I am in a creative nonfiction writing class, and in the inspiration of this class I wrote an essay about my identity and what it means to be black. In a part of my essay I wrote that if I could cornrow hair or use a hot comb, would this make me more black... The point in this was saying that clearly these things do not make a person black or not, in all actuality white people can do these things as well. These are just things people associate with being black... A boy in a bar was actually suprised I didn't know the "Single Ladies" dance...
Anyway... I was workshopped last week. This means that in the week prior my class read my story, and this past Thursday everyone critiqued it in class. A few people actually called me racist. I was amazed! We aren't allowed to speak during our workshop so I couldn't defend myself; I just had to sit there and take it. It was an incredibly awkward situation for these white students to be calling me racist against blacks, when clearly I am sitting there in my dark skin.
After class I spoke with my professor, a black man. I told him I couldn't believe that people were calling me racist, when I was clearly commenting on the rediculousness of stereotypes. He told me that he thought the things I wrote were hilarious, because I was right... these things do not make a person more or less black. He said that what happened, is what happens when the topic of race comes up... People freak out. He said when people see things like this, they automatically think, "Racist!" This seems very true. Race talk does make people uncomfortable, and in attempts to be "PC" everything becomes off-limits.
I just found it all interesting. It was an awful feeling being called racist to my face and having no way of responding. And that someone could possibly think I was racist towards my own race...
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I feel bad that you couldn't defend yourself in that situation! You might think that in such a circumstance the professor might let you defend yourself. I don't even understand how someone could be considered "racist" against their own race. It just doesn't seem possible. I understand the message you were trying to make and it's too bad that people freaked out. Maybe if they hadn't freaked out so quickly they might have understood what you were trying to say.
ReplyDeleteLike Nicole, I am sorry that you were not able to fully describe the points you were making. As I am white, I can tell you that most white people are super afraid of seeming racist, so whenever they hear something that remotely sounds racist, they attack it without any evaluation. And since some people are incapable of finding irony or sarcasm, things like this happen. I am surprised and upset that you couldn't explain your meaning. I feel that more people need to calm down and listen exactly to what is being said, and it's just another reason why more people need to take classes like this. We need to understand that these things need to be discussed and not automatically shut down because it makes them uncomfortable. I really like what you have to say and I agree with you, those certain traits do not make a person black just as other traits do not make them white, or Native American, or any other race. I'd be very interested to read your essay!
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