Racism and ethnic stereotyping is so insidious. I do it. We all do. So someone makes a comment about loud black women talking during a movie. Oh sure, I’ve been there. I am white and I confess I will think to myself “those two black women are talking loudly!” But what is it that makes someone note the fact that the women are black? If they were two white women would you say to yourself (if you are a white person) “those two white women are talking loudly during the movie!” But what if they were obviously, or apparently jewish, and you were not? You might say “those two jewish women are talking loudly during the movie!” And maybe if you were black you would say “those two young white dudes were talking loudly during the movie!” Or maybe you would say “those two gay guys would just not stop talking!” But attaching the black or the jewish or the white or the gay is unnecessary, isn’t it? I mean the loud talking is not the result of being black or white or jewish or gay or anything ethnic. It is rudeness of which people in every ethnic group and religion and gender are capable. So why do we do this? Is it taught? Is it “natural” to identify bad behavior with being part of another group of some kind? We don’t do it as much with good behavior do we? We don’t say, at least not as often “the black woman [or jewish woman or gay guy or white guy] was so nice”. But sometimes we do and that is just as unnecessary. I think about this stuff all the time and I try to correct my thinking. Two latino kids doing somersaults on the subway and playing loud music. I might first think “two loud latino kids...” Then I might say to myself “but what does it have to do with being latino?” Plenty of loud obnoxious white kids (on way to Yankee game!) For comedians this is all so funny and it is. But scary to and without being kind of weirdly self-conscious all the time, it is worth thinking about.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 22:14:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015