Friday, March 30, 2007

Brown Is The New Black

One of the greatest beauties of the Hispanic culture, and something I personally admire about this ethnic group, is its diversity. Within the umbrella category that is Hispanic is a wide range of skin colors, hair textures and facial features. Indeed to many unknowing people, Hispanics are only brown-skinned people. But a quick trip to Cuba, South America, or even Mexico would shatter that notion. I have seen Mexicans who are far darker than me, as well as Mexicans who to anyone looking at them, could only be described as white. And these are not Mexicans of African or European descent per se. Just the varying degrees of skin tone found in the general population of that country, more often than not due to the level of native blood in their veins as well as the socio-economic levels from which they and their families come from. Which is not to say that there aren't Mexicans of African or European descent because there most certainly are.

Cuba, Puerto Rico and many South American countries are more readily known for their large populations of black Hispanics. That was one of the great things about living in New York City, running into so many Blacks who were Spanish-speaking and who were proud of their interesting mix of cultures. Texas, the Southwest and California are more dominated by the Mexican culture and having grown up in this part of the world, you realize that for most Mexicans, being black and Mexican (or Hispanic) was not part of the generally known or accepted worldview. Whereas Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans accept the mixture, for example, most Mexicans don't. I am not sure why this is, particularly considering, as I have learned from two of my favorite historians out of Austin, Texas, that Mexico has a proud history of siding with Black Americans during the Civil War and on the slavery issue.

All of this is to say that as the father of two Black Mexican-American kids, I think they have much to be proud of, from both cultures. And considering that both cultures, at least the Hispanic one, if not the Mexican one, cast a large shadow under the umbrella that defines them, I don't think our kids will have any problem accepting that they are both, because when you look at images of just who is Hispanic and who is considered Black, it is not at all unusual to see many people who fit in both categories.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Who's More Racist?

I just thought about something I have heard on at least two occasions that I find to be incredibly ridiculous. It was said, by different people on different occasions, that black people cannot be racist since we have no power.

What an incredibly silly, and erroneous, concept. I was reminded of this idea, harbored by not a few people, because of someone I saw on a talk show who clearly held a similar viewpoint. While the technical definition of racism may well include the notion of power coupled with bigotry, the common idea, and therefore the practical definition of a racist is simply someone who bases their perception of other people, and therefore their actions toward them, on their racial or ethnic make-up. And under that concept, believe me, I have met quite a few black racists. Indeed, I would put some of the black racists I have met on level footing with some of the white ones I have encountered or heard of.

Bigotry and stupidity are not owned by whites. While they have certainly been in a better position to enact hardships on those who they perceive as less than, it is unfortunate but true that many minorities have adopted mirrored beliefs and behaviors, and for those that have, I have no doubt they would act no differently if given the power and opportunity to demonstrate their biases.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

I haven't been lazy this past week. Nor have I run out of things to write about. Frankly I've just been crazy busy. I wanted to let you know I'm still here and will get back on my regular musings starting again tomorrow. In the meantime, keep on keeping on.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Foreign Adoption

Many of you may have heard or read about Angelina Jolie's and Brad Pitt's latest adoption addition to their family. I am a fan of Angelina's and applaud her humanitarian efforts as I truly think she takes on the projects she does, as well as these adoptions, not for any publicity, but to truly make a difference in the world. But with that being said, I do wonder why she and Brad, who frankly I think is just along for the ride on her work here, do not seem to want to adopt any of the many minority children that are available and in need of good homes right here in America.

There has to be some reason.

Obviously any ideas I could suggest would be pure speculation and possibly unfair, so I will refrain from guessing. But it is certainly interesting to watch her fly halfway around the world to adopt a needy child, much like Madonna did, and like many other less well-known people do, and ignore the needy faces right across town, in their own backyard.

Again, I applaud anyone who adopts a kid, from anywhere. Because that is one less child without parents and a family. I just wish I knew why it was more interesting, more in vogue, especially for celebrities, to adopt a child overseas when the domestic child is still waiting.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Television: A Barometer For Views On Race

"The Hollywood Reporter," the movie industry daily trade magazine, featured an interesting column this week regarding Black leads being absent from network dramas. The column made the point that comedies were different for viewers since they were laughing with or at the characters and therefore, I suppose, people could accept black leads in those situations. But dramas were a different matter since they were more like real life. There were three interesting quotes in the article that I think say a lot about the state of "race" relations in this country.

The first quote is from a TV historian, Tim Brooks:

There is a feeling that the vast majority of the audience is not black, and
having a black lead dominating the show makes most viewers feel shut out since
they don't work with an African-American in a dominant position in their daily
life.


The next quote is from David Simon, the creator of HBO's "The Wire" which does have a largely black cast:

There s a certain portion of the audience that will change the channel...Not in any grandly venal, racist way, but there are a lot of people that are going to look at that many black faces looking at them, and they're going to say, "This is not my story."

And the last quote I want to reference is again from the TV historian, Brooks:

...for a series, it's about characters you want in your home on a weekly basis. It's a very intimate, casual viewing experience, and you tend not to invite somebody into your home who you wouldn't mix with socially.

There you have it. Taken together this is a pretty sad commentary on the openness of the majority, in this case they would be referring to the majority being white homes. But you know what? And keep in mind, this inability to relate to others in leading roles on television shows (and movies) is not just a black and white issue. How many Hispanics do we see leading TV dramas? How many Asians or Middle-Easterners? Ironically, I have to say that minorities are better at accepting whites in leading dramatic roles. But that would have to be because if we didn't we wouldn't have much to watch on TV.

Unfortunately this is indeed mainly an issue that we have to get the white majority to get over somehow. And this does not just apply to television. My wife and I have experienced where a movie we were working on was considered a "black movie" simply because the majority of the cast is black, though nothing about being black ever comes up in the movie at all. Again, it is that unfortunate act of labelling that is so prevalent in our society. It makes me think of how in Buddhist training the emphasis of getting beyond labels is greatly stressed because the labels trap us. Once I identify you by a label, I have already made a decision about how you and I relate. Which cannot help us ever truly connect since our connection or interaction is based on labels and our perceptions of those labels.

If these television experts are correct in their analysis, it means we minorities had better be patient about securing our equality and goal of being judged by the content of our character and not by the color of our skin. Because for now it seems, for the majority, all it takes is seeing the color of the leads on a television show to decide that there is nothing for them to relate to.






Thursday, March 15, 2007

Pictures Speak More Than Words



Today's post is quite simple because these two remind me why I write what I do and why those of us who understand what is at stake must keep working to wake people to the stupidity of race. What you see here, and in the faces of other bi-ethnic kids, isn't just the future, it is the present.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

"One Drop Rule" Won't Go Easily

I am careful not to talk too much about Senator Obama, not because he is not worthy of discussion but because it would be too easy to talk about him almost every day. I have said previously that his candidacy excites me mostly because our country will have no choice but to deal with the issue of "racial" classifications due to his being the first Mixed person to reach such a high level. But I have also realized just how difficult it will be for people to drop the awful habit of classifying any person that is half black as simply black, despite the other 50% of their ethnic make-up. It is a historical blight that seems to be completely woven into the American fabric, even amongst people who should know better.

I say this because in the last week or so I have seen at least three articles on Obama that almost in the same sentence that they refer to his African father and white mother from Kansas, they go on to describe him as possibly the first black President. While since he is indeed half black, it could be argued that is accurate to describe him as black if only in reference to his being partly so, but then it would also have to be accurate to describe him as white, if only in reference to his being partly that also.

Believe me that I was not naively thinking this vestge of old-school racism would go away quietly or easily. I suppose I am simply surprised a bit to realize just how much people desire to simplify everything that we all are into one neat category, no matter how wrong the category is. Many people cannot, it seems, accept that things are not so black and white (no pun intended). And yet, they would indeed rather say that things/people are either black or white (or some other ethnic choice between two differing parents) rather than accept that they are neither or they are both, not just one or the other.

That concept it seems, is just too much for many to wrap their heads and prejuduces around.

Monday, March 12, 2007

"Passing" Taken The Extra Mile

Here in L.A. there is an ongoing trial of these two teenage Mexican gang members in a poor area of the city for an awful racial crime. As part of a supposed effort by their gang to rid their small section of the city from blacks, these two, and others in the gang, initiated a plan one day to kill the next black person they saw. Any black person. The unlucky recipient of their hatred was a black teenage girl who was hanging out near her apartment building or some such location. They shot and killed her with no warning. By the way, later these two stabbed and killed an older white man who they believed was a witness to their crime. They purportedly stabbed him 80 times. So these two were not very nice people, to say the least.

But here's where the story takes a turn and becomes fodder for my blog. It turns out one of the two Mexican gang bangers is in fact half-black himself. His father is black. And according to his family, his sister and a close cousin are both dating black men. Men who he knows and is somewhat close to. In pictures of this kid that I have seen he looks 100% Hispanic, meaning there are no obvious signs of mixed blood, which happens fairly often for some Mixed individuals. My guess is that, he was "passing" as full Mexican to his gang banger friends and found himself in a spot where to prove his loyalty to them and their side he had to pretend he hated blacks as much as his buddies. Or maybe they suspected or knew his "racial" heritage and wanted him to declare his allegiance by doing this.

Either way, it is a sad story all around. For the girl who was shot and killed, and her family. For the young gang banger and his family. And for all the tension he must have felt knowing his Mixed blood and what that gang expected. And it is a sad story for all of us since it is a reminder that the world is indeed filled with violent hatred that can easily spill over into our worlds, sometimes just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and for no reason other than the color of our skin.

When will the madness end?

Friday, March 9, 2007

Pride and Prejudice Not Distant From One Another

My wife and I were talking to a new friend of ours the other day about her ethnic background because we couldn't place her accent. It turns out she is Assyrian, which makes her the first Assyrian we have met. We love such interactions and friendships, getting to know people from all corners of the globe, again one of the benefits of living in a place like Los Angeles. Of course, that gave us the opportunity to get into her culture and background and for us to get an education about a community that we were wholly unfamiliar with. It was very enlightening.

One of the things we learned though about the expectations of her family and culture is the emphasis and expectation on her to marry someone that is also Assyrian. This expectation grew out of the small size of their community and not wanting to see the culture disappear and of course, also a result of a pride in their ethnicity and culture. Which reminded me, we have to be careful in that while having a pride in one's culture is important for our self-esteem, there is also a point where that pride crosses over into ethnic bias against others. The focus on marrying within one's culture for example, is not far removed from looking down on someone within that culture who chooses not to. Much like Black Power and White Power movements are not far removed from holding grudges against the "other" group.

Our new friend and her culture are quite interesting. We hope to learn much more about this ancient culture and the people who still carry on the traditions today. And obviously, we are not making a negative comment on her or her expected choices, because it is possible she and her family have been able to figure out how not to cross over that line separating pride from prejudice. I hope we learn that they have indeed done that. And whether they have or not, we, once again, are being enriched by broadening our knowledge of the world and our circle of friends.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

How To Explain Racial Stupidity to Kids

My wife and I finally decided it was time to have a sit-down discussion with our 9 year-old son and 8 year-old daughter about racism. I know there are some out there who would say we have waited to long to broach this subject since kids are ultra perceptive these days and also ultra-honest with each other when it comes to pointing out differences and opinions. But we have hesitated to step into these waters not because we were naive but because we know that the moment you tell a kid that there are people who dislike, even hate, them simply for no other reason than the color of their skin or their ethnic make-up, all innocence about what humans can do to another human is lost forever. So maybe we were just trying to let them hold onto their innocence a while longer. And yet we realized that the longer we waited the more likely they would hear some racial stupidity from someone else and then be unprepared in their response or emotion.

But nevertheless this is a difficult moment for a parent, particularly a parent, of any ethnicity, who strives to point out the good in all people and who attempts to demonstrate that ethnic and color differences are meaningless when it comes to evaluating a person's worth. Some people hate and dislike other people for no real reason. It is too easy to simply try to explain that as stupidity on those people's part. Especially when you also have to make it clear that the stupidity and ignorance of those people can affect their lives. That explanation does not suffice.

With no clear answers on how to explain it, nonetheless we began what will, I am sure, be a life-long ongoing discussion. And I must say how pleasantly surprised we were at our kids' responses. They did see those views as other people's hang-ups. And they also knew that the world was better than people like that choose to see it. My wife and I were amazed and proud.
And once again we were reminded that this generation of children, especially those from bi-ethnic backgrounds, bring a whole different perspective to these problems. While we intend to teach them a thing or two about "racial" tolerance and intolerance, they are already teaching us a thing or two. I can't help but believe the future will be much brighter because of these kids.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Fear

It has been a busy week in the film business so I am just getting back to this today. I've had a number of thoughts during the week related to the basis of this ongoing blog. But one particular question sticks out. It is a question I would love to ask anyone who has an objection to mixed-ethnic dating or the children of such a relationship. That question is a simple one. It's answer not so uncomplicated.

What are you afraid of?

Really that is it. The thing is I know everyone who reads this blog is most likely an open-minded person, if not someone who is already in a mixed relationship. So it is not likely I will get an answer in this forum. But to anyone who has the chance to ask it of someone who expresses a problem with people dating "outside their race" as most bigots like to call it, please ask that question for me. I don't get the opportunity to meet people who openly express their ethnic biases. And of course that doesn't mean I haven't met bigots or that I don't know any. I accept it is possible that some of the people I encounter harbor such issues but don't feel they can express them in my presence. But I truly wish they would. At least then I could ask the question. And learn something.

See, my guess is that objections to inter-ethnic dating are based in fear. Fear for some that their ethnic group will be no more if too many of "their people" date outside their group. Fear for others is likely rooted in a fear that they, or their ethnic group, is unworthy and inadequate, since their own men or women are choosing someone from "the other group." Maybe there is the fear in some simply that the other group is purposely trying to divide and conquer their people. I don't really know.

What are you afraid of?

That is really the question that has to be asked. The answer may be a big factor in moving our society to a more accepting place.