Hard not to think about bigotry these days. I wish I were immune, but I have my biases. Cultural assumptions hate being ruffled, they are RIGHT, and the other is WRONG! Milk must be put in tea after, NEVER before! (Except that when you are poor, maybe easier to know how much of scant milk is in before tea, rather than slopped in after... oh.)
The phrase "But. Some of my best friends are ..." whatever. That's pretty bad really, although I didn't know it for a long time. But I've never been good at friends. Can't say I've ever really had a best friend, although I've had some good ones, occasionally. I can say, none of my best friends have ever been WASP rich or middle class. Women or men. Iroquois, black, Mexican, Asian, Jewish, Israeli, lesbian, yes. Never mainstream, "White." Half that, yeah, or poor or odd in some other way, sure. But, well, not. Not intentionally, just sort of worked out that way.
I've never felt any sense of belonging in any group, aside from Army or OR nurse. And both of those are about choice, not inheritance. No religion, no 'family' has ever meant anything to me. My work, yes. Dylan and the cats, absolutely. My tribe is who I have come to welcome in my home. And love in my strange little neighborhood. I am a citizen of the world. I wish that for everyone. It's scary and lovely and interesting.
I'm a little surprized how much I have written about this before. But I've never felt "white" in my life. A girl, poor, Irish, French Canadian, odd duck, never one of Them.
3 comments:
when i think about my years growing up, my school people were always of all sorts of colours, so it never mattered. that it should matter, just like one's sexual orientation, is beyond me, as i know i've said here before.
racism is idiocy, pure and simple.
I have been reading a lot about how we now must try and understand each other and listen to our opponents, to be tolerant,inclusive. When I write we, I mean people like myself, feminists, left, environmentalist, you are welcome to add all the usual cliches.
And I have spent a lifetime trying to do this, to not see myself above or beyond or better. And I have learned and understood along my way and I will continue to do so with all my heart. It helped that I spent years living in what some call developing countries on what others still call the dark continent (none of it is what these labels assume).
But there are limits. Number one: when people's are used and abused, number two, when the planet is used and abused. For selfish stupid fucking useless gain.
good point, sabine. i think we're well past the limits of tolerating their intolerance and i, for one, am sick of being told to be kind and patient.
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