PC vs. White America

I had an interaction a couple of weeks ago that I just can't let go of. Two white teenagers I know well, one girl and one boy, one very conservative and one somewhat liberal, stopped me and asked, "Which one of us looks more American?" I had no idea what to say. "I can't answer that question," I ended up muttering. They kept pushing. "Oh, come on." I had to ask them what it means to look American? The very question implies that to look American means to be white.

I continued the conversation, however. I pointed out to them that Tiger Woods is probably "the most American." He has a little bit European, a little bit African, and a little bit Asian. As I explain this to them, they came back with "You are so PC," as If I were the one who committed the offense. They implied that American = White, and I'm the one who offended by pointing this out.

People wonder why race is still an issue. Otherwise intelligent, compassionate, not overtly racist kids still think of white as American. And yet the same kids (and their parents) make the argument that Affirmative Action has run its course. The same kids say there is a level playing field. The same kids think we live in a "color blind society." When you dare to suggest that "color blind" in this case means that everything is white, you are a bad, insensitive person.

It is this political atmosphere in which we work. As we continue to fight to reclaim the pride in the word "liberal," we have to fight to reclaim everything that is potentially inclusive, understanding language. We have to fight to emerge from the decades-long "me" generation, and help people see the larger world.