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.
posted by Gus the Fish @ 11:55 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I can now honestly say the blog world has entered my world, being that I personally know a blogger. And since all good blogs feed on reader response, I'm happy to contribute). As the brother of the somewhat liberal boy in "PC vs. White America", I'd like to offer my perspective on what was meant by looking "American." The obsession with Americanness is rather factitious. It's the offshoot of two guys who like country music and like politically incorrect sarcasm even more. Who looks "most American" most likely means, who embodies the stereotypical, nostalgic image of an American. That is all fun and good. I don't think that the "Cult of Being Very American" is at all harmful -- in a racial sense. Are we a color-blind society? Of course not. But in my view, those who ascribe to the Cult of Being Very American are not at all prejudiced against others races (especially those who invented and joined the cult as a joke). Yet, undoubtably, there are those who want to define and restrict who is and who is not American. Rarely is race a factor in this. The greater problems lie with those who want to define Americanness by ideology and culture. We've progressed a great deal as a country towards accepting people of all races. This is a step. The next mile lies in convincing people that we can disagree with someone's ideas and culture without disagreeing with their dignity.
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