I get looked at sideways for saying this, but. . . . At least shes being honest in her public voice. There is a lot of hidden ignorance behind closed doors because people are afraid to share their honest thoughts. Especially about black people. Often times, its not hateful or intentionally bigoted. Its just their perspective about a culture they dont understand. Its s3h7aped by the media, television, movies, music videos, youtube, vine, etc. The dirty little secret is that we are all pretty offensively ignorant about other cultures. We blacks get offended whenever some white person opens up like this, but ask any Asian or South American person about our perspectives and opinions about them. It almost never fails that when i get introduced in a1 black neighborhood, that at least one person breaks out with ching chong ching chang and everybody will laugh, but me. Making slant eyes isnt any funnier. If we want understanding from other cultures, we must be more more accessible with our own. The idea of having an open, honest discussion about race is almost always a hostile one. We have to change that. We must hold back the accusations and bring out the tolerance. Ignorant people are going to say ignorant things. Just like kids in school. We cant teach anything of redeeming value if we do so with tones of condemnation. I understand that its hard for blacks to tolerate the ignorance of others. It is offensive. It is racist. But it is also ignorance, and we can only cure it with knowledge. And this isnt just about white folk. We have an abundance of ignorance within our own communities. We are just as brainwashed about our own culture as they are. Especially our young black children and teens. We criticize them for perpetuating negative stereotypes, but we rarely perpetuate a more positive image for them to follow. It is our responsibility to show them, to teach them. Kids should not be allowed to raise themselves. Theyre kids. We all are living teachers/mentors, whether we like it or not. I am judged by young and old, lack and white, rich and poor alike. When white people see me, they judge me as a black man. That i dont see color bullshit becomes invalidated the moment my button gets pushed, all they see after that is an angry black man. We all categorize and evaluate. When we see ignorance, lets address it fairly and openly. Its an opportunity to change the world, one mind at a time. The ones brave enough to share their ignorance are brave enough to learn. Its the quiet, closed minds that are the real dangers to society. They keep their honest thoughts to themselves, mistaking their ignorance for fact, and avoid learning anything new at all costs. Lets all keep an open mid, and start having some real discussions about real issues. We are all ignorant about what lies beyond our worlds. As i have said many times before, we are ambassadors for our cultures. We also are mentors for our people.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 17:22:15 +0000
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