A Metanoia on Race
September 27th, 2005 | by Scott |I finally saw the movie Crash the other night and was overwhelmed with the poignancy in which it deals with the subject of race in America.
As the most developed society in history, you would think that we would be more progressive than we are.
That we would judge people based upon their character and not their color.
That we would not instinctively categorize people upon superficial impressions.
That we would not stereotype people because they fail to match up with our race, religion, or socio-economic group.
I’ve been so guilty of this in my life. I have told jokes of a racial bent and justified it because I was “just kidding.”
I’ve stayed away from certain neighborhoods because of the “element” that lives there.
I have begrudged people the liberties of this nation because they have failed to “assimilate” to the degree that I expect.
I have sought out friends and acquaintances who look like me, act like me, and believe like me.
I have used words and ephitets that disparage children of God.
I have been guilty of overt racism.
And I have harbored the covert signs of prejudice and bigotry.
I have justified this for years.
I have blamed the problem of race in America on those who want hand-outs.
I have shifted the blame to minorities who “complain too much”
Yet, I have been guilty of the very behavior that I denied.
There is a problem with racism in America.
That problem is me.
And I repent.
No more, will the jokes be accepted by me or around me.
I will strive to move away from the split-second categorization.
I will work and pray that people will be loved and embraced regardless of race.
For there is a problem with race in America.
We need look no further than our worship assemblies to see that.
God, join us together. Allow us to embrace one another in love, despite our appearances.
And in spite of our prejudices allow us to see one another for who we truly are, your children.
9 Responses to “A Metanoia on Race”
By Dan on Sep 27, 2005 | Reply
Just how “developed” can a 230-year old country be? We very well may be (as I believe) the greatest nation in the world, but that’s a sad pile to be on top of. And we’re just the teenagers of the group.
By scott on Sep 27, 2005 | Reply
ok, even if we ain’t the most developed we should still be further along in loving one another
By brandon scott thomas on Sep 27, 2005 | Reply
Hey, bud. Don’t even know you–but classic comment today on Fajita’s blog. Classic! Have a great day! Oh…loved your blog!
By Noah on Sep 28, 2005 | Reply
Scott, my first reaction was right in-line with Dan’s up there.. But considering society is a totality thing - I think you’re absolutely right describing America as the most developed thanks to all the broadband mediums of communication we have. No other society has ever had such extensive and consistent interaction with each other on an indivual to individual basis. Sure, we aren’t alone in this area- but one would kinda hope that with such interaction and communion we’d being to become oblivious to certain stereotypes; especially in the Melting Pot.
By Dan on Sep 28, 2005 | Reply
Noah; I’m glad you mention the “Melting Pot” analogy; that word was coined when people of all backgrounds came to this country to be Americans. They were different, of course, but we all mixed - we did not homogenize. That was the way it was meant to be. Then, individual cultures started rebelling against that mix - most notably the KKK. They wanted to make it about race, but the problem was their own self-created culture. It wasn’t mixing. Now we have the same kind of hatred; not necessarily of color, but of culture. Too many self-created cultures are not “mixing;” they set themselves up against the harmony that both the Founding Fathers and later visionaries like MLK and JFK tried to foster. We don’t need the thug image on MTV any more than we need the Freemen in Montana. Or Koresh-alikes in Waco. (but we do need Freemans in Waco, however)
That said: I’m proud to be Irish/Dutch/Native American. But I will not let any of those colors OR cultures define me. It’s hard enough letting God work on who I need to be. And the problem with instant communication is two-fold: opting out of “personal” communication (communion vs. mere communication), and the anonymity that those media provide. If we could turn all that stuff off more often and get out where the people are, maybe we’d be better off. And that is the key to loving one another - knowing one another. Just a thought.
Noah; how old are you? It seems I remember a “Noah” scrambling around Scott’s house back in NLR.
By scott on Sep 28, 2005 | Reply
Dan, how does slavery fit into that early American description you offer? Again, it seemed that our mixing was based on superficial criteria.
Even, the post-Reconstruction era saw immigrants coming into Ellis Island filtering to communities that were somewhat segregated.
By Noah on Sep 28, 2005 | Reply
Dan; I’m 22. Yeah, that was probably me scrambling around.
Weird, huh? I have a vague recollection of a few of Scotts friends. But nice to meet you again. 
By Dan on Sep 28, 2005 | Reply
I don’t consider antebellum America as anything but an Old World import. Slavery was part of that culture. Europe defends itself by saying it was an American phenomenon; if that’s true, it was because European countries didn’t take slaves, they took whole nations (Congo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, et al). The culture in the U.S. (following the War) was slow to change, but change it did - far faster than any other nation in history.
Immigrants grouped together because of cultural bias, not racial bias. The Irish, when they immigrated here in waves after the Potato Famine, were treated like dirt by people whose skin tone was no different. Once individual cultures became less distinct within the American framework, people began to understand each other, and people began to move in cultural circles distinct from race.
Please don’t get me wrong, there are glaring examples of racial cruelty in American history - the treatment of Native Americans comes to mind - but even then, that was more of a religious bigotry against “savages” than it was a racial bias against “Indians.” The obfuscatory factor is that, in this country’s infancy, the two were indistinct, and some have become comfortable with that history. Look at the number of trucks in the South with Confederate flags on them.
You’re right - love is far too rare a virtue among average America. But racial tension is a small part of a much larger problem.
By scott on Sep 28, 2005 | Reply
I agree that race is part of a larger problem but I have a hard time diminishing it to just a small part. Especially when I come face to face to a life time of being guilty of it.
True, slavery was part of a culture imported but it was still ingrained in the values of the early settlers. The cost of change was too severe for it to be just a cultural transition.
My intent, originally, was not to “deconstruct” racism in America but to acknowledge my own complicity in a far too common problem.