The United States of America has a racial problem.
Race is not the problem. The problem is how we deal with it.
Race itself is not the problem because race is like the ocean — it is a part of nature, and it exists whether we want it to or not. It’s like the story of King Canute, who literally tried to hold back the tide. He went down to the seashore and using all of his royal power and authority, commanded the ocean to stop. It didn’t work.
The United States of America has a racial problem.
Race is not the problem. The problem is how we deal with it.
Race itself is not the problem because race is like the ocean — it is a part of nature, and it exists whether we want it to or not. It’s like the story of King Canute, who literally tried to hold back the tide. He went down to the seashore and using all of his royal power and authority, commanded the ocean to stop. It didn’t work.
Of course, race, just like the ocean, can be dangerous and stormy — but it can also be beautiful.
Before my metaphor gets too far derailed, my point is this — race is what we make of it. If we look at race (and cultural differences, gender, ethnicity and so on) solely as a bad thing, then we that is all we will find.
And make no mistake, there is still a depressing amount of racism, bigotry and discrimination out there.
I know some people say they are tired of hearing about racial issues. Well, unfortunately, we will keep on hearing about it as long as stupid racist people continue to do stupid racist things — ranging from the accidental, careless slurs of the rich and powerful to deliberate acts of harmful racial profiling.
Reporting on racial issues is not part of the problem. There has been an odd sort of backlash lately (especially online) where some people seem to think that reporting on race — that even mentioning race — is itself racist, or that it “enables” racism. Maybe they think that if we just ignore the problem, that it will go away.
Killing the messenger will not stop the underlying problem. Covering up racism or banishing it to the dark corners of our society is not enough. Only by discussing these incidents, and the ways that they can hurt us, anger us and divide us, will we ever get to the heart of the problem.
True, we have made a lot of progress on eliminating a lot of racism, but we would have never made it this far if people had remained silent back in the days of “whites only” and Jim Crow. People had to stand up, speak out, march, demonstrate and protest to get to where we are now.
We will never get rid of race. It will always be there. I know I will always be Japanese American, just as you, dear reader, will always be whatever you are. We, as a nation, have to learn how to accept it and deal with it.
Race should never be a question of superior or inferior. It is not about who is on top or who is pushed down. It is more like a Rorschach test where what we see tells us more about ourselves than it does about what we are looking at.
I prefer to see the positive. I am proud to be Japanese American, and also proud to be half Japanese and half Irish/ German (or half white, if you prefer). Being proud of what you are does not require looking down on others.
One of the more amazing things about Southern California is the many different cultures which co-exist here, and all of the many different ways that we have of celebrating them. We should never stop celebrating culture and heritage with festivals and events.
Ours is a multicultural nation, and it always have been. Remembering that may not cure our problems, but it’s a good place to start.
James Fujita is a former GVN news editor. He works as a copy editor for the Visalia Times-Delta in California’s Central Valley. Fujita can be contacted at jim61773@yahoo.com
