Headline: DON'T
BLAME THE CAFE, IF YOU HATE CURRY
Reporter: By Gregory Freeman
Publication: ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Fri., May 10, 1991
Section: WAR PAGE, Page: 1C. Edition: FIVE STAR
DEAR MR. FREEMAN,
'' the letter began. ''In your 'Urban View' column on Friday, April 19, you
stated: 'The fact is that the words 'black' and 'deterioration' are not synonymous.
But many whites have stereotypes of blacks that prevent them from looking at
other factors.'. . . Let me tell you that this white person is not racist and
I do not have any stereotypical beliefs. My views and beliefs are from firsthand
experience.''
The
writer went on to explain that he had lived in north St. Louis until 1969. He
has returned to his old neighborhood three times since then and the neighborhood
has gone downhill. It reminds him of ''news footage of Beirut, '' he says. He
went on in his letter to mention all the stereotypes that we've ever heard about
African-Americans: Blacks don't care about property, ''all blacks want to be
is cool, '' blacks can't speak proper English, blacks are all interested in
getting government checks, etc. He ends his letter by saying that ''judging
this race on their actions and lifestyles is not 'racist' and 'stereotypical.'
''
I
don't know the letter writer personally, and I'm in no position to judge whether
he is a racist. But while denying that he is being stereotypical, he goes on
to mention what are indeed stereotypes.
The situation
reminded me of an incident that occurred when I was a student at Washington
University. There, a fellow student recommended a Chinese restaurant to me.
The food there, my friend David told me, was outstanding. So I took his advice,
went to the restaurant and ordered chicken curry. I hated it, and when I saw
David again, told him so.
But
the food is excellent, David insisted. He urged me to go back to the restaurant
and order something different. I did so reluctantly, but when I did, I found
other items on the menu to be delicious. The problem was that I didn't care
for curry. But the other food was so good, in fact, that I've been a regular
customer at the restaurant for the past 16 years.
The
point: At times we base our opinions on only one aspect of something that we've
seen or - in my case - tasted. But, upon further examination, our original opinions
are often challenged.
I strongly suspect
that the letter writer has based his opinions on one aspect of black culture
- a more seamy side - that he has either seen himself or that is based on stereotypes.
There
are blacks who wait for government checks, as there are whites who wait for
them. It would be as unfair to paint blacks with the brush of being lazy and
looking for a handout as it would be to paint whites with the same brush.
Just
as it's inaccurate and tremendously stereotypical to say that whites don't care
about property because some may have old cars and other junk in their yards,
it is equally wrong to say that blacks don't care about property because some
homes in black neighborhoods aren't kept up.
Like
most people, I don't care to be judged on the actions of anyone else. I am an
individual and should be judged on my own actions. And that should be the case
with everyone.
We do a disservice
to people each time we judge them on the negative stereotypes that we have of
them.
I
strongly suspect that many of today's racial tensions are based on stereotypes
that many of us have of one another. Whites are suspicious of blacks because
they think blacks are out to get something for nothing. Blacks are suspicious
of whites because they think they're trying to keep them from getting ahead.
Whites are suspicious of Hispanics who are suspicious of Asians who are suspicious
of. . . .
In short, people
should be judged as individuals, not as a group. I've mentioned here before
that I strongly suspect that other factors, such as economic and social matters,
have more of an influence on the behavior of people than their race. Whites
certainly have no exclusive claim on the dislike of loud music, on the abhorrence
of crime, on the distaste for those who fail to maintain their property.
If we can learn to look at people as individuals - and not
as groups - we can greatly reduce our reliance upon stereotypes. And maybe we
can help reduce the racial tensions that America is experiencing.
A lot of energies are expended on racial tensions that could be better spent elsewhere. The sooner we tackle these racial problems - the problem of stereotypes as well as others - the sooner we can move on to other pressing problems.
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