From: edhall@rand.org (Ed Hall)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Re: A Couple Of Thoughts About Race
Date: 1 Sep 92 20:02:00 GMT
Organization: RAND Corporation.

In article <5281@dove.nist.gov> hira@cme.nist.gov writes:
+In article <SHAW.92Aug25003633@whopper.lcs.mit.edu>,
+shaw@whopper.lcs.mit.edu (Andy Shaw) writes:
+|>From: shaw@whopper.lcs.mit.edu (Andy Shaw)
+|>In article <5079@dove.nist.gov> hira@cme.nist.gov (Ron Hira) writes:
+|>   I could go on with a number of other examples, but I'll spare you.
+|>   The long and short of it is that we need to inform people about race
+|>   problems and when things make us feel uncomfortable.
+|>   It is *our* responsibility to inform
+|    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+|>   WAs of the problems that we face and its *their* responsibility to keep an
+|>   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+|>   open mind. Much of the real racism and even the imagined racism (yes I'm
+|>   ^^^^^^^^^
+|>   guilty of this) is due to a lack of communication. So let's be a little
+|>   more understanding and willing to expand our horizons without resorting to
+|>   shouting matches.
+|>
+|>For the most part, I agree with what you've written, but I disagree with
+|>the underlined statements.  It is ***NOT*** my responsibility to educate
+|>every ignorant white guy that comes along with a big attitude problem --
+|>when I do, it is out of the kindness of my heart or from self interest, but
+|>NOT out of a sense of duty.  One might argue that it is always in one's
>|>self interest in the long run to open the mind of one more individual, but
>|>my experience tells me that _quite_often_, it's just not worth the effort.
>
>I haven't seen any other followups to this thread, notably any white posters.
>Why this is, I don't particularly understand. 

Well, at least in my case, I just don't consider any shift in Andy's attitude
to be likely.

On the surface, Andy's argument makes sense--why should he bother
educating one ignorant WA when there are so many of them that it hardly
seems to make a difference?  It takes time and effort, and he shouldn't
have to do it in the first place.  It isn't his responsibility--if
anyone, it is the ignorant party who should produce the effort.

Of course, the opposing viewpoint is that if everyone had this attitude,
there would be damn little chance of progress.  Although it is easy
to say, in effect, "It's not my fault, so why should spend my valuable
time and effort," the plain fact remains that there is work to be done
in making society more accepting of racial and cultural differences,
and it is folly to assume that WA's will do all of it, even if much of
the problem is theirs.  Ideally, they would.  Realistically, they'll
need coaxing, prodding, and a ready source of education.

>Anyways, ignorance abounds. When I say inform WAs of our problems, I don't
>necessarily mean that you should expend a lot effort educating all ignorant
>white people, because as you state it is many times a fruitless task. However,
>we should expend some effort trying to illuminate the racial tensions that 
>we feel. Many times my white friends tell me that they never knew that I 
>felt uncomfortable in all-white shituations. For example, you walk into a 
>redneck joint, and most of your white buddies don't consider how you feel.
>Unless you're vocal about it, they'll never pick up on it and IMO you cannot
>fault them for it. So in this case I'm an AA activist. We're not white, 
>and I have no desire to be white, but that doesn't preclude us from living in
>some harmony.

Absolutely!  Nobody can read your mind.  And as this newsgroup makes
abundantly clear, sensitivities vary a lot, based on personal histories
and temperament.  I think, though, that speaking up so that one is
understood but without inciting undue defensiveness on the part of the
listener is a skill that a lot of folks lack.  But it is a useful skill
to cultivate (for all sorts of situations).  I personally see the
ability to state ones view without calling into question the listener's
integrity to be a sign of inner strength and self-confidence.

>|>Secondly, asking or expecting some sort of sense of responsibility from
>|>others (i.e. in keeping an open mind) is going to lead you to a lot of
>|>disappointment, Ron.  When people are responsible or keep an open mind, I
>|>am pleasantly surprised; when they don't, I am prepared.

It is practically a truism that people tend to live up to (or down to)
your expectations of them.  I've generally found that people will
behave responsibly and with open minds when quietly expected to do so.
If you /tell/ them that they should do so, they'll tell you to go to
hell.  And if you assume that they'll be selfish, petty, and closed-
minded, they'll not disappoint you.

>Agreed, but one must respect other people's viewpoints. The white male claims
>that he's a pariah and being discriminated against legally, and many
>white men believe this. There are some sensationalized cases of "reverse"
>discrimination, that leave many people with this perception. Of course,
>real discrimination makes this so-called "reverse" discrimination look
>pretty miniscule. The white man doesn't see this, or ignores this fact in
>many cases because of self interest.

In the face of pervasive discrimination against non-whites, these
"reverse discrimination" cases are, in the aggregate, miniscule.  But
they are hardly miniscule to the individuals involved.  That is what
makes this counter-charge the political dynamite it is: people tend to
think in personal, not statistical, terms.  Yes, this is self-interest
and emotionalism.  But the only antidote I see is to enlighten those WAs
to the fact that people just like them have suffered far longer and
far worse.  That's the key: "just like them;" nothing less than
a recognition of the humanity of all individuals, and the irrelevancy
of racial and cultural differences.

I'll state it differently: many white folks have to be encouraged to
assimilate into the heterogeneous and multifaceted society they already
live in.  Many of them are in an acute state of denial.  They fear the
changes which they see eroding at "their" power.  The solution: expand
their perception of just who "they" are--who we all are--and these fears
will no longer find support.  Waking them up to this reality is a hard,
hard task.  On the surface of it, it doesn't seem fair that anyone
else should have to make the effort.  But is there an alternative?

		-Ed Hall
		edhall@rand.org
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american