The following events took place over the Labor Day Weekend
at Lake Burton:
8:30 am – call a marina to confirm location of rental boat
pickup; leave message
9:05 am – marina owner calls back, explaining that his hours
are 9-5 and confirming location of rental boat pick up
9:30 am – drive to boat location, meet marina owner, drive
car back to rented house while others drive boat across lake to rented house
9:45 am – stop at locally owned and operated gas station to
buy a few supplies
10:00 am – attempt 20 minute run in hilly lakeside property
neighborhood, finish walking
11:00 am – load family plus two Egyptian teenagers into
boat, circumnavigate lake looking at lake houses, drop anchor to swim, eat
lunch on the boat, drive back to rented house still looking (really more like
gawking) at lakeside properties
3:00 pm – look up value of lakeside properties on Zillow
(iphone app)
5:00 pm – explain to Egyptian teenagers why the bag of BBQ
chips that will accompany dinner is so big
5:30 pm – grill hotdogs (all beef)
6:00 pm – eat said hotdogs
7:00 pm – play “two truths and a lie” with family and
Egyptian guests
9:00 pm – go separate ways to read, converse
10:00 pm – bedtime
I chose to log this day for the assignment for
several reasons. For one thing, each and
every person (except for our two Egyptian guests) I saw at Lake Burton was
white. This was not a fact I even
realized until later when reflecting for this assignment, which reveals just
how little I ever think about race in a community of other Whites. Secondly, there seemed to be a stark difference in the
socio-economic level of the local people who lived and worked in Tiger, GA and
that of the Lake Burton property owners. An empty lot on the lake is listed at
$600,000, and a very basic house built in the 1950s is on the market for $2.1
million. Meanwhile, the clerk at the gas
station was wearing basic, faded coveralls, and the local customers (who were
all addressed by name and with a personal question by the clerk) pulled up to
the station in older cars and used food stamps to make purchases. It struck me as unjust that those who seemed
most closely tied to the region might not be same people benefitting the most
from its beauty. Later that evening, we enjoyed a conversation about the differing entry prices for nationals and foreigners to Egypt's museums and historical sites. Some thought this price difference was fair; Egyptians should have easier access to locations that celebrate their own history. Others thought this policy was racist, that it operated based on the assumption that foreigners are wealthy and should be taken advantage of. And my role in all of
this? Well, as someone whose family was
able to rent one of these houses, even for a few days, I must again acknowledge
(and come to grips with guilt over) the unfair advantages that being part of a
dominant group can bring.
Great reflection. I thought about my experiences growing up in NJ. At that time (early to late 1980’s) I lived in a middle-class, mixed community, and went to school with a mixture of races and cultures. There were African Americans, Latinos, Caucasians, and Asians in my school and on my block. The next block over from my street lived a large population of Italians (Bloomfield, NJ). I’m talking generations living in the same community for years, and still do. The kids in our neighborhood were often picked on and even beat-up because we were on the wrong side of the block. Several times I ran from the bus stop, which was located in the “Italians area,” five blocks to my house. My point of view changed, a little, when I was running home one day and twisted my ankle in front of a house. A little boy called his mother, who was in the house, and told her I was hurt. She came out of her home, asked me if I was OK, and called my mother. I couldn’t believe it. Several months after, my siblings and I were playing tennis at a public court in Bloomfield, NJ. No more than two blocks from my home. Several Italian boys came around and forcefully escorted use to our “neck of the wood” with a firm, “this is where you belong.” We ventured over to the “Italian side” several times after that experience, just to see what we could get away with. As we got older, lots of fights settled disputes based on racism and where we could go in our community.
ReplyDeleteEarl Babbie, a sociologist, defines institutional racism in part as an action that is not directly discriminatory but has discriminatory effects, whether intended or not. This kind of prejudice is alive and seems to be growing in our communities, classroom, workplace, etc. It is in fact subtle, less visible, and less identifiable. It continues to be destructive to those that it affects directly as well as indirectly. I had a Latino student who was told by another teacher that she can't go to college because she was an ELL student. Racism is not a genetic disease. No human being is born with racist attitudes and beliefs. Physical and cultural differences between people are not the cause of racism; these differences are used as the excuse to justify racism. Personally, I think that the majority of Americans would, if pushed, condemn racism, but still continue to practice it knowingly and unknowingly.
Thanks Sarah and Simone for your thoughtful responses. I feel said thinking about the world sometimes and especially personal stories as yours Simone. Sarah, I've never thought about what you mentioned about Egyptians not having equal access to their own history! Wow. I wonder if that is common in other areas of the world?...I can't help but think of my past trips to the Dominican Rep seeing so much poverty while driving to (in my opinion) the most beautiful beaches in the world. It's not exactly the same as you mentioned, but just thinking of the guilt I also felt knowing I was enjoying their land, yet I was seeing young kids are trying to wash the cars' windshields with dirty newspapers for anything they can get. Reality check!
ReplyDeleteSimone - Thanks for sharing that story. I agree with your last statement, that most Americans would condemn racism outwardly while still practicing racism. I think we are too quick to say things like, "I don't see color," or "racism isn't a problem for me." We are denying the difficulty of actually eradicating racism from our thoughts and actions.
ReplyDelete