Sunday, June 24, 2007

Recipe for beans and cornbread

At this point it becomes necessary for me to clarify a bit. When I say I am not racist, I mean that I don't pre-judge people based on color (nothing more). Is it OK to deny a black man a job because he's black? No, of course not. Is it OK not to hire somebody who is looking for a job based on other aspects of their appearance, absolutely. Many problems arise when racism amalgamates with multiculturalism.
Confuzzled Logic: You didn't hire me because I was wearing a Tupac shirt and used slang, that's racist.
Correct logic: I did not hire you because of your Tupac shirt and your slang; your demeanor was not professional, the same reason I didn't hire Larry the Cable guy.

Erika was telling me about Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell. Mentioning some really interesting stuff about the redneck culture migrating to the cities, and how a large black population assimilated some of the white-trash culture. Sounded crazy at first, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Combine that with the sense that successful black people are often labeled as "too white." I wonder if you see this problem in other countries where there is more acceptance of culture? I'd American's as a whole have yet to realize you can adopt a new culture without losing your roots. That's what a melting pot does.

The US likes to think we are a melting pot. What's more the case, is that years of racism and individualistic cultural chauvinism have created a heterogeneous mixture. This is why black kids sit with black kids, and white kids sit with white kids. This heterogeneity is not racist, it's just that American's have a fear of cultures overlapping. We are a pot, but we are not melting. This does create a lot more breeding ground for racism. In case you were interested, Brazil truly is a cultural melting pot (financially Brazil remains beans and cornbread).

That's all for today... I still haven't addressed the question, but I'm getting there... baby steps.

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