Michelle Obama made history this week with her appearance at the Democratic National Convention. By sharing an intimate portrait of her life as a member of the Robinson family, her birth family, she solidified just how momentous this election is for race relations in the United States. Aside from the fact that the video montage that helped her to accomplish this was checkered with photos that did not include a single white person, those photos were essentially the same images that most every Middle American white family has in their own albums. You know the kind of photos—a little girl riding her first bike, eating an ice cream cone while it melts down her hand, hugging her elderly grandparent and smiling into the camera. One could almost hear the delight and the affection and the laughter pouring forth from the images of Michelle and her family. It was classic Americana, the “dream” unfolding right before our eyes. The Robinsons, it turns out, lived and loved one another just like millions of white families do. And Michelle even epitomized the ultimate in Americana—she watched the Brady Bunch religiously.
Why is all of this momentous? Because Americans still suffer from not really knowing one another. And because most white Americans still have no close friends or family members who are black or brown, and most have never stepped inside of a household of black or brown people. Although many will protest this characterization, it is sadly true. So we have not seen firsthand the parallels in our intimate worlds. We live like aliens in the same land. And though we might assume a modicum of commonality in our respective communities, most of us have not confirmed this for ourselves. The Cosby Family was a classic fictional attempt to make the point for us. But the Robinsons are real. The Obamas are even more real. And now, as white Americans are peering inside the intimate space of black and brown America through the unparalleled media presence of the almost-first Obama family, we are encountering the ultimate “look who’s moving into the neighborhood” moment for this country. And something novel is bound to result. In fact, this nation will never be the same if it occurs.
Even though television can only show us the surface of things in the Obama family, white America is likely to apply this new perspective to other black families living just down the street or across town or in an adjacent community. And as they do, we will all become participants in the most far-reaching “contact theory” experiment ever undertaken. Social scientists know that prejudice diminishes when the degree of contact increases between members of groups that fear or dislike or simply do not know one another. So this closer view of the Obamas—and black and brown America by extension—will surely assist in breaking down some of the barriers to affiliation, understanding, and alliance-building that still define us. How could this NOT happen? And, more importantly, where will we find ourselves as a people when it does?
Sam and Laurie
4 comments:
I agree with this opinion. I believe that the media usually portrays African Americans in a criminal manner. Television stations always seem to have a black criminal and a poor white victim flashing across the screen. This fuels the hatred of racism because people only see the negative side to a race. However, with Michelle Obama making history at the Democratic National Convention giving the spotlight on a true black family without a negative connotation, this will help break some of the “fears” of the white community. Seeing that black families have the same childhood experiences, like riding a bike or having the family together during holidays, will show every other race how alike we really are. Americans have always been afraid of differences and change. Even when we all first came to this country, different ethnic groups were divided off into their own separate entities. If we can see these different groups in a positive way, we are more likely to see other people of that same group in a better way than we did before. The “contact theory”, like mentioned, will have a great affect on everyone living in this country after the Obama campaign. White people can see that black families really aren’t as different as they are, and other race groups can see that they can have just as much success in America today with hard work and pushing through adversity. Having the Obama family show just a sliver of their lives to the public, helps destroy some stereotype plaguing our thoughts about race.
Indeed, I’m sure Michelle Obama had the most picturesque childhood since The Waltons. That story reminds me of an idea I have been playing with. I believe that there are two kinds of racism. First, there is the true racism. I’m talking about Neo Nazis and the KKK here. Societal rejects who honestly and whole heartedly hate someone just because of their skin color. The other kind is a bit more complicated, but not actually racism, but we call it racism. In actuality, all it is is behavioral avoidance. So, my theory is this: People are not actually racists, they just do not care for certain behaviors that are different from our own. A great example is the clothes we wear. People who dress nice are more willing to accept a person who dresses nice as opposed to one who doesn’t. Please do not mistake this for a financial issue. Let’s consider the attire of someone who dresses like a “thug.” Professional sports replica jerseys, Iverson sneakers, and FUBU jeans. These are not cheap items, for the same price someone could have purchased an oxford shirt, a pair of Dockers and a nice pair of shoes. Now, try and completely erase your mind of race and just ask yourself which set of clothes(on a person) would you rather pass on a dark street at night. My point is that people really have no issues with being friends with someone of a different race when they behave in a similar way. If you look at white people who have black friends, usually the black friends are in the same financial and living situation as the white people, the color of everyone’s skin really has nothing to do with it. It is our lifestyles that people find connections with, not our races.
Any candidate, regardless of their race or color is expected to pull out their set of “I grew up in a normal, happy, loving family pictures.” Interestingly, this is an example of how one’s socioeconomic background can often times have as much pull as someone’s race. What if Sarah Palin’s husband was from a poor family of “rednecks?” It would be interesting to see which would be a bigger issue in the eyes of the American people: A wealthy, affluent, black man as a candidate or a candidate who came from a family of the insulting phrase of “white trash.” I agree with Katherine’s post about how the American people need to be able to relate to their candidates. It’s important that we see that our candidate grew up with the similar values and belief systems that we did, and that they value what we value, etc. The thing about the presidential campaign in general regarding race is that I could care less about what color my candidate is. If that person is the best candidate for the job, then why the hell are we debating how good a president he will be, based on the color of his skin? The fact that some people prefer McCain to Obama simply because McCain is white is disgusting. We have a white president now and that’s not doing us too much good right now is it?
This blog definitely reiterates the fact that everyone is essentially the same no matter what their race is. Mentioning the fact that Michelle Obama's picture albums, although not having any white people in them, looked exactly like those of any other white family's was an excellent point and I think opens up the eyes of many whites that they are just as similar to blacks as they are other whites. Also, bringing up the fact that she was a religious watcher of the Brady Bunch, just like other children of her age were, shows that the lifestyles of blacks and whites are really not that different. Her childhood was probably very similar to my mom's childhood, which for some reason seems weird and surprising to me, but logically it makes complete sense; it is just a matter of making ourselves focus on the similarities between colors rather than the differences.
I think that it is both somewhat humorous and sad that we need the publicity of a black senator running for President to open our eyes to the similarities within races. I think that if Obama were to become President that a lot of people might change their views on blacks and begin to eliminate stereotypes that they previously believed to be true. On the other hand, I feel as if Obama were to become President and were to make a mistake that that might reinforce some negative thoughts about blacks in general. I think the most important thing here though, is to simply make ourselves (whites) realize that both blacks and whites, and all races for that matter, share the same qualities, the same lifestyles, and in general many of the same experiences. Hopefully if and when this happens, the amount of racism in the world will plummet.
Post a Comment