December 14, 2006

• …debate…

  Rosie’s words have sparked some debate between myself and David, a fellow Xangan. If you have a moment, I encourage you to read through it, despite its length. Race is a highly volatile issue in our society and we must engage one another in such dialogues.

  David:
  hahah. i’m not saying communities DON’T exist. I’m saying that they
  should not. I’m saying there is no NEED for a community. I’m saying
  that individuals make up communities. Thus, if you respect the rights
  of the individual, then you inherently respect the rights of the
  community. There is no need to protect the collective, the “public
  good”, or the “community” if you protect individual rights. That is a
  fact.

  Do you actually believe that all the shouting and fuss
  that african americans have been making about every single “n-word”
  comment and racist remark made by a public figure has done ANYTHING for
  their “community”? What has it gained them? They are no longer fighting
  for equal rights. They are legally equal and have the same
  opportunities, yet they continue to demand special treatment. That they
  somehow are too weak-minded to sustain VERBAL blows to their psyche and
  self-esteem? Is this the state and model that you want to follow?

  eliminate
  the ignorance through example. THROUGH ACTION. Not by whining and
  saying you’re easily offended by every racist comment that is made.
  That saying “CHING CHONG” is somehow really offensive and hurts the
  very fabric of how we define ourselves. That is ridiculous. Are you
  afraid to live as an individual and show that no matter what words are
  thrown at us, we will still prevail? Are you too afraid to rely on your
  own individual effort to show your true character? Must you make a huge
  collective advertising effort to shout to the masses, “WE ARE
  INDIVIDUALS!”, when every way you behave is like a collective….saying
  “WE ARE THE SAME!”. If you want to be treated as an individual, then
  act like one. Do not define yourself by your race or be offended by any
  comments towards your race. Prove to them that none of it matters.
  Passive? Meek? Pshhh. I rather seem passive and successful, than a
  sensitive whiner that depends on others for my own happiness and
  success. If to be a “whining minority” is what you seek, and believe
  this is the source of respect…than you are severly mistaken.

  Respect
  must be earned on an individual basis, by the actions and merit of your
  character. Not by how much your race bonds together and demands it by
  the volume of their shouting.

  my response:
  I think you’re the shining example of everything that the hegemonic majority wants: you are the perfect model minority. You’ve bought into America’s ideal of pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps and not looking at the context of one’s circumstances. Here’s a newsflash, people start off at differing educational and socio-economic levels. Were you born here? Were your parents born here? Was English your first language? Are you the first in your family to go to college? What socio-economic level do you come from? What educational background do your parents possess? These are the questions that you need to take into consideration before making broad sweeping statements that discount the contributions and significance of communities because for a large part of the immigrant community, many parents don’t speak English whatsoever, kids have to deal with a generational gap in addition to dealing with the language barrier, and so on. While these are not excuses as to why an individual can’t succeed on his or her own, they are valid justifications for the existence of communities. I won’t presume your background, but I do think you speak from a very priviledged position that many do not have the luxury of speaking from, and while that may be a testament to your work ethic, it could also be that you had more resources available to you than others. Regardless, communities serve a very important role, and an individual’s support of them does not mean that they have thrown away their own individual identity in exchange for the collective one; that’s such a binary way of looking at things. I, personally, support my communities because most of their issues resonate with me, and doing so does not mean that I lose my on individual worth.

  As for the African American community, I’m not sure how they got involved in the conversation, but do you honestly believe that they’re treated equally now? Yes, the law is SUPPOSED to be color blind, but do you really believe that it is? Do you really expect me to believe that after their more than 200+ years of slavery and more than 300+ years of racialized conditioning that they are inferior to the dominant hegemonic group, that now, they’re equal?! That with the rewording and/or abolishment of a couple of amendments in a highly racialized Constitution that we can forget and forgive the kind of social conditioning that we as a society have undergone?! That’s the biggest bunch of bull I’ve ever heard. The fact of the matter is that they, along with other communities of color, are STILL trying to achieve racial parity where we’re not racially profiled, detained without just cause, or are the butt of racially demeaning jokes by people who feign ignorance of the racial repercussions of their actions.

  Lastly, I find it rather hypocritical that you stress the need for action, yet you denounce my and other API’s current actions to stand up for ourselves in favor of your approach to turning the other cheek. I chose to voice my discontent as opposed to your passive strategy of brushing it off, and yet, my and others’ actions aren’t seen as actions, but as whining? How do you figure? When do you finally cross that boundary where you stand up and say enough is enough? When do you open your eyes to see that this world is incredibly racialized and it will take sensitivity to rectify the past wrongs that have been made? In my eyes, the fact that I voiced my displeasure and sought to correct what I saw as a mistake was an assertion of my agency, not whining. Moreover, I completely agree that respect must be earned, but bear in mind that negligence of the issues and being a passive model minority will only reinforce and perpetuate the existing stereotypes.

  In an ideal world, we would all be judged by our merits and actions, but sadly, America and our society are not meritocracies. The rights you have today, as an individual, as a person of color, came from communities coming together to “whine” for true parity and equality. Yes, your parents gave you life, but the very same people and actions you’re currently admonishing are the ones who’ve carried on the legacy of fighting for the very same equality that you’re enjoying, so pardon our “shouting”.

  • 6:07 pm
  • 26 Comments