This is both a commendable sight and very sad at the same time. A conversation I’ve had with many friends is the tragedy of the “ambassador” role many people of color or minority status must play in society. When they go about their day they can’t just be them- many are hyper aware of preconceptions and such. At work they must try extra hard to not be a discredit to their race or reinforce stereotypes about their race. When in public they often must be mindful of their behavior- two people arguing loudly in a parking lot is often a spectacle- but if those people happen to be a certain race, many seeing the argument will incorporate it into their ideas about that race. And then come the questions and the hand holding. Having to be a bridge-
they may be the only person like them in an office or even a town. They may be one of or the only person like them in a social group. They may be dealing with a person who has never dealt or really deeply interacted with a person like them- and they have to explain everything. Why they wear a certain thing, questions about food and grooming and various stereotypes or myths or such. Often times walking people through fascination at their hair or skin or other seemingly mundane things, and even having to explain things like to a child- a common one for black people is wanting to touch the hair, or fascination with the hair. And having to explain to an adult, how having strangers want to touch your hair all the time like some curiosity- would be uncomfortable, that they probably would feel certain ways about it.
And so- there is a paradox. Without people to bridge the gap of understanding, we never likely can learn about each other. But that so many people need to be ambassadors, so many individuals have to act for their group in public and aren’t free to just live as themselves, it can be sad.
Equally sad perhaps is that in 2020 we still need ambassadors to walk us through issues that are hundreds of years old, from groups of people who often predate our own groups presence in a country. That after hundreds of years of living together with other types of people, there are so many people who still know it understand little first hand about those people. Much like questions to the non sighted- like “how do blind people wipe their butts...”
These things may be innocent or even well meaning- but they are both symptoms and symbols of a problem. 10 seconds of thought should tell you how a “blind person” “wipes their butt.” A person with any care for or experience with the non sighted should be aware or able to fill in the blanks there.
So few people are “non sighted” or we are unaware they are- that while I can’t say it is forgivable, I can at least say that most people are less likely to encounter a non sighted person in their day that a person of color in general in America. But what’s the excuse on being ignorant when at least 1/10 Americans are black or 1/5 are Chinese or Filipino?
Imagine spending your entire life in a room with 10 people, and there is one you know little or nothing about beyond what you’ve been told or seen from a distance or experienced perhaps in passing. So it’s both heartening to see someone out there actively trying to fight ignorance and give people the chance to actually learn from each other- but it’s also sad a little. It’s sad that people would need a total stranger to offer them a chance to speak to someone different than themselves, that they’d not have that ability in their own communities and social groups. It’s sad that to some extent- being born means that everything you do will reflect on everyone who looks like you. That waking up and going to work or school also means starting your second full time job as ambassador.
Not a very funny one, perhaps
I was trying to think of a joke about the arabic one, but couldn't come up with anything non-offensive so I left it at that