Though we may be able to recreate this situation, we will never be able to fully comprehend how this guy felt at that moment.
Racism itself is fascinating to me. For some reason, dark colored skin has been considered an inferior trait for thousands of years. The caste system in India is based on skin color, the Europeans enslaved Africans, and Native Americans were seen as less-than-human savages by explorers. To this day I cannot see why people would view such a superficial trait as a judge of character. I am not saying that I am immune to racism; I sometimes catch myself stereotyping people because of associations I have made from past experiences. But to me, my judgments seem justified. But upon further reflection, I realized that everyone probably thinks their views are justified—why else would they make them?
Racism is far from an American plague--this video shows how prevalent racism is in Europe, and how absurd situations can get.
I decided to look from the other side: how are the racists’ views formed? Their parents probably taught them the hatred, and provided evidence for their stances. Toni Morrison offers a penetrating view into a child’s delicate mind. Pecola is dumbfounded by her social stance in her world, but cannot seem to explain to herself why it is such. She is forced to believe that she “belonged to them.”[1] Just as her hatred for herself is formed, so must be the hatred of a racist. Pecola will always hold a deep contempt for her existence, and after years of living in this way, convincing her otherwise would be an impossible feat. I watched a documentary about a Navy ship last year, and one episode dealt with a racist crew member. The captain tried desperately to explain that any black soldier on the boat would risk their life to save his, but the racist still hated them for the color of their skin. He was discharged. I was amazed that even with such compelling evidence for the morality of the ethnic sailors, the racist was still unconvinced. He was as stubborn as Pecola.
Again, I took another viewpoint. The view of the discriminated is as complex as the racists. Many people are taught from a young age that they are inferior, just as Pecola was. Claudia and Frieda both felt as if their dark skin deemed them less desirable than the lighter-skinned Maureen; “If she was cute—and if anything could be believed, she was—then we were not.”[2] The self-restricting hate towards “acting white” is passed on through generations of black families, and the kids are taught to reject academic success and formal speech from a young age. Why this happens baffles me; if acting white is to speak intelligently and embrace scholastic achievement, then what defines “acting black?” Still, the blame for this view does not rest on the naivety of the children. The view is embedded in the culture, and is not adopted like a fashion statement—it becomes part of their cultural identity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acting_white
This article briefly explains acting white and the term's origin.
If we are ever to truly end racism, it will not be through laws or supreme court decisions. It will have to go beyond “cash[ing]… a check that will give us…the riches of freedom and the securities of justice.”[3] Both whites and blacks alike must be taught to discard their notions of inherent superiority or inferiority—especially the inferiority complex. There is no easier way to find failure than to assume that it is inevitable or deserved. It is no longer an issue of legality; now, racism is a matter of self-image, and the ability to try to see life from the other side.
This picture always reminds that my perspective is only one in a billion, and that I should strive to go beyond the way I see things.
