Influences

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:29 am

Having grown up in the North West, I understood very little about racial prejudice. We had blacks in school and there was never a problem. In High School we were required to read 'Black Like Me'. I read it and did not believe it. Then I lived in Alabama in the late 60's early 70's. To my horror, the man who wrot e the book, John Howard Griffin, was kind and it seemed that he colored the story ( if you'll forgive the outdated pun) to make it less horrific than it really was.

For those too young to have heard of it, Wikipedia says:

Black Like Me is a non-fiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin first published in 1961. Griffin was a white native of Mansfield, Texas and the book describes his six-week experience travelling throughout the racially segregated states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia passing as a black man. Sepia Magazine financed the project in exchange for the right to print the account first as a series of articles.

If memory serves, he was able to alter his appearance with injections to change his pigment among other things, and when he returned home to Texas, they hung him in effigy. He is probably in hiding now, if he's still around.

Things in the southland seem to have mellowed somewhat now, I am glad to see.
_________________
Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:45 am

I may have mentioned this before, and if I did, it seems appropriate once again.
Except for the native American who we placed on reservations, the rest of us have our roots in other parts of the world. So what is an an American supposed to look like? Without mentioning individual countries, primarily we have European Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans and Americans from the Americas.
In order to break down the barriers that continue to cause friction and separation, we should stop calling people by their country of origin or their religion. How often do we hear, "Chinese Americans, German Americans, African Americans, etc."
An American is an American. Unless or until we can accept that, there will continue to be animosity caused by the deep rooted INFLUENCES that are passed on from generation to generation.
_________________
"To Beirut and Back"
http://www.freewebs.com/abemarch

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:31 am

You are right, Abe.

Then there are the religious influences. Our Declaration of Independence speaks of Divine Providence and a few other words of our country's basic belief in a higher power.

Our nation is predominately Christian, but that doesn't mean we can't respect other religions. Our nation has a separation of church and state which is a very good thing. In the early years people came here to get away from religions forced upon them, only to have religion forced upon them once again here. Sins were punished as crimes.

Many concepts were argued and debated in the beginnings of our country, and I think there were some good ideas put forth in our nation's documents. We have progressed with more rights for women and races.

Carol

Subject: Re: Influences Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:51 pm

I cannot beleive that I lost touch with this thread and you guys read my blog and site! So a belated thank you for that, and for your feedback. There were no little yellow flashing pages for me to see...

We are seeing racism rearing its head here in the news once again, and I just continue to shake my head. An off duty police officer (allegedly) hurled a racial slur at a group of young people and of course there was a reaction. I find here that we actually have less diversity than in other places I have lived, and find it really odd. There seemed to be less or a problem in places where there was greater diversit because people "got used" to one another. I do think that it will be our young people who sort a lot of it out, but they will need more help. Groups like those you speak of do exist in small pockets I think Carol. I wish there were a lot more.
_________________
Pam Robertson

http://andthebandplayedonmylawn.blogspot.com

Three Star Member Joined : 07 Jun 2008 Posts : 171

I suppose that I’m considered racist. More than that, you could say I’m STILL a racist. I grew up in the boundary state of Kentucky where Negroes rode in the back of the bus and were not permitted in the white waiting at the bus station. Negroes had their own schools, and were allowed in the movie theatre only in the third balcony that was reached by the outdoors fire escape stairs. But I moved to cosmopolitan Los Angeles where things were decidedly different. Culture shock! But as I became educated socially I found friends and co-workers among Blacks. I went into the post-WWII Navy, which supposedly was integrated by law by then, although the federal law was loosely enforced at the time, much less than today.

But I say that I’m still a racist because I can recognize people of other races. You’d have to be blind and deaf not to. I can see skin color and facial features. I can hear languages, accents and vocal expressions. Of course I can identify an Englishman, an Australian, a Frenchman, a South African too, by the sound of their voices—but I have to look to see their skin color. It registers in my brain when I recognize a vocal or visual identification of another countryman. It doesn’t have to be out of my own country either. Texans are fairly easy to identify by voice, as are Alabamians or Georgians or Minnesotans or Vermonters. People are different and to say that all are the same plays on stupidity. We are not the same. There are considerations of blond hair and blue eyes and kinky hair and slanted eyes and religious habits and food choices that make one people or person different from the next. It’s not racist to know this, only perhaps to admit it, or to write of it.

My in-work novel is set in South Africa at mid 20^th Century. My protagonist is young and grew up in the U.S. South. South Africa had it’s own brand of racial problems at the time and my character is thrown into it. The Whites’ term for Blacks at the time and place was “kaffir.” Like our “N” word, it’s been legislated out of popular use in the light of day, but like the “N” word, it continues to be used in the dark.

My character uses the “N” word at the start of his African adventure, but drops it from his vocabulary well before the ending of his saga--a matter of social education. But throughout his half a century in Africa, he still was able to recognize a black man when he saw or heard one. His black companion wasn’t blind or deaf or stupid either. He could identify a white man by his sound and smell. But no one would call him racist. Only Whites are racist when they recognize by sound, visuals or experience, a person of a different color.

Jim Woods
www.ultrasw.com/jwoods

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 24, 2008 4:22 am

You got it right, Jim.
_________________
"To Beirut and Back"
http://www.freewebs.com/abemarch

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:10 am

I think we're talking diversity here: ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety.

I think diversity, difference, is beautiful, and what we stand for in America, even in the different states we live in. I think racism in a disapproving sense occurs when we make assumptions. I believe difference and diversity is beautiful.

Carol

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 2068 Location : UK

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:03 pm

So many interesting points of view have been expressed here there seems little for me to add. It seems that racism, relious prejudice and xenophobia diminish a little with each generation, but is still very evident in America.
When Juan Pablo Montoya won a NASCAR race last year he was loudly booed by the spectators. One woman told of being seated next to a man screaming, "Go back to Mexico!" She told him Montoya was from Colombia so he changed to screaming, "Go back to Colombia!"
The NASCAR mentality is alive and well. "If you don't have a W.A.S.P. name, if you don't look like us, if you don't go to our church, if you are educated beyond high school, you are not one of us."
Too bad, but that's the way it is. The politicians and the preachers play it to the hilt.
_________________
Mystery Writers of America, Private Eye Writers of America
www.dickstodghill.com

Three Star Member Joined : 07 Jun 2008 Posts : 171

Ah, Shelagh. Obviously you recognized the Dish's ethnicity as East Indian through your visual recognition and experience with the races, and you recognized the Stunning Blonde as probably caucasion by the same senses, thereby backing my assertion that only the blind or the inexperienced can't tell the difference between the people of the world.

Jim Woods
www.ultrasw.com/jwoods

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:40 pm

And aren't all these issues part of our being writers? We describe our characters in diverse ways: their age, ethnicity, their uniqueness, not their sameness.

A friend recently sent out en email speaking out against the influx of Mexicans, with the assumption they were all illegal, feeding off our system. We have Mexicans in our town in Wisconsin and they are not all illegal. Many are working hard to be positive contributors to the community, and I love watching the kids at school relate and learn about another culture. Of course, my granddaughter does complain a bit about the advantage these kids have in Spanish class.

We need to notice as writers.

Carol

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:53 pm

I repeat that Jim got it right. Denial doesn't change reality.

When I see a black person, I know instantly that the person is black. That doesn't mean I dislike the person but simply that my eyesight depicted the difference in color.
When I see a chinese person, I notice the slanted eyes depicting a difference in race. Actually I like slanted eyes, it makes the person appear that they are smiling.
How dull this world would be if we all looked alike. I can even tell the difference between a man and a woman even though many of the features are the same. Viva la difference.
_________________
"To Beirut and Back"
http://www.freewebs.com/abemarch

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 2068 Location : UK

Three Star Member Joined : 07 Jun 2008 Posts : 171

Incidentally, I just returned from a day trip near the Arizona/Mexico border today and on the way back passed through a border check station. Two cars ahead of me the the occupants had to exit their vehicle while the car was searched and the trunk also was opened and searched before the vehicle was allowed to proceed. Apparently nothing untoward was found. But when we rolled up, and before we could even complete our stop, the Border patroman waved us on with a respectful, "Have a safe trip, now.' The difference: The car that was searched had an Arizona license plate but was occupied by Hispanics. The Border Patrolman also was Hispanic. Racial profiling or just suspicious looking characters?

Jim Woods
www.ultrasw.com/jwoods

Subject: Re: Influences Sun Aug 24, 2008 11:50 pm

Maybe you just didn't look like you were harboring any illegals! Laughing

_________________
Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/