I read the Houston Chronicle every Sunday while I eat
breakfast. I’m sad that it’s gotten so small, and some weeks, it feels more
like a flyer than a full paper what with all the ads in it.
This week, I had even more reason to be disappointed.
Despite all the important news going on in the world, there were two feature
pieces that told me they are completely at of touch:
“White men get help in addressing diversity”
“Working-class whites are having a moment”
Yup. Two big ass articles about white men. (To be fair, the
second piece isn’t *just* about men, and it was written by a woman, but still...)
In the first piece, a middle-aged white guy, Bill Proudman –
not a joke name – is interviewed about his business, “White Men as Full
Diversity Partners.” I think my favorite line in the whole article is when the
author summarizes a point from Proudman, saying that minorities often quite
their jobs because “they feel mistreated because of their ethnicity or gender.”
Those bastards! How dare they feel like they’re being
discriminated against! It’s not like they are, wait, never mind. They are. Duh.
But there’s more!
According to the piece, “the workers who quit, though, also
hurt themselves and their communities when they miss out on promotions and pay
raises.”
The problem they don’t seem to see is that they quit because
of a *lack* of promotions and pay raises. They are trying to better themselves,
but the discrimination stops it from happening. And then white guys say things
like that, causing the “others” to suddenly be at fault for their responses.
I understand that Proudman is trying to help, but maybe if
he had a diverse staff, that might show that he’s not just profiting from
talking the talk.
The second piece has an awesome first paragraph:
“White trash, trailer trash, rednecks, hillbillies,
squatters, crackers, goobers, and bubbas – all the names for these people are
insulting. Their avatars in the culture, from Honey Boo-Boo to Bob and Mayella
Ewll in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ are the opposite of inspiring.”
Woah. Really? Are you telling me that white people are…gasp!...sometimes
painted in a negative light?!
In a later part of the article, there’s a comment from UT
Professor John Hartigan, Jr.
‘That the white trash are simultaneously treated almost as
badly as black people and still seen as the source of racial prejudice is just
one of the paradoxes fueling white-trash hatred.’
Now, he’s talking about a book here, but still.
Think about this.
Poor white people being treated ALMOST AS BADLY as black
people causes racial prejudice.
Let me get this right: unless the poor whites are treated better than black people, they’re going
to be mad about it?
Because, somehow, they deserve to be treated better than
black people?
Shouldn’t this be more about the fact that, while poor white
people are treated badly, they still aren’t being treated as badly as an entire
race?
My head hurt just reading this.
Now, I get it – don’t shoot the messenger. Just because he
brought up the feeling behind it doesn’t mean he supports it or agrees with it.
(No hate mail to him, please.)
But the fact that it IS the truth is more the problem.
How do you convince people that they don’t have to look down
on anyone else? That they can just focus on themselves? That no one is
deserving of scorn?
I have no idea. But I think we need to figure it out if we’re
going to fix it.
