dbackdad: Weird, but not scary, feeling being only white person on train back from downtown LA. More whites need to step outside their "safe" cocoons.
2:23 PM Jun 25th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
W.M.A. by Pearl Jam
he won the lottery when he was born
took his mothers white breast to his tongue
trained like dogs, color and smell
walks by me to get to him
police man
police man
he won the lottery by being born
big hand slapped a white male american
do no wrong, so clean cut...
dirty his hands, it comes right off
police man
police man
police stopped my brother again ...
jesus greets me...looks just like me...
"He pointed at me and said, 'that one won't stand up.' The two policemen came near me and only one spoke to me. He asked me if the driver had asked me to stand up? I said, 'yes.' He asked me why I didn't stand up, ... I told him I didn't think I should have to stand up. So I asked him: 'Why do you push us around?' And he told me, 'I don't know, but the law is the law and you are under arrest.'" -- Rosa Parks
3 comments:
That experience of being the only White among a large number of people is one I've only had a couple of times. It really made me think about the whole privilege thing.
Exactly. It's all about perspective. Most people's viewpoints are shaped by their environment and circle of acquaintances. Putting yourself in someone else's shoes occasionally would help eliminate bigotry and ridiculous legislation (hellooo ... SB1070).
I think one of the enjoyable things of my travels of late is to be--in China, say--the obvious minority. These places couldn't be less about me. I never thought of American culture as being about me personally, but of course all doors and opportunities are open in this country to a white male. To be in China is to realize that you're nobody no matter who you are or where you came from. And this has always seemed patently so to me.
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