The Help

[LXA SE285]

When I was in college in the '80s, an AA friend of mine had a roommate who had never even met a black person before she graduated from high school (her hometown, in northeast Alabama, was something like 98% white).

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by LXA SE285

When I was in college in the '80s, an AA friend of mine had a roommate who had never even met a black person before she graduated from high school (her hometown, in northeast Alabama, was something like 98% white).

That is very common.

Since elementary school, I have become accustomed to being THE BLACK PERSON for the whites who have seen but never had a real interaction with a Black person.

It has always been fun being nice enough to get them to invite me to their house to meet their family for dinner. Then I ask them where the fried chicken is, steal their televisions and good jewelry, and my Cousin JuneBug and I go to the pawn shop. I'm joking.

The isolated and segregated whites tend to at least hear some mention of Martin Luther King, Jr, even if there's a negative connotation. They may have even heard their families talking about (insert racial slurs and negative comments). Point being, these people generally aren't blank slates. What they do with those slates, especially once they have the power to learn on their own, is up to them.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

It has always been fun being nice enough to get them to invite me to their house to meet their family for dinner. Then I ask them where the fried chicken is, steal their televisions and good jewelry, and my Cousin JuneBug and I go to the pawn shop. I'm joking.

So what you're saying is that it would be rude for me to invite you over to dinner and neglect to invite your Cousin JuneBug?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by agzg

So what you're saying is that it would be rude for me to invite you over to dinner and neglect to invite your Cousin JuneBug?

Cousin JuneBug can never be invited. That would ruin the surprise.

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

I think this goes back to my middle reply. There are obviously some overarching issues, but I would place that on "society," if you will, rather than on the individual who is unaware because of gaps in education.

No, (the all-encompassing yet vague) society and education (schools?) can't foot the total bill unless you acknowledge that these include individuals and institutions. In that case, there's enough sad and pathetic to go around that it can be shared.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Cousin JuneBug can never be invited. That would ruin the surprise.

Oh.

Still though, should I see the Help?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

No, (the all-encompassing yet vague) society and school systems can't foot the bill for everything. But, if people insist, there's enough sad and pathetic to go around that it can be shared.

Where does "sad and pathetic" end, though? I considered myself to be pretty well-read regarding most "struggles" experienced, because I read like a demon and had a family that regularly discussed current and historical events, from slavery and Civil Rights to the Holocaust and the Cambodian Genocide.

It wasn't until I got to college, when I learned (from friends of other cultures) about things like the Turkish atrocities against the Armenians. Does my lack of knowledge about the Armenian Genocide make me "sad and pathetic?"

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Does my lack of knowledge about the Armenian Genocide make me "sad and pathetic?"

If you want it to.

Did you grow up in, or have substantial interactions with, an environment where the Armenian genocide is a relatively hot topic?

My original post states "it" is pathetic. I did not call the actual people pathetic. However, the actual people can also be pathetic if they should or could have been more aware based on details that perhaps only the person knows. That goes back to critically thinking about your lack of knowledge and not simply saying "(insert institution) didn't teach me this." I am more understanding of an American teenager who doesn't know (I would say their family and school suck and give the teen some things to read and discuss) than I am of an American adult who doesn't know.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Where does "sad and pathetic" end, though? I considered myself to be pretty well-read regarding most "struggles" experienced, because I read like a demon and had a family that regularly discussed current and historical events, from slavery and Civil Rights to the Holocaust and the Cambodian Genocide.

It wasn't until I got to college, when I learned (from friends of other cultures) about things like the Turkish atrocities against the Armenians. Does my lack of knowledge about the Armenian Genocide make me "sad and pathetic?"

I took a course specifically about Genocide through the ages in college and I swear the insight into "how could regular people let this happen" that I gained is something I really valued about that course.

/hijack

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by agzg

I took a course specifically about Genocide through the ages in college and I swear the insight into "how could regular people let this happen" that I gained is something I really valued about that course.

/hijack

Excellent course.

This is a good thread as I hoped that it would be. BTW, in case nobody knows, there is a new movie out called "The Help" that is based on a novel of the same name.

[rhoyaltempest]

So I went to see the movie today and I thought it was good. I went about 3:00pm and the theater was full of senior citizens...lol. I do need to see it again though when it comes out on DVD before I can give my overall take on things (I always watch a movie I'm interested in at least a 2nd time since I always see things the 2nd time that I didn't see the first). Overall, I think it's worth it to go see it. Also, I didn't have an issue with the dialect that the maids used. It's obvious in the movie (and if you know about the era) that many Blacks rarely went to school if at all since it was more important to work for their families. However, I don't believe that dialect equals being unintelligent. I found Aibilene and Minnie to be quite intelligent.

I didn't read the book but I may read it now.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

That is very common.

Since elementary school, I have become accustomed to being THE BLACK PERSON for the whites who have seen but never had a real interaction with a Black person.

It has always been fun being nice enough to get them to invite me to their house to meet their family for dinner. Then I ask them where the fried chicken is, steal their televisions and good jewelry, and my Cousin JuneBug and I go to the pawn shop. I'm joking.

The isolated and segregated whites tend to at least hear some mention of Martin Luther King, Jr, even if there's a negative connotation. They may have even heard their families talking about (insert racial slurs and negative comments). Point being, these people generally aren't blank slates. What they do with those slates, especially once they have the power to learn on their own, is up to them.

Dead (at the bolded). I can sooo relate to what you're saying. I have often been the black person in class through elementary, middle school, and college yet I have also been to all black schools (high school for example). I moved around a lot so I was able to experience both worlds.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by LXA SE285

When I was in college in the '80s, an AA friend of mine had a roommate who had never even met a black person before she graduated from high school (her hometown, in northeast Alabama, was something like 98% white).

I met many like this in the early 90's when I attended a small university in upstate PA. I couldn't believe it. It was like we were transported back in time, literally. We (the small group of Blacks on campus) experienced blatant racism, not so much on campus but in the small town. There was only one black family in the whole town and it was the home of a professor at the university. I learned a lot from that experience and will never forget it.