Racism

I would usually consider myself to be pretty sensitive toward racial issues. I would consider myself to be accepting and open-minded toward anyone. Not to say that I haven't made ignorant remarks in regards to people of other races and ethnicities when I was younger and more foolish. But seriously, I really do think that I treat people with kindness and respect. People are still people regardless of race or ethnicity. I truly belive that and behave accordingly.

Every once in a while though, I have an interaction that makes me realize that I do not understand racism at all. I was chatting with a student in the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies today about the grant project I am working on, my thesis, and the plight of indigenous peoples in Latin America. He was an excellent listener, and he seemed genuinely interested in hearing what I had to say. Things started to turn when I made the comment that the indigenous experience in Latin America is fascinating, very different from what happens here in the US, and is often very subtle.

I'm not sure if he already had his arms crossed or if he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair when I said this. But he kind of bristled and said, "you think it's subtle?"

Quickly, I tried to clarify my statement and said, "well some people would call it subtle (meaning, not me). What I mean is that in want ads, it will specify 'good appearance,' meaning 'white.' They don't say 'blacks need not apply.'" I waited for his reaction.

"You're not from Kansas are you?" he asked, smiling and leaning forward toward his computer. "You don't sound like you're from Kansas."

"No, I'm from Florida. I went to Florida State in Tallahassee for my undergrad," I answered. Then the conversation took another turn.

"I'm from California," he said. "Actually I worked on some of the legislation over school mascots. We've been kind of engaged in a battle over the mascot there," he commented.

I should have been expecting that. Anytime I mention Florida State around people who are associated with Indigenous Nations or Native American scholarship and activism, this chill goes through the air. I can't change where I went to school or the fact that I loved it. But this mascot ordeal is really important to some people. "I get kind of defensive about protecting my school because while I was there, I felt like the University was really respectful of the Seminole tribe, involving them in the rituals and ceremonies, they participated in homecoming," I said.

"If that's the case, then I'm surprised by some of the comments made by the board rep and the president at some of the meetings I've attended related to that," he replied. "Some of their comments were just really racist," he added.

At that point, I got called in to the meeting I had been waiting for. I was disappointed to end this conversation, but also a bit relieved. As I left the meeting a few minutes later, I stuck my head back in the office and said "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," he answered, offering his hand. As I shook it, I searched his face for a second, wondering if I had offended him, but he was only smiling. "Good luck to you," he called as I turned to leave.

Walking back to my office across campus I replayed the conversation in my head. Had I been wrong in my comment about racism being subtle? Was my example about want ads really contradicting what I was trying to say? Then I realized that I hadn't even heard the end of his story about the FSU reps in the mascot meeting.

This is when I realized that I have no idea what racism really feels like. I can talk all day about how people are discriminated against because of ignorance and pride, but when it all boils down, I am not that different from anybody else. Feminists often claim that they have a unique perspective on the world as part of a marginalized population. Of course women haven't always been treated as equals, and it's arguable that even now, we still aren't. But really, I have never been denied a job because of who I am physically. Even though stereotypes of women in the media are perhaps comparable to the mascot thing, I don't know if anyone really pays much attention anymore. Are there any feminist groups trying to get media that objectify and demean women off the air? That's not the point though. The point is that I have never experienced oppression like indigenous people or other non-white populations. Can I truly have an objective, prejudice-free perspective on these issues until I experience racism first hand?