You hear it in a lot of places
but it's usually in an office.
Some white person is talking about something
just going along talking and talking
and then it comes up in some way or another
and their voice drops to a whisper
just when they say
black
or sometimes even to say
African-American
kind of like we did when we were kids
if we wanted to get away with swearing
while the teacher was in the room.
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POP!
12 years ago
8 comments:
..."Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe shelly
Their prejudice killed It then, It now roams free as a ghost, constantly reminding them, shaming them, scaring them. But then what is It?
Someone did exactly that the other day, and I just about slapped her. If you're using it to describe someone, say it. If you're saying it in a way that you think it's shameful, don't. Never understood it, but it sure does still happen. Well put, Phil.
Are they afraid to mention it loudly fearing to be branded as racist? Or are they racists disguised as civilized people?
God, Its scary if it exists.
It's a good question, Sujay, and I'm not sure I know the answer. I get the sense they whisper because they're afraid of being thought of as racists for talking of people as "black," but if they feel that way, why talk about it at all? More often, it's in sentences like this -- "Oh, I was thinking about buying that house, but the area just seemed way too (black)." Not the most enlightened statement, and evidencing an underlying distrust of (black) people. But when it's said in this context, I don't know what's up: "A great friend of mine and I were laughing about that the other day -- he's (black), and he said his sister always pours salt on her grits." Here, the person clearly isn't biased against his friend, but he feels embarassed about mentioning his race in context. Of course, the mere fact that it comes up is a little odd -- whether he or his sister is black has no meaning in the story -- so that might indicate some bias. In the end, though, Sujay, I'm mystified.
hello? where are u guys?
I'm tired of this racism thing. I'm waiting for u guys to post something. Hope u guys wont disappoint me.
Sorry - been a little buried at work. But yeah, it's a fuuny phenomenon. I think sometimes it's a white person who's not a racist but fears coming across as one. Other times, it's a white person who has some racist ideas way deep down, even if they're not on the surface most of the time. Or perhaps a white person who is aware of their own subtle racist tendancies and feel embarrassed. It's complex. I think there are degrees of it. It's not like everyone can check a box of "racist" or "non-racist." Racism is weird that way.
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