tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6216910.post111681906290228526..comments2023-10-30T01:52:04.961-07:00Comments on Miniver Cheevy: Dialogue dialogueJonathan Kormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249159323930786199noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6216910.post-1116981342959169262005-05-24T17:35:00.000-07:002005-05-24T17:35:00.000-07:00Aye. That's stuff I want to write about at length ...Aye. That's stuff I want to write about at length at some point. For the moment though, a little story.<BR/><BR/>I'm told that the United States Marine Corps was grappling with these issues of language, and decided that all US Marines are green. If you ask a Marine if he knows Seargent So-And-So, he may point toward a truck with a black guy and white guy next to it and say, "Do you see that light green Marine over there?"Jonathan Kormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06249159323930786199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6216910.post-1116976397384231452005-05-24T16:13:00.000-07:002005-05-24T16:13:00.000-07:00Sometime around 1988 I was back in Michigan where ...Sometime around 1988 I was back in Michigan where I grew up. I was having lunch with my friend Jiro and his parents. At one point during the meal Mr. Masuda said to me, "Mike, I read in the paper that pretty soon [U.C.] Berkeley is going to have an oriental majority." Living in Berkeley, I'd grown accustomed to people jumping down the throat of anyone who dared to say "oriental" instead of "asian," but since Mr & Mrs Masuda were Japanese immigrants, I suspected their intentions were good.<BR/><BR/>Mr & Mrs Masuda were amazed to learn that "oriental" was considered offensive in California. Neither had ever heard the word used in an offensive manner. "What's offensive about that? We are oriental. That's what we are." Some years later, the migration from oriental to asian made its way to Michigan as well.<BR/><BR/>I can understand why some people want to adopt new terminology from time to time and throw off the connotations of the old. For the most part I'm happy to refer to people by whatever terms they prefer.<BR/><BR/>Battling actual racism is a much harder problem than battling terminology. For the most part, the "I hate [whoever]" flavor of racism has been defeated in this country. No doubt there are pockets of it here and there, but such hatred has gone from the norm to the fringes. I certainly don't know anybody who holds such views, and people who do harbor such overt racism seem to know to keep their mouths shut about it in polite company.<BR/><BR/>The next hurdle in race-relations is a far trickier one. Now we have to combat subtle racism. Just about anybody brought up in the USA has some ingrained racism but-- WE DO NOT THINK OF OURSELVES AS RACISTS. Racists are the guys sporting confederate flags, shouting the n-word from every rooftop. Instead the racism of most Americans manifests as a subtle bias. That makes combating racism a complex challenge.<BR/><BR/>If we notice subtle racism in action and call out the perpetrator, we have a problem. "You racist bastard! You make that hiring decision based on race instead of qualifications! You are evil!" If the perpetrator doesn't see him/herself as a racist, then angry accusations of racism just make matters worse. If you call me racist and I "know" that I am not, then you look like a hothead extremist and I stop taking you seriously. The situation becomes worse instead of better.<BR/><BR/>So how do we combat subtle racism? I don't know, but I am inclined to agree with Eleanor Clift who says that race relations is one of those rare problems where the solution is actually more talk.<BR/><BR/>The trouble is, we aren't really very good at talking about race. We must walk on eggshells. Even making REFERENCE to race can easily be misinterpreted as racist. Suppose I'm trying to point out a person standing across the room from me. If I am referring to the lone black guy standing with three white guys, I don't dare mention his race. I am going to scan for some other distinguishing feature, however subtle, just so I can avoid appearing racist. "He's the one wearing Dockers." "He's the one with the silver glasses." Anything to avoid the mention of race.<BR/><BR/>I would resent having to jump through that particular hoop if not for the fact that when the roles are reversed, and somebody says "he's the [whatever race] guy," I immediately think the speaker might be a racist. How can we have a productive dialog when it is hard to even speak the words aloud? We have a long way to go.TheWayOfTheGunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03301241320753500855noreply@blogger.com