I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. What I do know is that no matter how you describe yourself, if you are an American citizen, you are likely unhappy with the state of American politics. I recently had a conversation with a friend who votes differently than myself and it was illuminating. We should all find people we trust to share our political beliefs with, because ultimately they are who we are. Our political beliefs are built on the foundations of our souls. I am a socialist. Not because I want to share 1/2 of what I have with everyone (could y’all really stop reducing it to that inadequate statement, it reveals your ignorance), but because I believe every human on this planet is the same. From a basic biological level (Evolution), our only NEED is to find a partner, make a family and take care of that family so that they can do the same. We all want to teach our children the ways of our ‘tribe,’ however you define that.
America’s history of slavery has colored everything about our future. Some white folk prefer to live in denial. I totally get it. I love denial. It’s literally my favorite coping mechanism. The problem with ‘just get over it’ or ‘forget about it, it doesn’t affect you’ and other such thoughts is that they aren’t possible. Everything creates a down stream ripple effect in every direction. Like a rock falling in a pond.
I know that we all (at least in the open) agree that discrimination is wrong and it shouldn’t exist, it is challenging to think about the ripple of openly admitting what happened and continues to happen. I find it difficult. No one wants to have negative thoughts about themselves or ‘their tribe’ and they definitely don’t want to think about potential consequences. But we all know, like a child that is dishonest with his parent, the ramifications of The Lie are far more severe than the truth itself. Many many white people find it difficult to admit the inequality in America. I think some black people find it difficult themselves. I get it. We’ve lived with it for so many years. My mother remembers segregation. Her mother remembers Jim Crow. I imagine that her mother remembered slavery. My family has few generations (my mother 34 when she had me, her mother 40 when she had her and being the youngest of 9 on a farm, her mother was no spring chicken either).
We are all human. We are all fallible. We all believe some story inherited from our tribe that likely has some basis on fact. But, we are all Human. Why should some of us own land or other people or as it pertains to today ‘own’ an unfair privilege to the American Dream. But I hear you saying, ‘I or someone else I knew worked their way from the bottom.’ That may be true. Admitting that black people are at a disadvantage in America doesn’t take that away from you. It doesn’t disqualify your success. The point is that we are all human. We all have ‘inalienable rights’ not just those with the right colored skin.
My privilege that may seem unclear or un-obvious is that my parents were married, they were both college educated (as were their parents), and they owned their own home. They were also alcoholics. Because, like many, they felt they were undervalued by everyone. The reality is that they undervalued themselves. Those of us that have ‘succeeded’ in breaking the cycle have learned that. Literally every human being I’ve met has feelings of being ‘less than.’ The difference is how we handle those feelings and that is typically taught by ‘our tribe.’ In America, our tribe tells us that those with white skin are harder working, more intelligent and we may not subscribe these things to our skin color but we also have a sense of ‘feeling special’ and ‘better’ and that’s why we are successful. I hate to break it to you and I know you don’t want to receive what I am saying, but we are not different. Outside of the variation caused by melanin, tyrosinase and sun exposure we are all the same fundamental beings. Whether our ancestors are from Africa, Asia, India, South America, North American, wherever- we all contain the same DNA code in our cells. Unfortunately, humans are not as altruistic as we’d care to admit, and the difference comes from how we treat each other. And it isn’t clear on how to ‘fix’ this, so denial is much easier. Religion is a big part of the problem that we can tackle another day.
Denying that slavery still impacts the success of people of color today, is not OK. Does the thought of retribution stop you from admitting the problem? That is scary. If that scares you then what we need to do is ‘level the playing field.’ Everyone needs access to the same education. The same healthcare. The same level of support to be successful. That is true ‘opportunity.’ That does not currently exist. The reason that people of color make less money per dollar than a ‘white’ person is not because we are special. It’s because we were taught by our immediate ‘tribe’ that college is how we become successful. Hard work is how we become successful. Being unique and original is what makes us successful. And we have the support (social and financial) to believe that and make it reality.
You may say that college is not necessary for success. It’s not 100% necessary but if you want a white collar job it is- 99 times out of 100. Do I believe that there are people qualified for white collar jobs that didn’t go to college? Absolutely. But college teaches more than the skill to do your job. It teaches you how to open your mind and hear different (and multiple) ‘tribal’ messages. So you are no longer secluded by the belief system of your family. You can realize that facts are not always truth. Not because of the fact itself, but that there are always multiple interpretations of the facts. And what ultimately matters, the fact itself or the effect it has?
MumGene 