Race and Multiculturalism: Vijay Prashad, A follow-up discussion to the MLK Keynot

[alevihnc]

I found our discussion intriguing yet scattered and at times deteriorating.

Several of the points which I found the most captivating were
1. The necessity or lack thereof for the use of the category "race"

I believe that as a term that does not exist in scientific reality (although it may as a social construct) it is not needed. I think we can get by with heredity or origin or even skin color as a term to replace "race". I realize that we cannot simply ignore skin color and pretend everybody is equal, because that will allow us to not address the problem. But why can't we replace race with skin color and acknowledge differences thereof without pretending there is some biologically superior and pure race.

2. What tends to separate students of different skin colors at Middlebury.
Is it simply a desire or comfort to be with those who appear similar? Are there parts of this institution that promote this self-segregation, and can we remedy any problems that arise? international student orientation, cultural and ethnic student groups, posse? I don't mean to pick out the groups that are traditionally non-white, but it would seem that those are largely the ones which are divided based on origin and skin color. Are there other groups which are pretty much white exclusive? as Prashad asked, it could be beneficial to reframe it as why do all the white kids sit together at lunch?

There were several others which I am having trouble remembering, but do let me know your thoughts

[jhexter]

I couldn't go to the meeting last night, but I'm glad to see this discussion has been moved here. I definitely like the ideas in the first point; it's a good idea to reframe the "race" debate as a matter of origin, heritage, ethnicity, and skin color. "Race" is something of a loaded term, something that implies there are different "types" of human beings with more fundamental differences between one another. These other terms Austen mentioned reflect on the superficiality of these differences, and implies we're still the same type of human being, and that the differences that are mentioned in discussions of "racism" are merely cosmetic. The idea of "race" has only served to create cultural differences, and is perhaps the reason why all the white kids sit together at lunch.

Which leads into the second point. The idea of "race" seems to make people feel they are more different from people with different heritages/ethnicities/skin colors than they actually are, so we tend to group ourselves off, thinking that we'll relate to them more. The desire to be with people who look similar to yourself certainly plays a part, as well as the student organizations mentioned, but I think the problem runs deeper. As Prashad mentioned, institutions seem to want a cosmetic diversity, but don't always facilitate true interaction between people of different heritages and skin colors. This is, of course, easier said than done, and as much a responsibility of the students themselves as it is the institution. But we need to find ways to challenge this subconscious notion that people of different skin colors are more different from "us" than they really are. Feel free to challenge me or pick my brain on any of these points.

--James Hexter '11
jhexter@middlebury.edu

[rredman]

(this isn't really a response, just putting more thoughts out there)

This is what I'm trying to address: I was at the follow up talk. It was very frustrating. Maybe it was a healthy kind of frustration, in trying to discuss a touchy topic like racism, but it was frustrating nonetheless. I found it hard to articulate myself, not wanting to say the 'wrong' thing.

What made the discussion so difficult, strained, scattered, deteriorating, etc.?

So, this is what I propose (alcoholics anonymous-style):

Hello My name is Romany Redman and I am a racist.

As Prashad pointed out, racism exists yet no one admits being racist. Perhaps admitting the problem is the first step towards the cure. As much as I despise myself for it, I make uninformed judgments based on people's appearances.
It seems kind of goofy, but perhaps we missed this step in the discussion. It seemed to me that people were treading lightly, afraid of later being labeled as "that kid who stepped out on a limb waayyy to far at that talk about racism". This sounds immature, but I knew I wasn't communicating my questions/ideas/what I wanted to.


Other musings:
What is the line between healthy appreciation of heritage and unhealthy ethnocentrism? is there a line?

[alevihnc]

Obama's speech on race on Tuesday was brilliant and can definitely add to this discussion. As he points out, it is not a simple issue. Race can elicit harsh sentiments on all sides. Watch here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU.