Dude! It's okay. You are NOT being graded on this. (At least not by me.) And I don't mind being the one who'll get it for opening my mouth. I've accepted that's my life's role, and it doesn't bother me anymore, because silence (to me, for me) is a far worse fate than ignorance.
And there's no discussion needed in this instance, hell, in many instances, because my kneejerk reaction to "discussion" is that one must come to (or is expected to come to) some kind of a stasis at the end, some kind of conclusion. Not only do I think that rather wrongheaded -- who am I to judge? -- but also rather short-sighted, because that would mean I've got all the facts, as it were, to be able to deliver some kind of verdict on a topic. I suspect you've been reading me long enough to know that verdicts, to me, are anathema: every answer raises four more questions, and it's all on-going. So to frame anything as a "discussion" as though at the end we could all say, "ah, now we are educated!" ... that, I would say, is not what I want, at all. Because like you, I'll never be in a place (will anyone, truly?) where I could say, "ahah, now I have solved the mystery of the ages, or at least of the races!" at the end of a discussion.
In some ways, posting such a video isn't to prompt discussion but to extend awareness: to be reminded through such interviews that the anger or frustration or annoyance or even amusement expressed by each person... that I've said and done stuff that was probably something that caused one (or more) of those reactions. Seeing such interviews puts me squarely back in place, smacks me in the forehead with the reminder that I can't just gloss along, but need to remember that my assumptions -- based in gender, culture, race, ethnicity, etc of privilege -- can hurt and bother people. It reminds me by pointing out that people are human, so it's a very non-confrontational way to get that across, which I think is a powerful and useful thing.
I'm the stupid white woman who asks, "What flavor of Asian are you?" I'm the insensitive white broad who says, "No, I don't really care what flavor of Asian you are." I am criticized if I try to get to know the individual in context of their visible racial attributes (and the experiences that go with that appearance,) and criticized if I don't.
I must suppose something in the video hit a nerve for you, because your words come across as defensive -- a tone I've rarely seen from you -- as though my posting is calling you on the mat for not doing or thinking or being more. It's not, none of my posts are. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, and explain why I am, and probably screw up along the way, but I refuse to play the damned-either-way game. It's beneath me. It's beneath you, too.
I do believe it is possible to have some 'right' (or at least ethical) opinion about race: that it should be respected, acknowledged as part of a person (instead of 'oh, I'm colourblind!'), that it does have impact on lives and we shouldn't ignore that any more than we'd ignore a friend's gender or age or education. We acknowledge those parts, respect them the dignity they deserve, and even celebrate them at times. And when we struggle with that, it doesn't mean we can't have an 'opinion' about race -- or maybe it's that 'opinion' is entirely the wrong word and thus the wrong approach. Perhaps the key is that we need to keep working at achieving a right attitude.
no subject
Date: 22 May 2010 05:23 am (UTC)And there's no discussion needed in this instance, hell, in many instances, because my kneejerk reaction to "discussion" is that one must come to (or is expected to come to) some kind of a stasis at the end, some kind of conclusion. Not only do I think that rather wrongheaded -- who am I to judge? -- but also rather short-sighted, because that would mean I've got all the facts, as it were, to be able to deliver some kind of verdict on a topic. I suspect you've been reading me long enough to know that verdicts, to me, are anathema: every answer raises four more questions, and it's all on-going. So to frame anything as a "discussion" as though at the end we could all say, "ah, now we are educated!" ... that, I would say, is not what I want, at all. Because like you, I'll never be in a place (will anyone, truly?) where I could say, "ahah, now I have solved the mystery of the ages, or at least of the races!" at the end of a discussion.
In some ways, posting such a video isn't to prompt discussion but to extend awareness: to be reminded through such interviews that the anger or frustration or annoyance or even amusement expressed by each person... that I've said and done stuff that was probably something that caused one (or more) of those reactions. Seeing such interviews puts me squarely back in place, smacks me in the forehead with the reminder that I can't just gloss along, but need to remember that my assumptions -- based in gender, culture, race, ethnicity, etc of privilege -- can hurt and bother people. It reminds me by pointing out that people are human, so it's a very non-confrontational way to get that across, which I think is a powerful and useful thing.
I'm the stupid white woman who asks, "What flavor of Asian are you?" I'm the insensitive white broad who says, "No, I don't really care what flavor of Asian you are." I am criticized if I try to get to know the individual in context of their visible racial attributes (and the experiences that go with that appearance,) and criticized if I don't.
I must suppose something in the video hit a nerve for you, because your words come across as defensive -- a tone I've rarely seen from you -- as though my posting is calling you on the mat for not doing or thinking or being more. It's not, none of my posts are. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, and explain why I am, and probably screw up along the way, but I refuse to play the damned-either-way game. It's beneath me. It's beneath you, too.
I do believe it is possible to have some 'right' (or at least ethical) opinion about race: that it should be respected, acknowledged as part of a person (instead of 'oh, I'm colourblind!'), that it does have impact on lives and we shouldn't ignore that any more than we'd ignore a friend's gender or age or education. We acknowledge those parts, respect them the dignity they deserve, and even celebrate them at times. And when we struggle with that, it doesn't mean we can't have an 'opinion' about race -- or maybe it's that 'opinion' is entirely the wrong word and thus the wrong approach. Perhaps the key is that we need to keep working at achieving a right attitude.