“I’m just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh God please
don’t let me be misunderstood!”
-
Eric Burdon
“What’s happening, Brandon?” Jim said as he approached my cube and reached for my trash can with his cinnamon colored hand.
“Same old Jim. How
are you doing?”
“Pretty good man. I’m
going to see this Brit Floyd band later this week. You heard about them?”
“No, are they a Pink Floyd trib band or something.”
“Yeah, man, I think they are better than the real Pink
Floyd.”
“Probably now that they are old, ha ha!”
“Probably now that they are old, ha ha!”
“You see, I bet you didn’t even know I’d like something like
Pink Floyd?”
I thought fast for a moment and responded cheekily stealing
a bit from Dave Chappelle “So what? Why
do you think all white people like Pink Floyd?
Is that what it says in the encyclopedia?”
Jim laughed and flashed that “you got me,” look which caused
me to laugh. After we had a good laugh
we decided to see Brit Floyd together.
…at least that’s what I wish would have happened.
I am a white male of European descent. I have never experienced discrimination in
the classic sense and I try very, VERY, hard to make people feel comfortable
and keep my privilege in check when I talk to people who I might offend. On the other hand sometimes I feel that it
prevents me from forming stronger relationships with the people in my life who
are not as bland as I am. Sometimes I
feel like I should wear a tee shirt that says “my intentions are good!” That shirt might have helped a friend of mine
who almost got fired for making a racially charged remark.
…
“So, Sue, I need you to put those reports together when you
get the chance. Can you do that please?”
Amy said apologetically. She had
had Sue running around all week and it was especially stressful for her since she
had only been in the department a few weeks.
She was really trying hard to make a good impression on her staff who
were mostly African American.
“I really appreciate it Sue.
I know that I have had you ‘stepping and fetching’ all week.” Sue looked up abruptly and paused for a
moment before she replied “I’ll get right on that Amy.” Amy didn’t know it at the time but she had
just made a racially charged remark. Later
that afternoon she was standing in front of her boss receiving a tongue
lashing.
Stepin Fetchit was the screen persona of the black actor and
comedian Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry.
Stepin Fetchit was the “laziest man in the world,” in the 30s and
40s. The character was the picture of
negative black stereotypes. Perry played
him as lazy, dumb, and poorly spoken. According
to Wikipedia he was the first black actor to become a millionaire as the first
black actor to receive a screen credit.
I would say that I know how Sue felt when she heard the
remark but I don’t I have never experienced racism. But, I’ll bet she felt pretty bad. The experience cast a shadow over Amy and her
staff became uncooperative. They had
really been offended by the remark. But
Amy had no idea that the phrase she used had any racial connotation. It was something that her father, who had
grown up in the 40s, had said to her as a child. To “step and fetch,” was just to be really
busy. That was all.
I live in fear of the above which is why I keep my
interactions with people like Jim polite, short, and sweet. I just can’t afford to say something
accidentally and offend him because I might lose my job or be labeled a
racist. I appreciate the position that
he is in as well it must be galling to hear someone say something offensive
even if they know they don’t mean it. I
hope that if a person of color ever hears me make an off color remark
accidentally that they will appreciate that my intentions are good.
…
“You see, I bet you didn’t even know I’d like something like
Pink Floyd?”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t think something like that.” I said
sheepishly “They’re a great band, after all.”
Jim looked at me and smiled and said “sure are.” Then he collected my trash and left. That’s what really happened and it’s a shame.
