Can You Forget Someone's Black?
Of course I'm referring to MSNBC host Chris Matthews' statement "I forgot he was black" after President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech Wednesday.
Matthews likely intended the statement as a compliment, but it brings up some interesting questions. First, if you had really forgotten he was black, would you have mentioned race at all? And second, is there an implied deficit to being Black - or any other minority group with historical resonance - that it needs to be forgotten?
What do you think that statement means, good or bad?
Matthews likely intended the statement as a compliment, but it brings up some interesting questions. First, if you had really forgotten he was black, would you have mentioned race at all? And second, is there an implied deficit to being Black - or any other minority group with historical resonance - that it needs to be forgotten?
What do you think that statement means, good or bad?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by H Wishik on -
The comment shows that Matthews is still stuck in the "good people are color-blind" mentality. I was told "I don't think of you as a woman" by my first boss after graduating from law school. My response was "Then what DO you think of me as?" In my work I try to help people increase their capacity to see and notice difference, so that they can engage in learning about and understanding the meaning of whatever differences are present, and thus become more competent in engaging each other effectively across difference as well as leveraging whatever resources and opportunities the differences present may offer. Being committed to trying to ignore a difference that is present and probably meaningful is distracting and counterproductive. HW
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Permalink Reply by James E. Wright, PHR on -
There's a GREAT article on this very subject written at: http://bit.ly/bXafi1. Would be interested in your thoughts on how the author summed it up as well.
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Permalink Reply by Diversity Executive Editor on -
I read the Atlantic piece you suggested and laughed out loud with glee! The author summed it up beautifully. It's an honesty issue, and unwillingness to acknowledge certain truths is one of the main reasons, in my opinion, why diversity, racism, prejudice or whatever you want to call it are such a problem for us in this country. Once we acknowledge that it's okay not to be perfect - since perfection does not exist beyond a varied and purely subjective state - and that there are in fact things that we don't know and may need to be instructed on, things will improve all around. Honesty would definitely be a step in the right direction. If nothing else, it would be a relief, no?
I feel sorry for Chris Matthews though. Poor man. He's received so much flack for what was likely intended as a compliment he probably won't ever let the word black come out of his mouth again! And that won't help, will it?
James E. Wright, PHR said:There's a GREAT article on this very subject written at: http://bit.ly/bXafi1. Would be interested in your thoughts on how the author summed it up as well.
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Permalink Reply by JACQUELINE M. WALTERS on -
Some people has different level of diversity training. As long as the Human Being is an effective performer.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Votta on -
It's a good thing; from my perspective!
Referencing a past experience I had a co-worker, friend of mine, trying to describe another friend I was with at an event and in her description said, "You know the black girl you were with yesterday." Bewildered and befuzzled, I looked at her and couldn't for the life of me think who in the heck she was talking about. I was racking my brain and running down the list of people I was with that day and it finally dawned on me who she was referring to. Later that day I approached the inquisitive co-worker and asked her if she was referring to so and so and she said, "Yes that's it". Then I looked at her and said, "You know, I don't recognize the color of a person, just the person they are." and felt good that I truly did not take into account that one feature that set her apart from my other friends.
Therefore, the diversity moral of my story is; others have a tendency to make us aware of obvious features of a person, but it is how we choose to respect those features that make us truly diversified.
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