Race and Culture (or, a rant about race, pt 2)

Race vs. Culture

Nobody ever really understands what it is. And I don’t blame them. However, people are very comfortable checking boxes. In light of the 2010 Census, and as a series of race, culture, and status rants, I am presenting an argument of race and culture.

I think the first time I ever really thought about this issue was when I was in 7th grade. I distinctly remember a girl telling me “I’m not white, I’m Dutch. And if anybody ever calls me white, I’m gonna kick their ass.” That was it. My mind was blown. She looked white. She acted white. How in the hell was I supposed to know the difference between a Dutch person and a white person if I met her on the street? Little did I know that this was only the first (memorable) of a long series of oddities that confused my perception of race. That is…until I had to check boxes.

In 9th grade I think I finally understood how much of a social construct race was. I was born and raised Navajo. I am Diné. My blood shares the same story as the dirt between the four sacred mountains. But there’s no Diné box. There’s no Navajo box on standardized tests. Only “American Indian/Native American/First Nations/Alaska Native.” So I check that box. And then I thought about that girl from 7th grade. I wondered if she was upset that there was no “Dutch” box. Maybe, but she had to check the white box. So now you can blame the PSATs for my somewhat controversial and slightly convoluted ideas of race and culture. You can also blame the fact that white people never cease to amaze me (as well as acculturated Americans).

Race is a skin tone, not a culture. A culture is a way of life.

In my rantings about race, I’ve often heard what I call the “Irish Argument.” This argument often comes about to counter the presentation that minorities suffered innumerable desecrations and injustices throughout American history. This argument consists of “Well, I’m part Irish, and at the turn of the century they were treated like the scum of the earth.” This is a valid point to make, but does not reconstruct the current institution of how race and racism function. Culturally, the Irish were discriminated against, but racially, they had a leg up since they were still white. And honestly, I think the Irish argument only exists because every other race was not even allowed a part in society. At the time blacks were still slaves (maybe not legally, but practically), Asians were not even allowed into the country (thanks to the Chinese exclusion act), Native Americans weren’t citizens (even though they fought and died in WWI), and Mexicans weren’t even a problem yet. In any case, at the turn of the century, I can guarantee you that if all of those guys were in a room they would hate the white guy the least.

I think subtleties of conflating race with culture exemplify itself in very common conversations that detail one’s traveling experiences. “I walked across Africa.” “I traveled Asia.” First off, Africa is a continent, not a country. I notice in conversations that somehow pull Africa into the mix, people don’t mention specific countries or provinces. People talk about Africa like it’s just one big place, and not a conglomerate of different cultures and governments and tribes. Not to mention that each country has it’s own history of colonization that shaped whatever policies and governments that they have now. I just noticed that that happens more often with Asia and Africa than it does with Europe. Maybe that’s just leftovers from colonial education and our uncanny ability to ‘otherize’ people.

Speaking of Europe – let’s talk about where white people are from. White people, like any person, have stories in their names. Everybody has family trees and a lineage and a homeland. I don’t ask white people if they’re white, we both know that they are, but I do ask where they are from. “Oh I’m part Polish and Dutch and…” That’s cool (also, have you ever noticed that EVERYBODY is Irish on St. Patty’s Day?). But I get different questions – “Are you part Native American?” I say yes (I don’t even bother to mention that I’m full blooded because that comment is normally followed with a tirade of comments filled with mysticism, wonder, odd pride, and straight up ignorance). I realize that I am being asked to racially define myself before I can ever culturally define myself. Oh and blacks! I feel sorry for blacks sometimes because I hear you being just called black – regardless if you’re from the Caribbean, or from Africa (forget people knowing the specific country), or have a lineage stemming from the slave trade. Can you imagine if I said “I’m not Native American, I’m Navajo”? Or if a black man said “I’m not black, I’m Nigerian”? Blaspheme!!

Race is not something I defined, and as a social construct in a larger fabric, it’s not something I can change. I can’t change how racism works, or what it is either. But I think it’s important to notice these subtleties, and to understand the difference between race and culture. Referring back to my previous rant, you can’t be racist against white people, and you definitely can’t be racist against a culture. Prejudice exists in every form of our current system and prejudice does not hurt less than racism. In any case, I hope this clears up some ism questions, and ism arguments. And as always, please feel free to criticize, comment, and question as needed.