Many of my friends have been sharing a preview clip from the documentary “Dark Girls”, a film about the struggles of darker skinned black women in western culture. It’s an issue I’ve wrestled with on my own and read a lot about, and I was glad someone wanted to take a deeper look at it. However, what stood out to me was a (white) person who commented on the video, 'thank you for sharing this, I’m not sure if I would have known about it any other way.'I’m glad that person decided to check the video out, because I believe “not knowing” contributes a lot to race relations in this country. When the movie “Good Hair” came out, I was completely shocked that most (white) people didn’t realize that black women’s hair doesn’t grow straight. Coming to college, I learned that a lot of elements of black history that were second nature to me were completely unheard of to many. I guess that one week of black history is not enough each year isn’t enough.
From microaggressions like being asked if your hair is real, to larger problems like being rejected from a job due to assumptions based on your race, a lot of problems for people of color are caused by those in the majority having no idea about issues that are a part of everyday life for those in the minority. Not knowing about systematic racism and its effects is probably why some people white people get so angry at affirmative action & HBCUs, and why many white people think they are “losing” the “racism game” .
It’s not surprising that a lot of white people just don’t know. The same system that maintains privilege for those that are white, male, straight and cis gendered also silences the voices of those who aren’t. White people don’t have to know about the everyday lives of minorities because they don’t have to have meaningful interactions with them if they choose not to. That’s why even though the memories brought back by the “Dark Girls” clip were painful, I’m glad they were getting a wider audience, especially in light of the recent “black women are scientifically uglier than everyone else” scandal. But it’s impossible to grow from an experience that is different from your own without giving it a fair listen.
One of the most powerful tools against prejudice is knowledge. If you’ve been following this blog and find yourself agreeing with some of what you see, but not quite knowing what to do now, get to reading. If there’s a person of color upset at a situation, and you think they are being unreasonable… maybe there’s a dynamic to it that you just don’t know about. White people can’t erase their privilege, but they can increase their knowledge.
See also:
White History Month
Dr. Tatum: What is Racism?
Pepsi Max Superbowl Commercial: Love Hurts
This is a concept I have tried so often to find words to express. That often a racial offense isn't just the act or words said, but the fact that the offending party doesn't even know enough to realize she is being hurtful. Somehow I can never quite articulated it well. Thanks, City Athena.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm going to risk sticking my neck out here.....
ReplyDeleteI'm first going to give my credentials which include marching with Dr. Martin Luther King and living and working in three different African-American inner city communities over the years.
I agree that there is a significant amount of ignorance about cultural and physical differences between races and cultures. I recall going to 6th grade in the almost entirely black inner city community I lived in in Chicago and having many people play with and pull my hair because they had never experienced white hair before. I got many strange questions about "white people". And I experienced racial aggression as I was threatened each and every day with being beat up and I was called a white "honky".
Fortunately, in spite of the negative parts of those experiences, the time I spent living and working with people different than myself was extremely formative, educational and cherished. I have also lived and worked in Native American communities and in Latin America.
I think that helping people "walk in each other's shoes" is a tremendously important part of healing the wounds of the past and reducing or eliminating (God help us -- I hope that is possible!) racism.
But, referring to genuine questions about hair or any other aspect of cultural differences as "microaggressions" sets us back. It makes people think that they should not risk trying to form any genuine relationships for fear that simple ignorance, saying the wrong thing, or expressing an actual interest in learning more will be perceived as racism.
I think it takes away from dealing with REAL racism -- the kind where there is actual hatred, not just lack of experience or knowledge. In fact, this kind of judgmental language can even create racism, or certainly a feeling of negativity, where none existed before.
Folks, at some point, we all need to put aside our reactions and reach across this chasm with love and forgiveness if we are ever going to put racism behind us.
Hi, I'm the author of the post.
ReplyDeleteI'm working with this definition of microagressions:
Racial microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color.
Fact is, whether one means to or not, those questions of cultural differences can and do hurt. The fact that a white person can reach adulthood without understanding the basic realities of someone who is of a different race is shocking and a sign of how separated the majority is from everyone else and is another sign of the fact that the power structure is still set up in the favor of white people.
Hair is a great example, because while the black kids in you knew in Chicago may have never experienced a white person's hair up close and in person, it's a guarantee they saw it on television, in magazines, on barbie dolls, and on billboards. There was no way for them to grow up in America without seeing white hair & white beauty displayed as the ideal around them. I'm not surprised in the least that the children you were around were fascinated by your hair.
Conversely, a white person growing up around white people may not ever see a black person's hair the way it grows naturally. They don't have to, unless they happen to see it in a black magazine or black TV show. So like I said before, it's not surprising that one would be ignorant... but one doesn't have to be. The magazine with the black woman on the cover doesn't have to skipped over, the black kid doesn't have to be ignored on the first day of school... but so often they are, and thus a white person grows up and doesn't ever learn about people who are different than them.
So when that white person asks (no matter how innocently) a question about something seemingly basic (like hair) it grates. It's a reminder of the fact that black people are not the norm, that how they we are doesn't quite belong with the rest of America. It's a reminder of that power imbalance. And no matter how innocently those questions are asked, it hurts. How could you not know the very basics about me and my race, when I HAVE to know quite a bit about your race just to make it in the world?
Ignorance is just as hurtful and harmful as hatred.
I do like what you said at the end though. "at some point, we all need to put aside our reactions." No one ever said educating yourself would be easy. Sometimes people ask insensitive questions, and people get upset. But please understand where those feelings are coming from. To a white person, it may be just an innocent question, but to the person of color they are talking to, it's just another symptom of the "real racism" that holds us all back.
City's Athena's response covers a lot here. I'll just add a couple of cents.
ReplyDeleteTo some extents these discussions depend upon an agreed definition of "real racism." Does racism require intent? Or hatred? Need it be large blatant acts, or do small insults (both conscious and unconscious) accumulate to establish a larger culture of problems and inequality?
In my marriage, for example, we rarely commit major acts of aggression against each other, but rather small things end up wearing on us over time. Both the intentional (choosing to say something hurtful), the unintentional (forgetting to put away the dishes), and even the unknown (pushing a emotional button that exists because of previous relational baggage). It is these sorts of things that contribute to larger interpersonal strife.
Then, when I finally blow up and yell at my partner because of something that has been building over time, from his perspective it is an overreaction and highly unfair, and he is indignant. I shouldn't have treated him that way, but it doesn't change the legitimacy of my frustrations. I think contemporary racial relations are often the same way: a constant low-lying barrage of insults that accumulate to form a major problem that is highly emotionally charged.
I can understand that the term "microaggression" implies a certain intentionality and hostility that truly might not be there in a world where racist is so subconscious. Maybe it perpetuates an us vs them mentality that we should strive to minimize. Perhaps “micropredjudice” would be more appropriate? Not sure, because truly a lot of aggression does still exist. I have discussed the term in the past on BTSF and the post includes a link to the research article that first coined the term ‘microagression’: http://tiny.cc/d4wn2.
Thanks for your thoughtful response which was both educational and insightful. I understand the term "micro-aggression" more now.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like about the term itself, though, is that it implies intent and therefore makes people defensive instead of open to hearing more. "Micro-prejudice" may be more accurate. What hurts when someone who is Caucasian gets an angry reaction is that most of the time the question is truly ignorant or innocent. And... if we aren't willing to put aside reactions to engage in education, how does that person ever become less ignorant? It becomes a vicious cycle that never stops. Many, many white folks are afraid to engage in a conversation because they fear saying the wrong thing. Don't you think this is counter productive?
I am a big advocate of consciousness raising that helps people get past their fear. We should help people learn, not just condemn them for their ignorance and react , no matter how justifiable that reaction may be.
And, obviously, we both agree that the institutionalize racism, as well as the media bias, both are overdue to be addressed. I have been noticing on TV how many shows feature white central characters, with African-American's kicked "upstairs" to ancillary roles as police sergeant, chief, boss, and so forth. This does two things -- first, it gives the *appearance* of racial inclusion, but without really making them the main object of the story, and second, it gives the illusion that in the real world African Americans (and, by the way, also women) are in such positions of power in high numbers. And of course, we know that they are NOT.
Here's to keeping up the good efforts for reconciliation and truth!
Brava! Excellent thoughts. I tried to touch on some of that on yesterdays' post, though it is sometimes hard to articulate clearly. Stay tuned as several upcoming posts will wrestle with these concepts. of angry reactions to innocent questions, and the major counterproductive/self0perpetuating result that is white folk's fear to converse--you identify such salient concerns.
ReplyDeletePartially, this phenomenon is why it is so essential that we raise up redeemed white people to help educate other white folks. We can be uniquely positioned to share our new-found knowledge, thus lessening the burden and pain incurred by POC during racial healing, all while having an intimate perspective on what is like to be on the receiving end of such education. Being one degree removed from the direct effects of racism, perhaps we can mroe easily tap into patients and calm as we respond, helping to break the viscous cycle.
Great observations with the media too. I am sure TV producers pat themselves on the back for not only being 'inclusive,' but for portrayals of POC in positions of power. It is so interesting that it can, in fact, cheapen the conversations about race that need to happen and fool the public into thinking that we are 'post racial.'
City's Athena's response covers a lot here. I'll just add a couple of cents.
ReplyDeleteTo some extents these discussions depend upon an agreed definition of "real racism." Does racism require intent? Or hatred? Need it be large blatant acts, or do small insults (both conscious and unconscious) accumulate to establish a larger culture of problems and inequality?
In my marriage, for example, we rarely commit major acts of aggression against each other, but rather small things end up wearing on us over time. Both the intentional (choosing to say something hurtful), the unintentional (forgetting to put away the dishes), and even the unknown (pushing a emotional button that exists because of previous relational baggage). It is these sorts of things that contribute to larger interpersonal strife.
Then, when I finally blow up and yell at my partner because of something that has been building over time, from his perspective it is an overreaction and highly unfair, and he is indignant. I shouldn't have treated him that way, but it doesn't change the legitimacy of my frustrations. I think contemporary racial relations are often the same way: a constant low-lying barrage of insults that accumulate to form a major problem that is highly emotionally charged.
I can understand that the term "microaggression" implies a certain intentionality and hostility that truly might not be there in a world where racist is so subconscious. Maybe it perpetuates an us vs them mentality that we should strive to minimize. Perhaps “micropredjudice” would be more appropriate? Not sure, because truly a lot of aggression does still exist. I have discussed the term in the past on BTSF and the post includes a link to the research article that first coined the term ‘microagression’: http://tiny.cc/d4wn2.
A comment copied from the 'Perpetual Foreigner' post may berelevant here:
ReplyDeleteFirst from Alex H:"
I've heard "European American" before. White racist/nationalist groups use it. It would have been a good "neutral" term, but David Duke ruined it for everyone. "
And mt response: "ha! Right! You bring up a good point: many times the baggage of our racial history painfully encumbers otherwise innocuous terms/situations/conversations.I think this phenomenon is actually a source of a lot of discord. White folks sometimes think they are making an innocent comment (or even a 'complement'!), but are too unaware of the racial baggage to realize that in the context of our history it's inappropriate. Then, that ignorance itself can become more offensive than the comment at hand, leaving the person of color receiving the comment hurt/frustrated and white person indignant at the offense taken! All because there are lasting consequences to corporate racial sin that continues to infect normal/everyday things--like the term 'European American.' Long response to a simple, but thought-provoking point. Thanks Alex!"