Sunday, August 2, 2009

Crazy point of view

I was bored the other day and decided to watch whatever my family was watching on TV. It was something about Prom Night in Mississippi, a show following the first integrated prom in some town. What really caught my interest though, not that the repetition of the N word a million times in a Mississippi accent isn't riveting, was a certain woman's perspective on biracial or mixed kids.

"Well, dis is da way I see it..." the middle aged skinny blonde woman began, "tha good Lord put differ'nt races on dis earth fuh a reason. And that reason is in-duh-viduality. If he wanted us to all be the same then he woulda made it so, and when people sin and mix they races it's a strike against God. Eventually if it keeps goin' on then aint no in-duh-viduality goin' ta be left."

Ordinarily, I'd be rolling my eyes and sighing at such ignorance. Yet she held my interest, not because of what she was saying, but because of her left eye. Whcih, by the way, gave her all the in-duh-viduality in the free world.

While she made her monotone speech about how mixed children are the brood of Lucifer, her left eye was dancing wildly this way and that; like Mad-Eye Moody from the Harry Potter series. I kept trying to focus on how angry her words made me, how serious of a problem it is that people still think that way in America, but it was becoming hard not to laugh.

What gave this lazy eyed Moody wannabe the right to talk that way? I'm not saying she's not allowed to have an opinion, but I want to know what makes her think she's right. Surely, she can take a walk outside of herself and observe her life with her good eye.

"Well," she might begin, "I may be a terrible drunk, I may have smoked eight packs a day while pregnant with my first child, I may be an extremely racist individual, but damn it on this issue you can chalk one up for me because I'm correct."

Then, for some reason, I thought I was being too hard on her. I had, after all, immediately created all of the above scenarios in my mind based on how she looked and spoke and was acting. No matter how true my observations and predictions may have been, I didn't have to be judging her.

The way I see it is we all have a crazy eye that wiggles this way and that. That one eye that gives people the once over and then assumes they know it all. I'm not saying I'd apologize to this woman, obviously she disapproves of my very existence, yet... I don't have to be like her. I don't want to have that evil eye that makes it impossible for me to be tolerant of someone, I just don't want to have to look out of it. It provides us a shaky outlook at best, and makes for one crazy point of view.

9 comments:

the walking man said...

Actually that viewpoint is shared by more than lop eyed white women. There are many in every race who abhor the thought of "pollution" of the lineage. the Japanese in Japan for example are culturally notorious for it.

I've witnessed this shit all of my life from some Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asian, and aboriginal peoples.

My personal attitude is "fuck 'em" keep their gene pool limited and eventually it breeds itself out. Who knows brother, that may be the only way to get rid of ignorance; education sure as hell ain't working very well.

I enjoyed your writing and your subject on this my first visit here.

YayaOrchid said...

Wow! Another great and inpirational post JP! I also wrote something along the lines of intolerance. You know, it's not so much the opinions that people hold which rile me, it's just the whole bigoted rhetoric that's spreading like wildfire in our country.

GlorV1 said...

Well written Juan Pablo. You said it all. Have a great week.

Punch said...

JuanP...I must follow in WalkingM's footsteps, fuck'em!
I am a southern white man, and damn proud of it. My family served in the Revolution, (a mis-named event)We have Never lived north of the Mason-Dixon Line, well 'cept for a few weeks on Ellis Island, and it is the Niggers (careful use of the word) that don't like the Chicano's (careful use of the word)living and working in America. And people call me a Racist. Phooey.
Keep Axein' questions, hit's the only way to grow.
By the Way, I graduated from a High School in Jacksonville, Florida, that in 1964 had an integrated prom, no big whoop.
God Damn Yankees!

Juan Pablo said...

Thanks everyone!
Yes, hate is quite universal sadly =[

As a mixed kid who can write, I think it's my duty to do so as much as possible. I hate hate hate the idea of anyone else in the future having to dislike themselves just because they think their blood is "polluted".

Thanks again for your kind comments!

Anonymous said...

Yeah racial "purity" is prevalent in every race with a section of people - I guess they're entitled to a point of view and to preserving their racial identity if that's what they're doing, but honestly, why cut yourself off from a giant bit of the population by narrowing yourself into a corridor?

The more racial mixing goes on, the less racism you'd think we'd see as people get truly integrated. I fail to see how mixing two races can result in anything but a great sharing of cultures. I don't understand people's hesitation at all. Plus I think, if it's someone's opinion that they should breed within their own race that might be their business, but leave the rest of us, who don't believe that, alone.

Wonky eye or not. :)

Juan Pablo said...

I agree Vegetable Assassin! Why can't they keept it to themselves if it's their opinion? Oh well... yeah, racial purity exists in every single race, it's a sad philosophy.

Anonymous said...

She's just jealous because the mixed race people are by far the best looking!

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Which has more than its share of racial tension.

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