The Columns of Shauna Kelly
Prejudice
.....© by Shauna Kelley , 1999
I can remember walking, head down and fidgeting, into the Motor
Vehicle Administration, trying desperately to convince myself that I was, in
fact, old enough to drive. An hour later, I walked out of the same
building, head held high with a new license in my pocket, and a confidence
that urged me to alert anyone who would listen that I could do anything. I
can remember days spent training a new employee at my job with a
professional tone in my voice and a stern set in my chin; these days are
often followed by an evening at my best friend's house with a half gallon of
ice cream and two spoons. I think that it's safe to say that there are
times in life when a person feels more
adult and times when the same person wonders, when did I grow up?
To me, the day I grew up is vividly clear in my mind. I was a junior in
high school, sitting at a table across from a guy that I was very close to;
a guy who would in fact become my first love (not to mention my first taste
of how much love hurts). I sat at the table, talking about the upcoming
Homecoming Dance when he declared, loud and proud, that he was a racist.
Something within me broke. Maybe it was my naïve preconceptions that Racism
had died with segregation, maybe my vain hope that this guy was in fact
perfect, and maybe it was the idealistic view of the world that I had
been so desperately clinging to.
I have always wondered why the issue of prejudice has plagued the
ages. In the early 1900's Ambrose Bierce described a prejudice as "a
vagrant opinion without visible means of support." The enlightenment
philosopher Volatire was a bit more blunt when he wrote, "Prejudice is the
reasoning of the stupid." If these great men could see so easily into the
heart of this volatile issue, it is a wonder to me that the consequences of
prejudice still rip the world apart today. From South Africa, to the
Balkans, to Ireland, to our
native soil race and religion tear the population of the world. Benjamin
Disraeli pointed out that "race implies difference, difference implies
superiority, and superiority leads to predominance."
The end of Apartheid, the cease fire in the Balkans, the Treaty in
Ireland, and the Civil Rights movement at home have given equality to the
masses, but failed to teach them the true value of fraternity. To this day
the United States is divided, African Americans versus Caucasian, versus
Latino, Versus Native American, until everyone is torn, American against
American. The societal implications that diversity is positive only if
segregated have blinded the majority of our population to one imperative
fact: we are all on the same side. How possible is it for the human race to
co-exist if we value our differences so far above our similarities?
Furthermore, the idiosyncrasies and personal beliefs of the individual only
prevent them from completely belonging to one sole culture, while giving
them a small glimpse of another. For example: the Irish Catholic looks to
Rome for guidance and Ireland for acceptance; yet, Ireland is torn, and its
people divided. The Native American looks to the Earth for acceptance and
his people for guidance; yet, his people are scattered, his land desecrated,
and tribe is pitted against tribe. This is not to say that the culture
of so many individual groups should be lost to form one, unified, identical
humanity. I, for one, am extremely proud of my Irish and especially my
Native American heritage; however; if you ask me what my race is, I would
answer human. Rather than trying to blot out the rare qualities of each
race, I believe that if the cultures of the world were integrated, the
benefits would be far more advantageous than the human mind could ever
imagine.
But, this is common knowledge. Only those most ignorant, most blinded by
their ill-conceived hate could deny that each culture offers something the
others lack. So why does the problem of race continue to contaminate
generation after generation? The most common scapegoat for the thriving
racism in our world is heredity: a child born to racist parents will in turn
become a racist; however, the exceptions to this rule are too plentiful to
count. In many cases the hatred and fear that incite racism are ingrained
in
children by their parents. In her 1989 song "It's a Hard Life Wherever You
Go" Nancy Griffith recounts her experience in a Chicago lunch line where the
man in front of her is "calling black people trash to his children", yet
Griffith claims "he's the only trash that I see." Griffith's inciteful
commentary continues as she divulges that she sees "this man wears a
white hood in the night when his children sleep but, they slip to the window
and watch him and think that white hood's all they need". This may often be
the case, though often it is the very society that tries to prevent racism
which inevitably causes it.
African Americans were subjugated, harassed, tortured, and butchered
in the
United States and elsewhere for hundreds of years. There is no way to deny
this fact. The abuse suffered by African Americans at the hands of the
colonists, the Europeans and countless others is inexcusable and nearly
unthinkable. Yet, regardless of the fact that this abuse was so horrible
and the hatred, which caused it, still exists today, the reaction and
retribution for this abuse has exceeded what is fitting. I am of Irish and
Native American decent. My ancestors were beaten, tortured, humiliated and
destroyed as were the Africans and African Americans and Indians and Chinese
and Japanese. There are still people in Britain today who hate the Irish,
and all over the United States Native Americans are persecuted and robbed.
Yet, I do not hate these people. I pity them. Their ignorance prevents
them from the knowing the overwhelming spiritual gifts and compassion of the
Native Americans, from understanding the soul and beauty that is Ireland. I
feel compassion for those that have died at the hands of oppressors before
me, and yet I do not demand recompense for I myself feel not their
oppression.
Black Entertainment Television. An entire station geared to entertain one
ethnic group. So what? Right? There are hundreds of stations celebrating
one culture. This is true, but Black Entertainment Television for the most
part does not strive to celebrate the culture of African Americans in the
United States any more than the Klu Klux Klan strives to share the wealth of
Caucasian culture, but rather is a forum for current and popular themes in
black society. Do not get me wrong, I am in no way drawing a parallel
Between BET and the KKK. Though BET, unlike the KKK, is not an organization
solely
for the purpose of inciting hate, through it's very title alone it only
encourages the separation which leads to hate. There is no such thing as
"Separate but Equal" and I am appalled that after fighting so many years to
destroy the segregation that impeded it, the United States would in turn
allow segregation on a cultural level to be so blatantly promoted.
Racism is a cycle. Where everyone in the world to be annihilated and
humanity start over, white people would wake up next to black people,
Hispanic people next to oriental people as this is the "melting pot" our
forefathers so desperately desired. The question is this: would this new
generation, this fresh and clean generation allow the mere color of their
skin to impede their reliance on each other that would be so vital to once
again beginning civilization. This time would it be color that forced us
apart, or perhaps geographical boundaries, or size, or any other asinine and
superficial trait that not only distinguishes us from each other, but makes
us beautiful in our own right. Is it the curse of man to always allow
hubris to isolate him? Is there a cure for racism anywhere in sight?
In my minds eye I see a world where we can look on people of a
different ethnicity and see the individual members without fear. My
idealistic hope allows me to see a day when people introduce themselves not
as African, European, Christian, Muslim, Black or White, but rather as
human, striving to share their uniqueness in an unique and unified world.
Only in this world lacking prejudice can the human race ever realize it's
potential, for, as Lynne Towsend said "We must not allow prejudice to
become a barrier to the full and effective use of our greatest... resources-
the talents of our people."
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