Monica, you are fortunate to have found a community and partner that share your common sense socio-cultural beliefs as I do. However, I wonder how you previously coped with friends, family, and acquaintances who invariably give you the side eye when explaining that to be black in America is neither a handicap nor a punishment but rather what you make of life. Victim culture is very counter-productive leaving those of us who don't subscribe to this ideology feeling isolated with very few friends.
My perspective has definitely put me at odds with most of my black friends and family. What’s amazing is that even a decade ago we would all have been on same page about this issue. There was a time when we didn’t see ourselves as helpless victims. That’s what’s so puzzling, Valencia. It’s as if our community isn’t embracing this ideology because it truly resonates with them, but because they *think* it should resonate with them.
Truly, if the black community had always subscribed to a victim mentality we would never have accomplished anything. Our parents and grandparents would have surrendered in defeat decades ago. But we didn’t, because we are strong and demonstrated self-efficacy. That was the backbone of the black community and helped us survived in a much harsher landscape.
Yet now we shrink in the face of “micro aggressions”? It’s surreal and bizarre.
I couldn't agree with you more. Our ancestors couldn't imagine today's America of freedom and unlimited opportunity. They had so much more class and self-respect. The idea that privileged black people continue to board the victim train spewing racist pablum at every turn does a great disservice to our children leading them to believe and perpetuate false narratives. I think this may call for a psychotherapeutic, intervention resulting in a collective raising of low self-esteem. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the growing number of voices today such as yours, and others offering factual antidotes for the pathology, which is evident among some needing enlightenment.
Thx for this! So interesting! As a white teacher of American history, I had to tell myself it was NOT racist of me to teach the DOI and the Constitution to my class. I think of myself as confident in my ideas, but the last ten or so years have made me second guess myself that it’s right to think about my students as students FIRST and not black, or white or Asian students. I always did that in the past but more recently wasn’t sure that was okay .
Please don’t second guess yourself! If you see your students as students, regardless of their color, then your instincts are obviously well-honed. I think we would all be better served if we followed our instincts instead of second guessing ourselves. I don’t think this was the case 75 or 50 years ago, but I’m confident that race relations would be in a much better place today if we simply trusted our gut when we deal with others.
Kudos for a wonderful and grounded conversation with Connie about lived experience. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, I learned blackness equaled enterprise. There was no learned helplessness around the campfire. The fire of our lives came from great souls like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Earl G. Graves, John Johnson, U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke, and Reginald Lewis. Blackness was never a stand in for oppression. Thank you for clarity and discernment during a time of dogma, slogan words and mindless conformity.
And gratitude to Connie and the noble souls at Free Black Thought!
So, I decided to poke the woke bear, especially here in blue California and sanctuary city San Diego. Maybe, I wrote (in the article cited below) that January 20th can create a meaningful dialogue between the memory and reality of Martin Luther King Jr on MLK Day and the reality of Donald Trump on his inauguration--also January 20th. There are some interesting confluences that can create conversations much like Monica is doing and talking about. Good on Connie and Monica. https://timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2025/01/08/as-jan-20-nears-consider-the-values-that-both-mlk-and-trump-might-share/
Kudos, Monica - looking forward to this listen!
Grateful, here, too, that Free Black Though exists, and also that Monica Harris and FAIR exist.
❤️
Monica, you are fortunate to have found a community and partner that share your common sense socio-cultural beliefs as I do. However, I wonder how you previously coped with friends, family, and acquaintances who invariably give you the side eye when explaining that to be black in America is neither a handicap nor a punishment but rather what you make of life. Victim culture is very counter-productive leaving those of us who don't subscribe to this ideology feeling isolated with very few friends.
My perspective has definitely put me at odds with most of my black friends and family. What’s amazing is that even a decade ago we would all have been on same page about this issue. There was a time when we didn’t see ourselves as helpless victims. That’s what’s so puzzling, Valencia. It’s as if our community isn’t embracing this ideology because it truly resonates with them, but because they *think* it should resonate with them.
Truly, if the black community had always subscribed to a victim mentality we would never have accomplished anything. Our parents and grandparents would have surrendered in defeat decades ago. But we didn’t, because we are strong and demonstrated self-efficacy. That was the backbone of the black community and helped us survived in a much harsher landscape.
Yet now we shrink in the face of “micro aggressions”? It’s surreal and bizarre.
I couldn't agree with you more. Our ancestors couldn't imagine today's America of freedom and unlimited opportunity. They had so much more class and self-respect. The idea that privileged black people continue to board the victim train spewing racist pablum at every turn does a great disservice to our children leading them to believe and perpetuate false narratives. I think this may call for a psychotherapeutic, intervention resulting in a collective raising of low self-esteem. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the growing number of voices today such as yours, and others offering factual antidotes for the pathology, which is evident among some needing enlightenment.
Hear, hear, my friend!
Thx for this! So interesting! As a white teacher of American history, I had to tell myself it was NOT racist of me to teach the DOI and the Constitution to my class. I think of myself as confident in my ideas, but the last ten or so years have made me second guess myself that it’s right to think about my students as students FIRST and not black, or white or Asian students. I always did that in the past but more recently wasn’t sure that was okay .
Please don’t second guess yourself! If you see your students as students, regardless of their color, then your instincts are obviously well-honed. I think we would all be better served if we followed our instincts instead of second guessing ourselves. I don’t think this was the case 75 or 50 years ago, but I’m confident that race relations would be in a much better place today if we simply trusted our gut when we deal with others.
Kudos for a wonderful and grounded conversation with Connie about lived experience. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, I learned blackness equaled enterprise. There was no learned helplessness around the campfire. The fire of our lives came from great souls like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Earl G. Graves, John Johnson, U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke, and Reginald Lewis. Blackness was never a stand in for oppression. Thank you for clarity and discernment during a time of dogma, slogan words and mindless conformity.
And gratitude to Connie and the noble souls at Free Black Thought!
So, I decided to poke the woke bear, especially here in blue California and sanctuary city San Diego. Maybe, I wrote (in the article cited below) that January 20th can create a meaningful dialogue between the memory and reality of Martin Luther King Jr on MLK Day and the reality of Donald Trump on his inauguration--also January 20th. There are some interesting confluences that can create conversations much like Monica is doing and talking about. Good on Connie and Monica. https://timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2025/01/08/as-jan-20-nears-consider-the-values-that-both-mlk-and-trump-might-share/