The "Boxes"
Most of us are familiar by now with Nixon's OMB "Boxes". They marked a re-visit (in the 1970's) to this nation's interminable obsession with "defining" who we are by Race. From Plessy's "one-drop" ruling more than 100 years ago, to Zimmerman and O'Mara's "production" that played out on T.V., posing as a "Defense" in a murder trial; we haven't firmly decided this question. Whites, of course, insist on being the "deciders".
Appearing in the Sunday, (7/14/13), New York Times is Margaret Sullivan's editorial: "Making Sense of a Sensational Case".
The NYTimes edition I read probably went to press before the verdict in the Trayvon Murder Trial was rendered. The demonstrations the verdict sparked, nationwide, are building in intensity. I think this might be different from the legion of "racial crimes" that have traipsed through our "legal" system throughout our history. This one gets at the heart of the question: "who are we?"
The Editorial chronicles the many conflicting versions of Zimmerman's ethnicity that appeared in The Times' coverage of these events. Young white demonstrators carried signs stating: "We are all Trayvon".
Are we? Draw two Boxes. Divide each into quadrants. Across the first (top) write: White/Black. Down the side: Wannabe/Don't Wannabe. With the second box (top): Rich/Poor. Down the side: Wannabe/Don't Wannabe. These boxes will describe for all of us, the identity crises we face in 2013. If you thought the first black (or; black/white; or; white/black) President would settle this issue in any serious way; Trayvon may get the last word??
Try it! Put yourself in the boxes. Realize that most of these "identities" are shaped by birth circumstances. See if you can determine which ones are not, and what "factions" in our society drive these issues. Where would Trayvon place? Zimmerman? Is the racial "divide" clear? What difference would generational considerations make? Regional variations?
Stay Vigilant! These are "our" genes!
Copyright © 2013: Williams LLC
All Rights Reserved: Williams LLC
No comments:
Post a Comment