Scientifically, there's no such thing as "race". For me, this is a very liberating understanding: all those categories that seemed so natural and obvious just break down and blow away. It's a vision of the future we want, in which race actually is irrelevant.
Sadly, one comes down with a bump into the real world, where the idea of "race" is very much alive. My country lets its Indigenous people go blind for lack of clean drinking water and locks up Middle Eastern refugees indefinitely without charge or trial. My city recently had a race riot when a drunken Anglo mob turned on Lebanese-Australians.
For you and I, these are things that happen to other people - they don't really affect our lives. But obviously, it's no armchair debate if you happen to be Aboriginal or Lebanese-Australian. That's why it's so important for White people not to fall into the "colourblind" trap. We don't live in that ideal world, not yet.
My suggestion is this: don't focus on race per se. Focus on racism. Don't worry overmuch about precise categories or identities, but look at issues like poverty, neglect, vilification, injustice, misrepresentation.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-08-05 10:16 pm (UTC)Sadly, one comes down with a bump into the real world, where the idea of "race" is very much alive. My country lets its Indigenous people go blind for lack of clean drinking water and locks up Middle Eastern refugees indefinitely without charge or trial. My city recently had a race riot when a drunken Anglo mob turned on Lebanese-Australians.
For you and I, these are things that happen to other people - they don't really affect our lives. But obviously, it's no armchair debate if you happen to be Aboriginal or Lebanese-Australian. That's why it's so important for White people not to fall into the "colourblind" trap. We don't live in that ideal world, not yet.
My suggestion is this: don't focus on race per se. Focus on racism. Don't worry overmuch about precise categories or identities, but look at issues like poverty, neglect, vilification, injustice, misrepresentation.