***
In the wake of George Zimmerman’s
acquittal, an interesting, but definitely not new, sentiment has sprung up
among various personalities in the public eye.
To be clear, when I use the term “interesting” to describe something it
generally has a negative connotation.
And it appears my description continues.
There appears to be a new phenomenon where the discussion of racial
profiling centers on this belief that those who dress or speak a certain way or live in certain areas are asking to be
profiled.
Last week, CNN’s Don Lemon cosigned Bill O’Reilly’s recent (and consistent) “critique” of the Black community. Ah,
good ole politics of respectability coming up again.
To say that I am dismayed by this
argument, regardless of who it is coming from, would be an understatement. What
is particularly funny to me is when I’m chastised by those who accuse me of
dismissing O’Reilly’s points by making excuses for the Black community or by
those who say that I’m not being realistic.
All humor is lost and turns to disgust, however, when individuals
suggest that Trayvon Martin would have never caught George Zimmerman’s eye if
he wasn’t wearing a hoodie. Really? Wow, who knew that hoodies were the hand
tools of the Grim Reaper?
I sometimes wonder what world American
pundits like Don Lemon live in. Seriously!
Based on their narrow rational, being prejudice is justified since
incomplete and tainted “data” back up their preconceived stereotypes and generalities. It’s not the fault of the bigot, it’s the
fault of the stereotypical subject. You
don’t want to be stereotyped, then conform! Wow!
Talk about “blaming the victim.”
Well, hell, why didn’t anyone ever tell me that behaving in a White man’s
definition of a “socially acceptable” manner was the magic elixir needed to
cure the scourge of racism? I don’t
believe everyone received that memo. If
so, I would’ve NEVER experienced racism at all.
I mean… I come from a middle-class, two-parent household; both of whom
are college educated. I hold multiple degrees from highly accredited
schools myself. I grew up in the suburbs
in the Midwest – you know, “God’s Country.”
I went to a good school taking every accelerated class my school offered.
I've even been told I "speak so
well" because of my general usage
of standard English. Bottom line, I
fit within the description of what an acceptable
Black person should be. So I should be exempt from profiling and racism, right? I mean, I’ve done my part, correct?
Wrong!
I won't bore you with the seemingly
endless lists of examples of racism I've seen and experienced. Those experiences made me realize long ago that
in the eyes of some people my skin color will inherently make me less than
human. And, if I throw on a hoodie, all
my credentials magically go away.
Instead of being a PhD, I am simply a Black person cursed with carrying
the burden of the FBI murder statics.
And I’m a female; I won’t
even start on the horror stories shared by my equally credentialed Black male friends. Oh, and by “equally credentialed” I mean
college educated, professional and articulate men. You know… the prototypical Black people who
are immune to racial profiling.
Are our stories the exception or the
rule? Is there some other
“respectability” trait that we’re missing?
I’d like to be judged by the content of my character. Please Mr. White
Man, please teach po’ ‘lil ol’ me!!
There is nothing to gain from this
twisted game of respectability politics in an effort to justify racial
profiling. Instead of confronting the
subject of racism, the “power structure” has decided the “African American
community” should confront the object of said racism. This is victim blaming plain and simple and
completely ignores the fact that racial profiling shouldn’t occur in the first
place!
Getting to the heart of the issue: a
person’s appearance isn’t synonymous with social camouflage limiting the
recognition that comes with basic humanity.
This is doubly true for any person of color, or women, or the disabled,
etc. Basic humanity demands that all
people deserve to be treated with basic respect and human dignity. All individuals deserve the right to speak
for themselves NOT spoken for – especially
by bogus stats and stereotypes. It
appears as if the Bill O’Reillys and Don Lemons of the world don’t believe this
to be true. It seems as if they feel
that some folks deserve to be treated with basic respect and regarded as humans
while others don't. According to them,
Black men shouldn’t be able to walk down the street without being harassed; as
if walking down the street is a privilege only granted by certain people. People with a specific birth right, dress
code, speech pattern, gender, or race. Or
at least it should be.
Do you want to hear something
ironic? I just watched the movie The Great Debaters for the first time
today (Don’t judge me! Haven’t you been
reading the post - LOL). I keep thinking
about the final debate.
What are your thoughts?