The benefit of being politically correct when the topic of race
is discussed is that we choose our words carefully when describing
the ethnicity of others. The downside of political correctness is
that we sidestep candid conversations about race in fear of
offending someone.
The benefit of being politically correct when the topic of race is discussed is that we choose our words carefully when describing the ethnicity of others. The downside of political correctness is that we sidestep candid conversations about race in fear of offending someone.
Earlier this month, Senate majority leader Harry Reid was criticized when it was revealed he made racially charged comments during the 2008 presidential campaign. He stated in a private conversation that then-candidate Barack Obama had a good chance of being elected president of the United States because he was “light-skinned” and had “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”
What was Reid saying? The assertion that lighter hues of pigment coloration are associated with a higher probability of an individual’s acceptance into mainstream society has been studied. There are some that will point to these studies that confirm Reid’s statement that skin tone does indeed play a part in how minorities are treated. Others hold on to the belief of “color blindness,” as stated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that individuals should be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin, regardless of its tone.
When is comes to choosing labels to describe a group of people, we have to remember that those terms are time-bound and generational. What is acceptable today may not be acceptable in the future. In Reid’s case, he chose the wrong words based by today’s standards. The use of the word “Negro” was common for his generation. Over the last several decades, society has tried different labels to avoid being offensive, i.e. Black and African-American. If the intent of Reid’s usage was not mean-spirited, we should forgive the use of a currently politically incorrect term.
This is not to say that the comment should be ignored. Just the opposite. A few years ago during a conversation with my grandfather-in-law, the topic of his involvement in World War II came up. My wife quickly corrected him when he used racist language to describe both the Germans and the Japanese. He told us, “I’m sorry if those words offend you. But those are the words we used at the time, and to say them any differently wouldn’t be right.” We couldn’t change his mind about his choice of words (and we also realized he was quoting propaganda of that era), but we did make him aware that those terms were no longer acceptable, and that he shouldn’t use them in front of us and his great-grandchildren. He respected us for bringing it to his attention, and in future conversations, he was mindful.
What about Reid’s idea that some minorities can freely switch from one dialect to another? The notion that some minorities live in two worlds is not far from reality. I remember viewing a television interview with a successful African-American businessman. The interviewer asked him what was the one thing he could point to that contributed most to his success. He told the interviewer that he was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Among his colleagues, he was one person that spoke and acted the part that was expected. At home, among friends and family, he was a totally different person able to be himself with the freedom to even speak in a different dialect. In linguistics, the ability to change one’s language or dialect is called code switching or style-shifting. This is not just a phenomenon among African-Americans.
Last year, to commemorate Black history month, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder addressed the Justice Department and stated that when it comes to discussing race in America, we are “essentially a nation of cowards.” At times, this may be true. However, rugged individualism built this nation. I have witnessed individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities taking a strong stance against racism. It takes courage to confront injustices and compassion to change social attitudes, values, and behaviors.
During the same speech, Holder also stated, “We must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.”
The fear of offending someone or some group should not deter us from having candid conversations. As a society, we continue to have problems with poverty, immigration, incarceration rates, education levels, access to health care, etc. In all these issues, there are racial inequities. It will take courage for us to tackle these issues and how they relate to race.
Mario Banuelos has lived in Morgan Hill for 20 years. He has served on the south County Dayworker Committee and is a member of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation. He is married and has four children.
