How Rachael and Chandler made me think

Earlier today I spent a few minutes reading several responses to an the question "Is racism better kept in, or let out of the closet." The first response I read was from a black man and he said this:

"During my parents' and grand parents' age, racism was easy to see and fight. "Colored only," "The KKK will kill you." Now racism has all the tech to hide in plain sight. "He speaks so well!" No people of color on "Friends." I don't want a cross burning on my lawn, but it was easier to see the hate coming when it was wearing a white sheet."

My initial, immediate reaction to this was slight annoyance that the cast of Friends was used as an example of racism. I don't know the exact percentages, but the majority of this country is white, so it's not all that surprising that a for-profit entertainment venture would play out in accordance to the demographics. Besides, aren't there sitcoms with an all black cast? Like I said, that was my initial reaction.

But, I had to pause. Recently my awareness of racism and its continued effects in the U.S. has been raised significantly by reading the blogs of black men and women who live every day in these United States, and without fail I find that these men and women write about racism they encounter with alarming regularity. Is my annoyance just another example of an unexamined thought process of mine?

And now, my initial reaction to my initial reaction (ya like that?) is that it feels a lot like the old reflexive, defensive rationalization of possible racism exhibited by someone white, that I had (and was largely unaware of) before my recent "awakening." (That sounds fairly pretentious, speaking of "my awakening" but a better word didn't come to mind) In other words, am I just sweeping an inconvienient truth under the rug, so that I can be more psychically comfortable?

To answer that, let me not answer it (at least right away). On the recommendation of someone more knowledgable than me in regards to race relations in the U.S., I am reading "The Content of our Character" by Shelby Steele. I've only read about 80 pages so far, but he delves into some pretty deep stuff quickly. He contends that the oppression of blacks in this country which officially (but not entirely in reality) ended with the Civil Rights Act, created (along with certain social programs which followed) a victim mentality within the black community which has given it a source of social and political power. He does not (nor do I, nor would any sane person) deny that black people have been the victims of white racism with tragic results. But, he contends that the black community as a whole has traded upon this legitimate victim-hood for their social, economic, and political advancement. He believes that this was effective up through the Civil Rights movement, but that today (well actually he wrote the book in 1990 I believe) it has actually become a hindrence of the realization of equality for blacks because it too easily allows individual black men and women to slip out from under the scary and heavy load of personal responsibility and transfer it to "the system." Now this is my feable attempt to summarize his excellent writing with my own poorly worded condensation, but I believe I've salvaged his basic meaning. I've just read all of this tonight so I need more time to digest it, but I believe it is relevent to what I've written above.

It seems to me that calling Friends an example of racism because of its white cast is an example of looking for a chance to remain a victim (even though perhaps, in an inconsequential way). Why go to all this trouble to say that? Why ramble on and on about what some other guy says in his book I haven't even finished (or thought enough about to comment on with strong conviction!) if all I can conjur up after all that is a one sentence declaration? Well, here's why.

Because the one thing that gives me hope is what happened to me upon reading Field Negro's blog (see link to the right) and other blogs I linked to from his page. What happened? I began to see that I personally had some responsibility in the matter of race relations and inequalities here in the U.S. and I began to seek out ways in which I can fulfill those responsibilities. I had to come to a point where I, first and formost, saw where I fell short, rather than seeing only where the system or those within it were falling short. If we all did that, and I mean if we all did that, well... I think things would change faster than any of us believe possible. And isn't that better than getting a Token placed into a mediocre sitcom?