The Color of an Awkward Conversation
7th June 2008
What’s it like to be a real African among African-Americans?
The word “racist” should be banned. It is like a sweater wrung completely out of shape; it has lost its usefulness. It makes honest debate impossible, whether about small realities such as little boys who won’t say hello to black babysitters or large realities such as who is more likely to get the death penalty. In place of “racist,” descriptive, albeit unwieldy, expressions might be used, such as “incidents that negatively affect black people, which, although possibly complicated by class and other factors, would not have occurred if the affected people were not black.” Perhaps qualifiers would be added: “These incidents do not implicate all non-black people.”
Of course, this particular African has bought into the whole “victim” mentality of modern black American culture — otherwise you don’t get published in the Washington Post — but it’s an interesting perspective.
Perhaps Africans coming to American ought to be given a pamphlet explaining the ways in which American black culture is dysfunctional and that, for better or worse, they will be assumed to be a part of that culture, by both white and non-white alike.