We live in a wondrous age with more personal rights than any time in history. No longer are we bound by the circumstances we are born into. More than any other nation, we are the land of opportunity and anyone can become anything they aspire to be. We can change everything about ourselves with one notable exception, our race.
Just think about the options you have in your life here. You are not bound by your geography, you may move about freely. You are not bound by your social class, you may rise to any status you desire. You can learn any skill, vocation or trade that you want. You are free to choose your religion. You may change your physical appearance. You may change your name. You may change your gender and your sexual preference. Physical or mental disabilities do not determine what you may do or accomplish in your life. Yet somehow, our race is the one attribute seen as forever fixed in place.
Again, we have marches and protests for the rights of <insert race>, where others are not allowed to join and support them in the name of unity. We have schools purposefully re-segregating education, facilities and ceremonies by race. It is considered “cultural appropriation” for any race to use another’s traditions, fashions, symbols, language, food or music in their own lives.
All of this is completely opposite of what our nation has grown to become. People have come here from every other region, every other country to make this nation, this melting pot, their home. In doing so, they have brought their culture and their way of life with them. They adopted portions of what they found here and the nation adopted portions of what they brought with them. This exchange and integration of cultures is what has made our society as strong, rich and vibrant as it is.
Yet when arguing about race and that newest, uber-politically correct craze “cultural appropriation”, we hear it is not appropriate for certain individuals to do ‘something’. They are either not the right race, or not <insert race> enough. In reality, unless you are from one of the few remaining uncontacted tribes, your DNA is likely made up of a number of different cultures. Whether determined by some arbitrary geo-political line on a map, continent or hemisphere, we are all a combination of peoples.
So what is the appropriate level of racial purity to allow you to partake in a cultural tradition? Is it 50%? 75? 90%, 99.99%? What if your physical appearance is from the lesser percentage of your DNA? Are you still allowed to participate in the majority DNA culture? Do you need to get a ‘cultural acceptance’ license that proves you are the race you claim to be?
In 2008 when the first African-American United States President was elected, I honestly believed this would finally move our country past race as a determining factor for anything. But instead we have seen the opposite. It is sadly ironic that this President who – on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – spoke from the very same location as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr did during his “I Have a Dream” speech – significantly contributed to the reversal of those 50 years of racial acceptance and progress as a nation.
I parodied the Star Trek quote here as the show is credited with the first interracial kiss on American television between Captain Kirk and Lt. Uhura in 1968. For the time, this was considered both shocking and ground breaking. Today, when this episode plays in reruns; we just see two people kissing.
For the crew of the Enterprise, space was that final frontier to conqueror. For us, it is race and not only have we not conquered it, we have managed to move backwards in time. I don’t know what the answer is, but I know what it is not. It is not segregation and calling for special rights, privileges and areas based on race. EVERY race deserves to be proud of the heritage and celebrate it openly, but never, EVER at the expense of others. If we truly want to be a nation of equality for all, we all need to pull our heads out of our collective asses and dismiss race as a consideration for anything.
Bob
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