If you and I walked into a room and laid eyes on each other, if you’re like most people, one of the first things you’ll notice about me my race. I’m not “white”, not “black”, but “Asian”. And attached to that label are often questions about my ethnicity, origin and background. The question of most people’s choice tends to be, “where are you from?”, and if I’m being honest, the reaction of my choice tends to be frustration.
My “race” has always been something I’ve struggled to
understand and grasp. It’s always been somewhat of a mystery to me, so when I
was first introduced to the idea that “race is only a social construct”, I
jumped on that idea immediately. A chance to completely ignore something so
confusing, and often frustrating, sounded too appealing to turn down.
The idea, already commonly accepted by most scientists, is
gradually gaining support in other realms, especially in the field of genetics,
where categories including “black” or “white” were still being used in many
studies in major scientific journals. A recent study in the journal Science argues that race is a useless concept when looking at
genes.
This may sound like good news for anyone who values racial
equality. “Race is just a social
construct” definitely had a nice ring to it. But there’s a problem.
When we dismiss race is “just” a social construct, we also tend
to deny the enormous power that it has in our society, and in people’s lives. It’s
especially problematic when it comes from people who hold tremendous power in
society, like Bill Clinton,
who’s gone on record to say that we are all “mixed race”. It’s
like painting over a crack in the wall.
It’s really a confusing debate. On one hand, we need to
treat people of all races equally, almost as if it didn’t exist. On the other,
we need to recognize the reality of race as a social construct and the power
that it has in our society, and to take proactive action to ensure that those
from disadvantaged racial groups have the same opportunities as those from
privileged groups. Some convincingly argue for the need for racial blindness, while
others suggest that racial blindness “does the work of white supremacy”.
So how are we supposed to navigate this line?
The main issue with racial blindness, in my opinion, happens
when people adopt it as an attitude. When people actively try to not see race,
they don’t acknowledge all the many ways that it affects their own, and
others’, lives. That makes sense. However, there should be no reason why racial
blindness shouldn’t be a goal. Even
though we’re not there yet, we should aim to have a society where race doesn’t
influence the opportunities that are available to people. A society where
institutional and structural inequalities based on race don’t exist. A society
where people, to quote Martin Luther King Jr., “will not be judged by the color
of their skin, but by the content of their character”.
In the meantime, we need to acknowledge race. We need to talk
about race, and all the different ways it affects people’s lives. We need to
open our eyes to the reality of race – as it’s the first step to fighting it.
It isn’t until we can completely understand the problem that we can fix, or
eliminate, it.
But it’s not that simple. Talking about race is hard, as
people have so many attitudes and emotions attached to it. And a common issue
is people’s tendency to mix race with ethnicity. Ethnicity largely describes
people’s cultural background and heritage,
but how many times have we heard people attach cultural meanings to race? “Oh,
he’s white but acts black” or “why is this Asian acting so white?” are things
we hear all the time. This complicates any discussion of race, so ethnicity and
culture is something we need to factor out of our discussions of race.
Race isn’t biological, but there’s no doubt that it’s
complicated, powerful, and real. If you ask me if our society would be better
off without it, my answer would be “hell yeah”. But it’s not something that we
can achieve by simply ignoring it. We need to fight it, and to fight it, we
have to talk about it. So let’s talk about it – how does race affect your life?
After reading your blog, I felt that I relate strongly to your first comment - about understanding your race, and how frustrating that can be. I, too struggle with this concept. My biological dad is visually aboriginal, as his father is Metis Canadian (A branch of First Nation's that are also European in blood), and, even as a young child, I felt so different than him. Children would ask me why my dad looks different than I do, and to me, that made me 'other' him from myself. Understanding your racial background is complicated. Visually, I am white - but to say that, excludes so much of my father's heritage and background.
ReplyDeleteAs well, I feel that I have more benefits from society being a white individual - even compared to my father. For most of his life, he grew up in northern Ontario, in a highly populated aboriginal community. He received poor education and support, which ultimately resulted in his inability to finish high school. Drop out rates for First Nation students are still characteristically high, with approximately 43% of aboriginal people in Ontario between the ages of 20-25 not completing high school (Chief's Assembly on Education, 2012). This figure demonstrates a systemic and social issue surrounding education outreach for aboriginal children and youth, and says a lot about the potential that Ontario's education system sees in this demographic.
This relates to your comment about how some people choose to be blind to different races, however, that completely diminishes the struggles those people have to face as a result of their race. "Colourblindness" further perpetuate racial discrimination and inequalities, as the assumption is that "POC can do anything white people can do." Untrue, and this ideology is extremely toxic, and contributes to the reproduction of racial inequity.
It's a frustrating balance, however. The white person cannot simply understand the struggles people of colour face (POC), as their experiences - even in trivial things, such as attending school, or driving down the street - are extremely unique. To say that you "understand" POC's issues, means that you have experienced them yourself. It becomes impossible for a white person to say that they have experienced systemic and social racism that POC are faced with daily. It becomes important for the white person to research and listen to the experiences of POC, and to detect when racial inequality is being explicitly and implicitly perpetuated in their own environment.
I agree with your post, Lewis! I felt that Martin Luther King had a good thing going, and his role in the desegregation movement and his method of combatting racist whites, was perhaps the most influential in bringing race to the forefront.
Great Blog Lewis! I highly enjoyed reading your blog it gave wonderful insight into a problem that is most often ignored and misunderstood. Your incorporation of the Martian Luther King comment gives an interesting insight into what society could be like if people did not focus on race as much.
ReplyDeleteAs an indigenous woman, who grew up in a predominantly caucasian, rural town in Nova Scotia, I was acutely aware of race from a unique perspective. Most of my neighbours did not know of my indigenous heritage. I became privy to a dialogue intended for their homogenous community, including off-colour comments and criticism directed toward other races. Simply put, they don't necessarily have the privilege of living among people of other races.
Although, I could have found it disturbing, it brought about an understanding that race and racial attitudes are a product of how people are raised and influenced by people around them. For example: some people living on my home reserve in northern Ontario have similar biases and commentary directed toward non-indigenous people.
Race is a social construct in many ways, but it many ways is also a product of culture, rooted in many generations of another form of racial blindness - of not seeing any other race, other than their own.
I can definitely relate to this article, having Hispanic parents I see myself battling with the same question I did not choose to be Hispanic I was just born this way. I feel that speaking about race is definitely something that needs more awareness. When I am asked about what race and what my background is I feel it is a way in which people try to relate with me. What I mean by that is besides me being a visible minority typically “whites" will ask where I am from to break down that “barrier”, I admit I have also done the same with other minority groups as well.
ReplyDeleteI also find it hard to talk about race as some have strong opinions on certain things or may have different views on race. I feel that racial blindness is something we are not ready for just yet. The US have recently had a black president, where as here in Canada we are yet to have a visible minority as prime minster. Race still plays a very important role in society still which is unfortunate, as mentioned by Martin Luther King “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the consent of their character” it seems to still be a dream. I feel we are to fast to judge people by the color of their skin. Going back to the racial blindness for now it seems like a dream as people will always be looking at color and if you fall under minority you find yourself going uphill. When you ask how it affects my life, I feel that I have to explain myself that I am Hispanic but Canadian born. I agree with you I feel annoyed, I should be able to just say I am Canadian and that should be all. Race is not biological I agree with you but I do feel that negative stigmas to certain races are installed into people in society. With all that said until we can talk about race without argument’s that is when our society will begin to see improvements.