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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: Race vs culture Dating back to colonial times, there has been an American character that was different from the national characters of European countries. A mainstream model emerged for appearance and behavior. This model evolved with the times and with the contributions of immigrants from more places. But, the closer that the newcomer could get to the core model, the more likely he or she was to have material success. While we like to think of ourselves as rebels and mold-breakers, there was always a cultural center. A person does not have to conform in every way, but the more ways in which one does, the higher one is likely to go. I thought of this yesterday when a radio show discussed that many blacks feel that they've lost ground in the quest for equality. What was not discussed is that the pursuit of black pride may have gone awry. In every society, culture has been determined by the wealthy and emulated by those lower on the economic scale. In the last few decades, however, the development of black culture has gone from emulating the mainstream to adopting African traditions to celebrating distinctions unique to poverty and exclusion. Rejecting those who reject you is understandable, but often not very rewarding. As a person who often marches to the toot of a different kazoo, I choose less traveled roads and pay the tolls for doing so. But, for people who complain of being excluded, emulating models different from the mainstream is self-defeating. Education is part of the model. Kids who reject education as being imposed on them by the establishment, are dooming themselves to poverty--black or white. Language is another part of the model. People who use conventional vocabulary, even if they speak with accents, are going to succeed more often than those who employ neighborhood specific jargon. Job applicants with baggy hats who wear their pants backwards (did I get that right? it's hard to keep up) are less likely to be hired than someone who dresses like the people who already work in the place they want to be. As evidence of my thesis, I offer Oprah Winfrey, whose childhood was as traumatizing as any and worse than most, but she had a couple good life guides and was intelligent enough to embrace the American model. That she did so without turning her back on her own is not only a testament to her character, but proof that a person does not have to sacrifice his or her heritage to achieve mainstream success. I remember being in the breakroom with my yogurt and a book while a group of female black colleagues sat a short distance away. These were women with good civil service jobs and when one of them mentioned that her mother never let her hang out on street corners, the others chimed in regarding their own strict parents or grandparents who kept them away from the kids on the corner. They all had that in common. Racism exists, but it is not as great a barrier as culture. Studying is a choice, so are drugs. Showing up for work every day is a choice, so is committing a crime. In the worst of times and in the best of times, people with intelligence, and/or skills, and/or good character will achieve more than those without.
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#1. To: christine (#0)
I been saying this for years. Act white. You'll go places. :)
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