Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Race (let's talk about it)

No one wants to ask the questions, or even talk about it.  I believe the primary issue with race relations is fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear the stereotypes are true or untrue fostering the fear of appearing foolish for believing in them.  An unsubstantiated belief that the visual differences between races are the actual proof one needs to believe in those differences and the fears that the unknowns represent.  However, if we were all unable to see each other what then would we use as the factors to rationalize perceived differences?

How do I sound to you?  Black?  White?  Both?  Neither?  Do all people of a certain race sound the same?  Or is it a person's environment, upbringing, social status, level of education, all known as a person's "circumstances" that create a mental picture in you of who you think that person is inside?  Could you define these characteristics of a person through hearing their voice in an "audio lineup"?

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