From: n8843528@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Chris M. Jacques)
Subject: Re: Racist/Sexist Role Models
Organization: Western Washington University
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 00:13:56 GMT

montas@stable.ecn.purdue.edu (Hubert J Montas) writes:

>In article <Bxy3s7.DI2@quake.sylmar.ca.us> brian@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Brian K. Yoder) writes:
>>In article <1992Nov16.222410.16897@nhgs.vak12ed.edu> pgolden@nhgs.vak12ed.edu (Patrick S. Golden) writes:
>>>I'm sorry you find this "racist". It is certainly not our
>>>intent to foster that attitude, but, rather, to present all
>>>students with role models for them to emulate.
>>
>>[..].  On the other hand, you can say "This
>>person is of your race/sex, and therefore you ought to try to emulate him."
>>that is a racist/sexist premise.

>         No It's not. This is part of normal human behavior. As we grow up, we
>look for role models that look like us to inspire our endeavors. Growing up as
>a black guy, you get to see a lot of white men that are good role models: God,
>Santa, cops on TV,... So, you try to imitate them. Next thing you know all the
>white kids are laughing at you, sneering... This guy can't be no Santa, he's
>black! ah ah ah ah ah! A black Santa, never seen that! How funny! This goes to
>show that if you're black, you can never emulate a white role model without
>being put down in extreme ways. The question then is why try to follow these
>models? Aren't there some positive black role models we could use instead so
>that people would stop taking us as excentric weirdos whenever we try to do
>good? Yes there are some, and yes it is important to bring them out and pass
>them around within us, using them to inspire us. Then only is it be guarant-
>eed that we can improve ourselves without being the subject of utter derision.

>> Racism is not "White males oppressing
>>minorities and women." (although it is a species of racism).  Racism is 
>>acting as though race makes a difference where it does not.  You are doing
>>exactly that...and in the name of anti-racism.

>     Unfortunately, the current cultural status of the western world is one
>in which race and sex make a lot of difference. This culture is centered
>around a patriarchal system with being white as a symbol of redemption. The
>vast majority of role models in this culture are white males, although 50%
>of the people are women and more than 10% are black. Now, we have seen above
>that without appropriate role models, there is no possibility of emancipation
>and thence of freedom. As long as the role models represent white males, nobody
>thinks that anybody else is worth anything. The white male is, according to the
>models, intelligent, reasonable, strong, humanitarian, a kind of Christ really,
>aspiring to be God. The woman on the other hand is submissive, a little dumb,
>passive, and full of love. The black is lazy, violent, poor and totally irrat-
>ional, except for very few exceptions. Now, these exceptional blacks are not
>blacks, they don't smell bad, they just happen to look black, but they are 
>really white (no shit! this happened to both my girlfriend (Ethiopian) and I
>(Haitian), we got all sorts of people telling us we're not black! Now, what's
>so wrong with being black that we shouldn't be?).
>        So, if you want to talk about
>anti-racism, you have to look at what people are worth irrespective of their
>color. You have to show that black people are intelligent, strong, humanitarian
>etc... by displaying proper role models to all. Have you judged however how dif-
>ficult this is? Can you consider how difficult it is for a white person to
>ackowledge the fact that his/her people have been barbarians for the best part
>of history? That they are responsible for the worst massacres: colonialism,
>slavery, holocaust, the atomic bomb, etc... That they have systematically era-
>sed and bent the history of civilization to make it look like they are its ori-
>ginators whereas everybody knows that Eve was African, that the Egyptians were
>black, that Moses and Jesus were black and hence that the Christian God is
>black. All these role models have been turned into white in history so that 
>white people could feel good about themselves. Now, the black people that have
>been enslaved and colonised have been slowly brainwashed to believe that this
>nonsense was true and that they were thus inferior to the white, that they
>had no culture, no civilization, no gods, that they smelled like animals, that
>they were savages. Anti-racism today means acknowledging the heritage of the
>various cultures, and most notably of the black culture which originated all
>civilization. It doesn't look like white people are ready for this though, so
>it's important that we at least start amongst ourselves. How do I know that
>whites are not ready? Well, half of my family is white (my mother's French),
>and although they are very liberal and well educated, they still have some
>problem with history. I'm working on making things better though. 

> 	Hold on a second. Do you not agree that destructive stereotypes of
ALL races persist in the media. You say that blacks are portrayed in the
media as violent, irrational types. I have to agree with you to the most
extent. However, let's look at how whites are portrayed in the media. They
are often portrayed as snooty, uptight, tight-ass racists who belong to the
country club. Now we both know that all this is utter bullshit. But the
media is extremely powerful. Even comedians. Black comedians are often
milking the above white stereotype. On the other hand, it is a tremendous
social taboo to include "too much" African-American  material in their
routine (that is the routine of the comedians). But relax: there is no
ultimate white conspiracy to keep down minorities. People should be judged
as individuals alone. I think the media (reform) + general intelligence and
tolerance is the start.
>>able or interested in X.".  Remember too, that if you successfully teach that
>>lesson, what about people who actually are from a background of ignorance 
>>poverty and barbarism?  Are they to think that they don't deserve to be
>>intelligent, civilized and successful?

>          This is exactly where white people come from, and today they think
>they own this place.

>>Pointing out someone's race in regard
>>to motivation for attempting some accomplishment is based on exactly the
>>same false premise as the more blatant forms of racism.

>           When your pride as been killed because of your race, when your
>worth is de facto nil because you are black, when the cultural equation is
>black=zero, I think that there are good reasons to use black role models
>for motivational purposes.

>>Rather than trying to teach them the (often untrue) lesson that "Lots of 
>>women and minorities do X, therefore you should want to as well.", why not
>>teach the simpler and best of all true lesson that "Race and sex don't matter
>>in your ability or interest.

>        This is exactly what they are teaching: It is not because you are black,
>or because you are a woman, that you are a stupid-worth-nothing person, look
>at this intelligent black man, look at this brilliant woman, they are shinning
>example that YOU can succeed, despite what the white male culture says.

>O.K. got to go, Got a friend to chat with

>    Ciao....

>        Hubert.