Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: When did you become conscious of race?

Bigthink — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:10:50 +0100

In Catholic school (1969) when my second grade Irish teacher told Italian jokes and a couple of us in the class felt really uncomfortable as she and the rest of the class laughed and looked at us.

Comment on: When did you become conscious of race?

Bigthink — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:21:07 +0100

I was the only white kid in a black neighborhood, so pretty much ever since then I was conscious of race. When I was in school and got teased and got my ass kicked on a regular basis for no other reason for the fact that I was white had something to do with it. I never hated black people in spite of it. Some people are assholes no matter what color they are. It has nothing to do with skin color.

Comment on: When did you become conscious of race?

Bigthink — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:05:04 +0100

I was likely around 5 years old when my mother told my 4 siblings and I a story about waiting in a bus terminal and talking to a man named Beer. We howled with laughter that someone could have a name like that. She then became serious and said that some men came up to them and surrounded the man named Beer and told him to get away from my mother. I asked why they would do something like that as I could see that my mother was angry and she told me that the man named Beer had darker skin so he had to do what the other men told him or risk getting hurt. She was sad when she said that and I was puzzled and persisted with my questioning, asking why again, because it made no sense. (I have an uncle with very dark skin, but he is no different from anyone else, I thought). She then explained in simple terms about racism, and that has been the very basic first illustration I've carried with me regarding the issue of race.

Comment on: When did you become conscious of race?

Bigthink — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:20:05 +0100

My mother was a closet racist, she would make derogatory comments in close company, but never to those outside her inner circle. I learned to be objective about race, because any perceived conception of what race means in terms of the individual is regurgitation.

Comment on: When did you become conscious of race?

Bigthink — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:18:42 +0100

I'm fortunate I became conscious of race in the early 1960's as a very young person. Where I grew up there were only people like me. As television brought new images to us, I do not remember experiencing more than a curiosity to why some people had less or more pigmentation to their skin. Or why they spoke with an accent or jargon.
I realize now, I also did not have a prejudicial influence behind me making uneducated comments or references as my brothers, sisters and I sat on the floor in front of our mono-chrome TV set.
I was left to make up my own mind about superficial differences between people through my own learning and experiences.
Today I am married to an incredible person from another continent and hemisphere.
And though we are unique from each other in so many ways, it is continually amazing how we understand and enjoy life from similar perspectives.
People are not so different. How they choose to act can be.