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Jan. 29, 2005 As we approach February, the traditional commemoration of the achievements of African-Americans, there is some disturbing evidence that not everyone has entered the 21st Century. Consider the following examples: 1. The black cheerleaders on Madden NFL 2005, EA Sports’s top-selling video game franchise, have one hairstyle—braids. White cheerleaders on the other hand, are adorned with more than one style. 2. A recent promotion by Nick at Nite (Nickelodeon’s prime-time alter ego) for a search to find America’s funniest mom shows three different actors playing their respective crowds. While the two white women in the promo are practicing their comedy routines on their children, the black woman is cracking wise with her co-workers, during a business presentation. 3. Four different financial institutions, including Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase, recently settled a lawsuit in US District Court alleging that they allowed car dealerships to charge blacks and Hispanics higher interest rates on car loans than white customers. The loan-financing arms of General Motors and Nissan have settled similar suits in recent years, and other such suits are pending. 4. A black couple walks into a nice Italian restaurant to top off an afternoon of shopping with a good meal. After fifteen minutes of watching other diners, some of whom are seated after them, get served drinks and meals, the waitress finally makes it to their table. In today’s society, racism is not as overt or venomous as it was during my parents’ generation or even their parents’ generation. And that’s what makes it all the more dangerous. Because so much of the racism that is practiced today is so subtle, it is sometimes difficult to spot and even harder to address head-on. Someone reading the above list may claim that citing racism in the examples as being hypersensitive or nit-picky. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Let me break it down. 1. Not all black women braid their hair. Some wear waves or ponytails. Some even have it buzzed or faded, like a man might wear. And a few are still living in the more militant 1960s with heavy-duty blowout afros. So how is it that EA Sports, which can cram so many features onto one disk, including a bevy of different hairstyles and skin colors for players, can’t give the black cheerleaders a little more flair? It can’t take that long to program an afro. 2. In a promotion for America’s funniest mom, it would seem to me that you’d want that mom in a setting with her children. Then why isn’t that black woman with her kids? It’s not unusual for people of all stripes to cut up a little on the job, and in many environments, a little chicanery is encouraged. But the promo defeats the purpose, if all the women aren’t tickling the funny bones of their offspring. 3. The higher surcharge on a typically car loan means that a black person would pay up to $1,000 more than a white counterpart would pay on a similar loan. That may not seem like a significant amount of money, but when you consider that blacks also pay more interest on mortgages, as well, it’s no wonder black people have a harder time building wealth. 4. There is a difference between bad service and outright bias. Not being told about the soup de jour or getting a rare steak when you asked for well done could be considered bad service. Being ignored because of your skin color is blatant disrespect. It’s nice for folks to think that racism is a relic of the past, but the sad truth is that it isn’t. It’s still very much a part of everyday thought and action for some, but in ways that don’t make themselves readily apparent. In order to successfully combat this hidden racism, we all must be willing to ask ourselves some tough questions and stand convicted when we hear and see the equally tough answers. Denying that the problem exists does everyone a disservice, especially the men and the women who have died at home and abroad to preserve our way of life. There is a silver lining here: That restaurant that ignored my wife and me is out of business. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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