Why Does Skin Color Matter?
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How many organizations have you come across that have the color of the skin of its members in the name of that organization? Or maybe it included their ethnicity? Or maybe their sexual preference?I’ll bet that of the ones that came to mind, not one of them had “white”, or “American”, or “straight” in their names. Am I right? Yet we see more often than not names like:
- The Organization of Black Airline Pilots Inc.
- Chicago Chinese Computing Professional Association
- Gay & Lesbians Alliance Against Defamation
- Association for the Advancement of Mexican-Americans
These are all real organizations. They all have the best interests of their members at heart. But they’re also telling everyone outside of their organizations that other people come second. True, they won’t tell that to your face, but the whole purpose of their existence is to provide a benefit of some sort to their members based on their skin color, ethnicity/nationality, or sexual preference.
Now I’ll make a subtle switch:
- The Organization of White Airline Pilots Inc.
- Chicago Americans Computing Professional Association
- Heterosexual Alliance Against Defamation
- Association for the Advancement of Americans
What’s coming to mind? How about these:
- Club for White Men
- Americans for Border Protection
- Straight Men & Women Association
Striking any nerves yet? Are those last three causing you to think they’re racist somehow, or hate people from other nations, or hate gays and lesbians? I’m guessing that more people would think those things than not, and that’s what disturbs me.
What do you think?
Do you think the pendulum has swung to the other end of the spectrum? Has it gotten to the point where the special interest groups now cry foul if you do nothing more than copy their methodology yet simply change the name to show your own interest?
What about groups like these:
- The Home Buyers Association
- Association of Journalistic Standards
- Opera House Renovators
- Doctors Without Borders
- Friends for Deaf Children
Granted, some I made up, but even so, they all demonstrate a commonality based on characteristics that are devoid of controversy when you take them at face value. They can benefit their members while simultaneously benefiting those they’re focusing on.
So Doctors Without Borders benefits its members by providing the means for doctors to do good for others, while benefiting those they make healthy. The Association of Journalistic Standards (something I made up) could give their members the gratification of knowing they’re setting quality standards and procedures for writing in the media, while benefiting audiences everywhere who will read or listen to what is written or said in the media.
I long for the day when we can stop isolating ourselves from one another and simply live as one.
Leave a Comment
February 12, 2008 at 12:51 am
Whoa… that is deep. So basically what you are saying is that it has become accepted to have things like BET (Black Entertainment Television) in the society we live in; however, if someone created WEN (White Entertainment Network) then blacks, hispanics, and other races would call whites racist?
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February 12, 2008 at 2:16 am
If you have never been a visble minority you do not know whaty you are talking about. I had a german girlfriend who was blonde and blue eyed. She kept telling me she ‘s never seen RACISM and because she never seen it personally she didn’t believe it existed.
White and straight people dominate North American Society Media.
These Minority groups are not so they can feel superior to whites or straight people. It’s because north american society tells them they are less than straight white people. IT’s more for support to uplift themselves from many years of society and media telling them they are less worthy.
only a person who is white and never been discriminated against says these stupid remarks.
Try this experiment if you are caucasian. Put on makeup as to make your self look east indian. Now go to a public area where there are only whites, don’t say anything but listen to what is said to you.
anyways I hope you try this experiment.
“Visible Minorities are never visible when you need to promote someone at work.
Visible Minorities become visible only when you need to sacrifice someone at work.”
go to any expensive hotel or restaurant/ bar and see who works in the front and see who works in the back.
watch a daytime TV american talk show ask yourself why 90% or more of the audience members are white women.
Racism does not exist for you if you or a loved one have never been personally affected by it.
February 12, 2008 at 3:44 am
Great post, buddy. It’s ironic that there’s always been that struggle for people to be treated equally regardless of skin color, sexuality, etc, yet we continue to segregate ourselves. Go figure.
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February 12, 2008 at 7:54 am
@Garry
That’s a very good example, Garry. Yes, I think that sometimes these organizations that are centered around something like skin color, for example, are playing a double standard. It’s okay for them to gather round and protect the rights of its members when the only criteria is to have the “right” color of skin. But if something like the WEN were created, as you say, you’re likely to hear objections far and wide claiming that such an organization would be racist. It’s the same thing as what’s happening to Christians today. Putting up a nativity or cross in a public area is the most horrible thing someone can do in some people’s eyes.
@henry
Hi Henry. You’re a first-time commenter here. Welcome.
I’m not certain you’re getting my point. What I’m saying here is that while such groups are helping their members, they’re also helping to keep the flames of racism alive in a way. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not calling such organizations racist, but their formation is keeping “color” a characteristic by which its members are determined, and that in itself is what society has spent centuries fighting over.
I understand the reason you suggested I make myself up to look like someone of another country. But that’s already been done before. A beautiful model dresses up like a fat person to see how men react to her. A black person dresses up as a white person. A woman dresses like a man. They all prove the same thing and that is they are treated differently.
I agree with you that they gather round to uplift themselves. That makes sense to me. However, when will it end? I want us to get to the point where society is color blind, where people stop looking down on those with skin color different than their own, so that there would be no need to gather round to uplift oneself.
“Racism does not exist for you if you or a loved one have never been personally affected by it.”
Perhaps not to the extent others have experienced it, but that’s a broad statement which is false, IMHO. There is a growing trend over the years to set aside the laws North America has in favor of accepting illegal immigrants. That can be interpreted as a lot of things, with “racist” being one of them.
I’m not clear on what you mean by providing examples of those who work in the kitchen and such. Could you please clarify?
Great discussion. Thanks!
@Mike
That’s exactly what I mean, buddy. It’s a classic “have your cake and eat it too” scenario.
February 12, 2008 at 10:59 am
Wow, this is something that I feel rather passionately about. Probably more than what I can write in this comment section. I think that the organizations served a purpose in their day (NAACP) but now I think that an organization that is solely focused on a particular race only serves to divide society and legitimize stereotypes.
Why can we just have an association of Arline Pilots? Why does it have to be about being black? So if a black pilot gains something via the black organization is he looked at in a favorable light among his colleagues? Yep, I have to stop. I can go on and on about this for a long time. Bottom line, I disagree with most organizations that get founded in modern times that are exclusive to minorities. I agree, the BET is a great example. What about schools having black and white proms now. For years African Americans fought for integration and now they want to go back to a segregated system? The freedom marchers of the 60′s have to be up in arms about things like that.
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February 12, 2008 at 11:11 am
Interesting post. I was going to say something similar to Henry, but your response was well thought out to him. So, if I am getting what you’re saying, it isn’t that those are bad, but you wish they were not needed, and you’re hoping and wishing to see the day that they are not. That will be a great day, indeed.
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February 12, 2008 at 11:49 am
I think this switch happened at least a decade ago, but it is now becoming more obvious and over the top than before.
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February 12, 2008 at 12:01 pm
As a member of one of the largest minorities in the world, females, I have never ‘burned my bra’ to protest inequalities. I learned very early that you simply must work twice as hard to be seen as half as good. Would good would joining a group to protest female wage inequities do for me when all my efforts needed to be directed towards earning enough of a wage to feed my children?
I personally believe organizations designed to promote any particular ethnic, gender, or even religious organizations are beneficial if their purpose is to provide positive role models for their sector. Unfortunately, as you say, most of them emphasize an “us against them” mentality instead.
There would be a furor if an NAACP-type group was formed and called NAAWP, no matter if the WP stood for “white people” or “women power”. The result would be the creation of an even more devisive society.
I understand Henry’s point and his indignation about his girlfriend not believing in racism because she hadn’t experienced it. Unfortunately, the only cure for a lack of experience is usually painful.
I appreciate your comments, Mark, but could you please refer to me simply as an English-Irish-German-American WOMAN. I wanna be special too!
Brennan
http://setourteachersfree.com
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February 12, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I’m with you Big Pappa. It’s really interesting for me because I’m mostly black, my wife is mostly white, and who the hell knows what my kid is. But when he grows up and asks about why there’s a tv station just for black people, I’m not sure how to answer that. Not because he’s a kid, but because I don’t know that there’s a legit answer anymore.
I really think if we’re going to go the next mile in the civil rights movement, it’s going to be by turning criticisms inwards, and recognizing that having groups like this is really reverse discrimination.
But of course playing devil’s advocate – Some would say then, “Well then when a black guy is discriminated against, who’s going to defend him? I’ll pick the NAACP because they know what it’s like being black.”
And going back to my kid… Right now he doesn’t know anything about race. But it’s things like this that will introduce him and teach about things so that this kind of race stuff lives for yet another generation.
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February 12, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Wow, I like these posts. I definitely want to incite some conversations like this in the forest very soon.
I agree with you on a lot of aspects. I do, like you, think that minorities need representation but sometimes a minority s still pigeon holed.
For example I am “so called” white. I am from England but also share my whiteness with most of North America and Europe. Such an enveloping term for so much of the worlds population is ridiculous. I am very different in culture to many of my fellow “whites”.
And the same goes for “black” and all the others.
I recently saw a news story about Quebec thinking about opening “Black” schools. My first thoughts were kind of negative as I don’t like terms like this being used so lightly, especially related to education. However on further inspection it was the media using the word “black” and the actual term is Afrocentric…. very different and much more specific and in my eyes, more acceptable.
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February 12, 2008 at 10:07 pm
It’s not illegal here, but I bet it’s caused a lot of discussion and disruption! I’m opposed to those names– everyone should be treated equally… gays and lesbians included!
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February 13, 2008 at 1:06 am
@BigPappa
Well said, buddy. They’ve served their purpose back in the day, but I fear that like other good efforts, they need to change and start focusing on integration.
@Kevin
Thanks for your kind words.
Yes, you are correct. I simply wish such entities were no longer needed because I think they are holding themselves back from their purpose by their very existence.
@Kyle
They (in general) definitely have momentum on their side, but just like the pendulum swung in their direction, so too will it swing back. But then the focus should be on keeping it in the middle.
@Brennan (a.k.a. English-Irish-German-American WOMAN)
“…us against them mentality…”
That hits the nail on the head right there. Whether or not that’s made public, I strongly believe that level of thinking is inevitable.
And yes, I’ll bet dollars to donuts that if the NAAWP were established tomorrow, you’d hear an outcry the world over.
@Bush
I like what you said about “turning criticisms inward”. That’s so true. I think society, as a whole, far too often has looked outside themselves to find the fault in others or initiated change for selfish wants. I’m not saying the system is perfect and that we should avoid trying to make things better for us all, but I think it has just gone too far.
@Forest
And thank you, too! I have found that when I write from the heart, such posts are the ones that get the most responses.
The name changing has always bothered me to some degree. There’s nothing wrong with having pride in one’s heritage, but when you become an American, you should commit to becoming an American entirely.
That’s not to say that one’s heritage should be pushed off to the side — perish the thought. But this business of wanting to be called “African-American” or “Afrocentric” as you call it (actually, that’s a new one on me) or “Chinese-American” and so on, just pushes a wedge deeper into our society thus making it harder to come together as one.
@Grace
I think Bush put it succinctly when he said we need to look inward now. Change works best when all involved are willing to change, not when one group is trying to change another.
Great discussion everyone!
February 13, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Clarifying the upscale resaurants and bars issue for Kevin. There’s is a thing called “Systemic Racism “.
Let say you watch a documentary about “Africa” on let say National Geographic. Rather than use someone from Africa to narrate about their own country they use a narrator who is with an English accent to talk about Africa.
The Analogy of it is “normal to see Visible Minorities Ethnic People in Upscale Restaurants and Bars hidden away in the kitchen, while only mostly caucasian people in the front are the servers and bartenders and hosts.
Is that Normal to assume that Visible Minorities choose to be in those positions?
They have done studies where :White” employers were given a choice to have more visible minorities (with equal qualifications of course) in similar higher positions. The Simple fact purely that no one who was a visible minority was ever promoted to those positions unless it hgad been mandated. It’s called the glass ceiling.
Hey did you try the experiment? ( of stepping in someone else’s shoes.) It’s one thing to watch “it” (Being Predjudiced Against) on TV performed and affecting someone else. It’s another thing to be personally affected.
It’s great to have ideals. But even now in the 21st Century. Racism still exists. I personally wish it never existed.
I understand the “sterile” environment of discussion of this topic in cyberspace is very safe, but actually experiencing it and have it affecting your career and personal life in the real world is another issue.
I personally actually don’t particpate in any asian speific groups because I find those groups particularly boring. Because sometimes… those views of those groups are particularly skewed. I prefer new ways of looking at the world by talking with many different groups. You could say the same thing for religious groups too.
But have an open mind people. Let say you go to an AA meeting. If you don’t know there are other people like going through the same issues how can you learn and grow and move ahead. If you feel like you are the only one. These groups are generally a positiive thing.
When you guys mention about hypothetically if there were groups saying “White Power” People would be up in arms. Of course they would.
Usually groups are to uplift each other. Groups such as “KKK” bring up hatred and degradation of other racial groups and push others down so they can feel superior”. I really don’t this being the case for ethinic minorities or for gay or lesbian groups. That is the difference.
February 13, 2008 at 9:19 pm
@Henry
Sounds like you’ve been on the receiving end of racism or know someone who has and I’m sorry to hear that. If I’ve misinterpreted your comment incorrectly, forgive me.
Regarding your comment about a visible minority and how they’re kept behind the counter so to speak: I’m not sure what you mean by “visible minority”. I don’t believe that anyone is forcing them to take those positions either. It’s their choice. If they were to leave the kitchen jobs, then the restaurant owners would be forced to either pay higher wages or perhaps other people in general (blacks, whites, asian, etc.) would fill in the void.
Or maybe those behind-the-counter workers could get a better education, therefore get a better job. I’m not saying it’s easy of course, heck, it wasn’t easy for me, but it’s time more people thought about picking themselves up by the bootstraps and stop blaming others.
I don’t see the relevance to an AA meeting in the scenarios I’ve described. Clearly, those people need medical attention. Of course, those meetings are meant to uplift themselves. Nothing wrong with that. It’s when skin color is brought into the spotlight that I have a problem with.
February 14, 2008 at 12:36 am
I thank you for your comments.
I ‘m not saying oh poor me please give better than average treatment because of my skin colour.
The discussion was you wanted the debate of why racial groups had support groups and that you thought hey,… maybe it’s horrible to have a support group with definitive labels.
If you are a recent immigrant who is now offically an american but have not made enough friends or comfortable with assimilating, you find out if there is a group or start a support group.
This is where the AA group comment came in, (not as needing just a medical issue)
eg: Let’s say I’m a Spanish person who would like to meet people in a group who had similar interests in jazz music but could not speak English fluently. I would not expect somebody to join this group who likes hip hop but speaks only Farsi. ( it could happen though)
I’m just saying to be more Empathic Listener.
Rather than painting everybody with the same brush and saying well I’m not this type of person so therefore I think Everybody has to be like me.
We are global world with different views and histories. Not everybody has the same experience or have the same value system.
But it would be nice to meet people with similar interests
February 15, 2008 at 4:56 am
there is nothing special as far as color is concern. good post
February 15, 2008 at 7:55 am
@Ear Plugs
Welcome to MeAndMyDrum! Thanks for commenting.
March 8, 2008 at 12:31 pm
this is ever coming issue, I am from Bosnia and when the war started there I was 15 years old, I had a collection of about 1000 comics, i had a first computer commodore 64 and I was playing basketball. and all of a sudden whole my world disappears no comics no basketball, only medieval stories about ethnicity and race, things that I was even in my teenage years considering as phony and impossible to reappear (I was reading a lot)
seams like this world is going retro but in a bad way, today we have i pods, new gags but the real question is where are we in our heads
March 8, 2008 at 4:15 pm
@Jasko
I”m sorry to hear about the troubles you’ve gone through. I share your view about how things in our head are the core of the matter.
Btw, thanks for commenting and welcome to MeAndMyDrum.
June 29, 2008 at 9:43 pm
hahaha, you sure now how to get the comments flowing Mark!
I understand your questioning, and I do think that some can take it too far. But you have to understand, that for so long, everything has catered to the mainstream, white america. Like it or not, there are still many things that are built specifically for that demographic even though it’s not stated in the name.
I don’t think everything needs to have a minority organizations, but you have to realize that very often minorities are still denied acceptance into many organizations, still based on their ethnicity or skin color, religious preference, economic background and other things.
For example, BET, when it was first created, was needed, it was the only channel that showed the other side of black america. Now, it’s nothing more than a common day menstral show, which feeds into and creates even more stereotypes of african americans. Yeah, I am NOT a fan of BET, it’s nothing like it used to be years ago.
Sometimes people can take it too far, but a lot of it stems from individual experiences and not being treated equally. I know some like to think that still doesn’t happen, but trust me, it does. You just have to know how to deal with it.
These types of things also provide a way for people to group together around something that they all share in common. Now, if an Asian doctor wouldn’t belong to anything but an Asian Doctors of America type of thing that’s different.
Or if an African American only participated in groups that were specifically for African Americans, then that tends to present a problem. However, and I am speaking from experience….sometimes minorities or those with different beliefs, are simply not welcomed into the more “mainstream” groups, which, cater more towards middle to upper class white america.
I could go on and on, but like I said, I do see your points, and have had many discussions with people about things like this, racism can go both ways, but I don’t see anything wrong with grouping together with people who share the same religion, race, ethnicity or whatever, as long as you’re not segregating yourself from everyone else.
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June 29, 2008 at 11:54 pm
@JK Swopes
Well, I do like a good debate over things to keep the old noggin in shape.
You speak from the heart, Joe, and I appreciate that. Clearly, racism does exist today. I simply wish that we were at a point to where we didn’t have to know how to deal with it because, ideally, we shouldn’t have to because it wouldn’t exist. But until that day occurs, we just have to keep leading by example.
June 30, 2008 at 2:10 am
@Mark
you got it man….we can only do our part, and, like I said, it can be taken to the extreme on both sides….so, it’s not one sided at all. As long as we strive to do our part as you said, then that’s all we can really do. I like that you are even wiling to touch on something like this…shows your personality and I’m very glad we have crossed paths
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March 12, 2009 at 1:57 pm
These groups were once important, I don’t think anyone can really put up a good argument against that, but it is time that all segregation groups form.
I once read an article that young children did not understand the difference between ‘white’ and ‘black’ until they were told that they belonged to different races. Whether or not this is true, it brings me to my main point.
We are not ‘black’, ‘white’, ‘indian’, or anything else. We are humans, all of us. Skin color is just that, the color of our skins. Organizations like these only separate us from each other, instead of bringing us together.
We should stop classifying people based upon what they look like entirely. We don’t have the ‘Origination of people with middle toes longer than their big toes’ so why do we have ‘Black Entertainment Television’.
True racism still exists, I am not disputing that. But imagine for a second that we don’t teach our children about race. Every child being taught that there are no ‘races’, just people who look different. The only way to eliminate racism is to get rid of the concept of race itself. These groups hurt the battle against racism by only deepening the gorge between the artificial lines of ‘race’.
March 12, 2009 at 7:47 pm
@Brother Z
Well said! I’m optimistic that one day we’ll all see beyond color and see people for what they are on the inside.
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