General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Dear White People: If you see something, say something [View all]flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Especially your point about challenging people on micro-aggressions and subtle forms of racism. I'll share one small experience I had recently:
Last January my extended family vacationed in Tobago, a small country whose population is about 90% of African descent. It was an eye-opening experience in many ways I had not expected. For example, what I initially thought was stand-offishness by many locals was actually just different customs of engagement, (along with a learned wariness, based on how they were often treated by visitors). All it took was a simple, "Hello, how are you today?", and most Tobagans would completely open up, and often would go out of their way to be helpful. I hadn't realized how many Anglo people come to countries like theirs, only to expect THEM (people happily living in their own country) to conform to OUR "culture", so to speak. No wonder they would be initially stand-offish! I also got a chance to confront a bit of my own internal prejudices that I had no idea even existed. As in, approaching a group of locals and asking for directions, or just passing by people when going into a restaurant or shop. Suddenly "we" (my family and I) were the minorities. I realized I had NO IDEA what that felt like, and I was ashamed and surprised by my own initial fear of people who were just sitting around, talking to one another. But I stopped, noticed it, admitted it to myself, and then let it go, which honestly was the best part of the trip. And I talked about it with my family, and listened as they admitted they went through similar emotions.
I think this is one thing we as a society don't do nearly enough: Talking about these uncomfortable truths that we don't want to believe about ourselves. I also think of myself as "very woke", and yet was pretty shocked at myself when the reality of something I had been looking very much forward to (immersing myself in a different culture). Shining a light on these things we don't admit or even know about, I think this is a key to moving forward.