Cultural Conversations 2 - Conflict and Ethnicity
Assignment 2: Your Experience of Conflict and Ethnicity
It is one thing to understand that in the course of life conflicts erupt. It is quite another to be exposed to those ideas, although archaic and taboo, still exist below the surface of our daily lives.
To be exposed to these ideas is at once frightening and illuminating, for such revelations have the quality of initiation into a larger world. Inasmuch as the idea of an invisible or essential world underlies many of our most basic assumptions, so does the unveiling of such behavior act as a symbol; the microcosm reveal the macrocosm and confirms in the same moment that others willingly enslave us to their idea of the Other.
To understand that for some you are the ‘other’ confirms that you exist at the very least on the level upon which you are identified, and if you are now the enemy, at least you are not completely invisible.
For myself, I do not recall being referred to in the terms of a racial epithet until quite late in life – I was 25 or so. I had been entering a freeway, and sought to overtake a car travelling in front of me. The other driver observed my maneuver, and struck the rear of my car lightly with his front fender.
We pulled off into a nearby parking lot, where I was confronted with the spectacle of an angry man in his sixties, referring to me as a “Jew” and dirty, in addition to the more common pejoratives.
The situation seemed so ludicrous that I laughed in his face, but it was at the same time fundamentally unsettling. Eventually I got back in my car and drove off, my vehicle having sustained no damage.
Such experiences in no way match those who suffer from constant prejudice. But I am aware that my ethnicity is puzzling to some, and sometimes I aware of others’ curiosity about it, even when they don’t speak of it directly.
To imagine such expectations and prejudices following one around constantly seems maddening. I can only imagine that it is.
It is one thing to understand that in the course of life conflicts erupt. It is quite another to be exposed to those ideas, although archaic and taboo, still exist below the surface of our daily lives.
To be exposed to these ideas is at once frightening and illuminating, for such revelations have the quality of initiation into a larger world. Inasmuch as the idea of an invisible or essential world underlies many of our most basic assumptions, so does the unveiling of such behavior act as a symbol; the microcosm reveal the macrocosm and confirms in the same moment that others willingly enslave us to their idea of the Other.
To understand that for some you are the ‘other’ confirms that you exist at the very least on the level upon which you are identified, and if you are now the enemy, at least you are not completely invisible.
For myself, I do not recall being referred to in the terms of a racial epithet until quite late in life – I was 25 or so. I had been entering a freeway, and sought to overtake a car travelling in front of me. The other driver observed my maneuver, and struck the rear of my car lightly with his front fender.
We pulled off into a nearby parking lot, where I was confronted with the spectacle of an angry man in his sixties, referring to me as a “Jew” and dirty, in addition to the more common pejoratives.
The situation seemed so ludicrous that I laughed in his face, but it was at the same time fundamentally unsettling. Eventually I got back in my car and drove off, my vehicle having sustained no damage.
Such experiences in no way match those who suffer from constant prejudice. But I am aware that my ethnicity is puzzling to some, and sometimes I aware of others’ curiosity about it, even when they don’t speak of it directly.
To imagine such expectations and prejudices following one around constantly seems maddening. I can only imagine that it is.
posted by javaapp@gmail.com | 6:59 PM
1 Comments:
Perhaps it is just my naiveté, but it astounds me that in this day and age, people still feel the need to cling to archaeic beliefs about race, religion, sexuality, etc. There are so many mixtures of races, such a diversity of religion and sexual preference these days, how can anyone presume to know ANYTHING about a person based solely on appearance?
Maybe I am able to be more objective than most because I work in a VERY diverse environment. My department consists of 10 people, 2 african-american, 2 middle eastern (is that considered a race?), 1 hispanic, 2 japanese and 3 anglos; 1 catholic, 1 buddhist, 2 christians, an aetheist, and several agnostic, some gay, some straight, at least 1 bi-sexual, some with tattoos, some with piercings, 1 with a mohawk....ALL INDIVIDUALS. Did I mention this is an ACCOUNTING department? Why do people assume accountants are white christian republicans?
I guess I'm just lucky. I wish more people were exposed to diversity so they could get over their ignorance.
Just my 2 cents.
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