but we think it's suddenly okay for another. No, it's not. It is a profound form of hatred not to hold 'minorities' to the same ethical standards that the 'majority' is to be held. It means that less is expected because they are capable of less.
You have my sympathy, and I will pray for you, and you have my agreement that all such injustices are wrong.
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Welcome to the 'brother hood'
But
You have no idea what is to be like non-white guy do u :p:
Posted by: Imran Aziz on February 22, 2005 01:36 PM