The issue of race continues to be a hangup for America. Talking about it makes people squirm. Most of us know that racism is wrong but most people simply prefer to bury their heads in the sand like an ostrich and subscribe to the myth that a problem does not exists or can go away by ignoring or denying it.
At Starbucks this afternoon, I was speaking with a "white" guy who is close to my age, i.e. mid-50's. We were discussing the dynamics of romantic relationships and I shared a story about an old girlfriend. He interrupted and asked "what color was she? Black, White, Latina, or Asian?" I answered Asian, but thought to myself WTF does this have to do with the price of tea in China? To be fair, some "black" men, on various occasions, have also asked me the same question, i.e. "what color is she?", and I always find it equally annoying. (By the way, if forced to label myself, which is also annoying, I can choose from two options, i.e. "black" or "African-American". Apparently American or Human Being on Planet Earth are not included on the menu.)
So does this mean one is automatically a racist or has racist tendencies if skin color is a concern under certain circumstances? Not necessarily or at least I don't think so. However, it does certainly underscore the context in which we sometimes view the world. Few of us rarely do not and children are probably the only demographic that fits this category until they have been exposed to learning society's values and biases.
I still struggle to see the necessary relevance of this question and shake my head subconsciously when people ask it. I mean does race really matter and should it if it does? The day we can move beyond seeing people via the prism of colors will be a day that we can truthfully call America great.
Help me out here people? Am I missing something?
