Majority Minorities, Be Careful

As a Black Man, I recognize that I am part minority, and part majority. Plainly put, my "blackness" puts me at a disadvantage, while my "manhood" puts me in a position of power. For the socially ignorant, this is not something I've heard, it's a reality that I've observed.

I am certainly not the only one in such a precarious position. Many people suffer social strife because they are members of both a minority group and the upper class. I've noted this anomaly in black women, who feel that "that white girl messed Kobe up," but believe that the government came down hard on Martha Stewart because she was a woman (I think I'll discuss that one in further depth in the future).

So clearly, it is up to the individual to decide what struggle to fight for at any particular moment in time. Sometimes, however, I think that minorities can become so comfortable in one of our majority capacities that we criticize minorities in that capacity the same way that we may be discriminated against in another. Let me explain.

On a visit home, a few weeks back, something that one of my brother's said to me triggered significant frustration in me. I can't even remember what it is that he said to me, but I remember my response. "Don't be so American," I said. (As an immediate disclaimer, I am wholeheartedly proud of both my American as well as my Black heritage. There is no prouder person of their duel background on the planet.) I told him this because I recognized that he had become so comfortable in his privileged American background, that he felt he could look down upon people from other countries. Alarms were sounding off in my head louder than a freight train at 4 in the morning.

Unfortunately, his American arrogance reared its filthy head again last week, at the start of the Olympic games. He began criticizing the host country, Greece, because they hadn't completed all of the Olympic venues until three days prior to the Opening Ceremonies. He vehemently argued that "if you're gonna host the games, then you should have the venues ready months ahead of time...there's no excuse!"

I then exclaimed to him that it isn't as easy as it sounds to put on such an event, plus people in other countries don't necessarily have the advantages that we have here in the USA. Well, he went on to argue that "it doesn't matter if you're a 1st world country or a 3rd world country, you have the money, you've got ample time, then there's no excuse."

Needless to say, I was mad as a six-shooter. I was so heated that I refused to talk to him for quite a while. So, here's why I was upset:

For starters, in such a tumultuous time in history, ripe with terror threats, unlawful military pursuits (by guess who....), and rampant ethics violations, we should be grateful that someone is willing to host the games at all. I really wonder if the games would go on this year if the United States were to be the host.

Secondarily, when the games started, the venues and arenas in Greece were complete and ready to go. That's all that was necessary, and it is quite a remarkable thing considering the hardships that the Greeks encountered early on. Furthermore, as you might recall, the USA had issues being prepared for the games just eight years ago in Atlanta, and we are "the greatest country in the world." And despite our tight security, we still weren't able to spare the life of one person who died in Atlanta during those Olympics after a bombing. Point being, it's not as easy as it sounds to just put on the Olympic games.

Now, as legit as those arguments are, that's not what really got under my skin. What really did it for me was that I was hearing the sentiments of the white majority against affirmative action exiting my brother's lips. Ok, so we weren't discussing affirmative action at all, but the arguments were virtually identical.

So, for the affirmative action unaware, here's a quick crash course.

People in the United States of America are discriminated against for things they simply cannot change (ie race, gender). Before his assassination, President Kennedy said that "affirmative action" was going to be taken in order to counter these forms of discrimination, and to insure that everyone has an equal shot at success.

In order to stay on topic, I'll just note that true proponents of affirmative action, like myself, do not believe that affirmative action is the only way, or even the best way to level the playing field between minorities and majorities. We typically believe that it is the best way currently devised to recognize such social injustices and do not believe it should be eradicated before something else that better suits America as a whole is conjured up and implemented.

Let's rewind a little bit, and recall that my brother believes no matter if a country is 1st or 3rd world, that given ample money and time, there's no excuse for their direliction in preparing for the games. The inherent flaw in such a statement is that there is clearly a difference between a 1st and a 3rd world country (And I am in no way implying that Greece is a 3rd world country, but no country is more 1st world than we are). There is certainly a reason for this distinction.

Growing up in such a privileged country, my brother fails to see that there are certain inscribed hurdles that Greece had to jump over in putting on The Games that we never even think about here in this country. There are numerous terrorists (not al-Qaeda related) groups homegrown in Greece. Certain resources, and the wherewhithal with which to obtain them aren't necessarily at their fingertips like they are here. Indeed, I'm sure that there are numerous things that I can't even imagine, that also played a role in their Olympic delays.

I can't really blame my brother though. He is a priveledged American, and has never walked in the shoes of Athens' mayor, whose husband was murdered by a Greek terror organization.

Then again, yes I can.

You'd think that my brother, who has been "ghosted" by white (and sometimes other minority) security guards in a store for no reason, might recognize that no matter how affluent he is, he is still a target. And surely, I'd expect my brother to realize the parallels between his notions and those of people like President Bush (who hasn't lived a day as a minority, but wants to end affirmative action).

I painted it clearly for my brother. The ample time and money that my brother was touting, I'd liken unto affirmative action and acceptance into college as a minority. 1st and 3rd world, I'd liken unto being white and minority, respectively.

Now, inherent in the notion of being 3rd world are such things like severe poverty, lack of industrialization, and little access to technology. All things that the USA doesn't have to think or worry about. Likewise, as a result of minority status, women aren't given equal pay, blacks don't technically have the right to vote (the voting rights act has to be renewed every 10 years or so), and rich, white men have run this country since its inception. All things that the majority rarely contemplates (I'm extrapolating that conclusion from the cornucopia of conversations I've had with people who can't even understand the concept of affirmative action).

Getting into college only presented me with a chance to succeed. It didn't change the way people looked at me (solely because of my race). I heard numerous negative, racial comments, was shocked to learned that many of my friends had never befriended a black person before, and certainly noted neglect and sometimes mistreatment by Professors who seemingly had an aversion to anyone that darkened their classroom. Likewise, giving Greece money and time to put on the games didn't change the political, social, or economic struggles that the country faced. Money and time were indeed like affirmative action for Greece. They didn't change the atmosphere, they only gave Greece a chance to prove itself to the rest of the world.

So where does my brother get off feeling so high and mighty?

I don't know, but unfortunately he's not the only minority I've seen get comfortable in one of their majority offices, and take that opportunity to castigate other less fortunate people. And maybe therein lies the reason for such condemnatory behavior. Maybe by criticizing another group for their "incompetence," minorities get to vent frustrations that were born in their own mistreatment.

It's like the child on the playground that is consistently bullied, always seeking an opportunity to release their anger. They find someone who is subordinant to them, and jump on that chance to exact their revenge.

So maybe it is a lesson in human psychology. Or maybe not. All I know is that we should be slow to criticize, and be cautious to "do unto others as we would have them to do unto to (us)."

-Maelstrom