Yep, I'm biased. So what?

God bless Wendi Thomas. She is a very good journalist, but just can't help getting caught up in this race thing from time to time. The Commercial Appeal columnist has found an on-line study at Harvard which measures the subject’s preference (or bias if you think it's a bad thing) for a particular race. Apparently Wendi took the test, and horror of horrors, she prefers black folks…her own race!

Here’s the article, including a link to the test.


Article quotes in red:

Still, I knew what category I wanted to fall in, the one of which King would be proud: no preference for white or black people. I was pretty sure I'd fall right in the middle, given that more than a few black readers call me an Uncle Tom and more than a few white readers insist I go easy on folks who have similar melanin levels as I do.

Twice I took the race test, and both times found myself in the distinct minority -- 12 percent -- of people who had an automatic preference for black people.

My reaction to this bit of news about Ms. Thomas? Yeah, so ? Am I supposed to call you a racist now? Sorry, I don’t see it that way. I see that as simple human nature…or common sense, if you prefer.

But no, this has to be a personal crisis…

But if my goal is to be in the middle, and this test suggests I'm not, then what? Do I get defensive or do I get deliberate? By deliberate I mean making a daily commitment to be conscious of racial biases and determined to act against them.

What? You can’t be in the middle. You see great beauty and potential in your race, and if that opinion doesn’t come at the expense of other races, guess what? That’s OK! Take that to the extreme and we won’t be allowed to cheer for the home football team out of fear of hurting the other team’s feelings. Self confidence and self esteem demand you think of yourself and as an extension, your race in positive terms. There is nothing at all inherently wrong with that…and you can’t stop it, as hard as you might try.

The problem comes when one begins to denigrate other races and attempts to marginalize them for no other reason than they are different. There is a vast difference between liking yourself and your race and hating another or their race. PLEASE don't try to relate the two.

We are quick to say we have friends of all races, but how many have been to our homes for dinner? How many have spent the night at our houses? Have we subconsciously made our worlds -- school, neighborhood, church -- ones in which we don't have to interact with people who don't look like us? Are we OK with that, and if not, what are we going to do?

Well, I’m OK with that. It is not a crime to prefer one type of person over another. If I am to be chastised for preferring white company over black company, then are you also going to take me to task for preferring quiet types over rowdy folks? Non-smokers over smokers? Christians over heathens? Where does it stop? U of M fans over UT fans? (Sorry, that's a given)

I do have friends of other races….and she’s right…not too many have been over to my house for dinner. I also have never been invited to a black person’s house for dinner…

But here’s the key:

That doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t bother me a bit that the average black guy would rather hang out, live, or work with his own kind. It certainly makes sense that one would wish to associate with persons with the same cultural background as themselves. We are from different cultures. That doesn’t lessen the friendship. All humans have common ground. All humans also have differences. You cannot recognize one without recognizing the other. My black friends and I use the public spaces for our friendship. That’s not to say we don’t visit each other’s houses on occasion, but the majority of our interaction is not in our homes.

One of my black friends is a Baptist like me. Church is one of the clearest examples of common ground yet vast cultural differences. He put it this way:

“Both of our churches worship the same Lord…but if you came to my Baptist service you would think we were crazy…and if I came to yours I would think you all were dead.”

Exactly. Don’t want to go to his church. He doesn’t want to come to mine. We’re just fine with that….but on the common issues, his church and ours have participated in some community projects together. No problems there…common ground.

Here’s a great example. There is a huge event in the spring here called Memphis in May. For years, black have called this a ‘white event’ and have even gone so far as to stage “Africa in April” on their own. The interesting thing is there are tons of black musical acts and events as part of Memphis in May. There’s not one ‘white’ event at “Africa in April”, and the black community makes no apologies for that, nor should they. But somehow if the Memphis in May events are deemed too ‘white’ then there’s a huge issue.

But again, I don’t know of many whites who want to immerse themselves in the sarongs and African atmosphere of African in April, nor do I know of many blacks who want to mingle with the Bud-drinking, Skynyrd fans at the Memphis in May BBQ contest or music festival. Again, so what? As long as the City provides the same support, protection, and services for each event, that all works for me.

The bottom line is that for whatever reason, there is a group of people in this country that want to turn personal preference into some deep seated problem of which we all must be cured.

Now, the guy who hates all blacks, or white, or Mexicans just because of who they are…well, he’s got some issues, but today’s society has progressed enough that he won’t get very far in life, or he’ll just stay up in the hills and not bother anyone. Let’s take a look at the KKK, for example. Yes, they are still around and occasionally pop up and take their idiocy on the road, but are no longer really relevant to anyone. Thanks to the changes brought about by the Civil Rights movement society by and large no longer puts up with that.

Civil rights means an equal opportunity and equal treatment in the public arena, where a law-abiding citizen of this country, no matter what his or her background, has the same chance in life as anyone else, and where the rules are the same for all. I support that 100%, and do so actively on a daily basis. But the Orwellian practice of forcing our citizens to go to schools with people they have nothing in common with in a school far from home, and making one feel guilty because they have a preference for their own race, whatever it is, in my opinion does much more harm than good. The good people of the world will find common ground and friendship without being forced. The racists of this world will NEVER find common ground in spite of being forced.