By Thomas Kochman - 03.27.2010
The 2010 census that allows people of mixed racial ancestry to write in their own racial/ethnic identity gives them a unique opportunity to define themselves in ways that don’t subscribe to any of the previously recognized official categories –themselves the result of racial and ethnic mixing historically — like “African American” or “Hispanic”.
What’s different today is that first generation individuals whose parents are of different racial backgrounds choose to characterize themselves as “mixed”, resisting the mindset of earlier generations that compelled individuals to choose one (but not both) of the officially recognized racial/ethnic classifications. Apart from what it says about personal loyalty issues –as our tribally mixed American Indian colleague says today when people ask him to declare which tribe he belongs to: answers, “Which grandparent would you have me deny” – it also says something about “the new rules of the game” in our ever-changing society. Read more »
By Thomas Kochman - 12.12.2009
Charles Blow’s comment in his op ed column “Paranormal Flexibility” of Americans “bending dogmas to suit them instead of bending themselves to fit a dogma,” reminds me of a quote from American composer Virgil Thompson who said, \”American music is any music written by Americans”.
These statements speak to a hallmark and feature of U.S. culture, not only “individual freedom” but also “primary control”, which is shaping the environment to accommodate oneself, as opposed to “secondary control”, shaping oneself to accommodate the environment.
This view has many corollaries. One is that within the U.S. individuals don’t have to accept the givens.
If God, fate or society has dealt you a hand that you don’t like, it’s very mainstream U.S. to say, “I want a new deal,” as opposed to, “I need to learn to manage these cards as best that I can.”
Mainstream U.S. folks tend to look at difficulties as “problems to be solved,” as opposed to “situations to be accepted.”
This cultural difference also leads to different sets of expectations on how individual and social problems should be addressed. Read more »
By Thomas Kochman - 12.05.2009
Charles Blow’s op ed column Black in the Age of Obama points out that the lives of Black people have not gotten better since Obama’s ascendancy to the Presidency –he cites statistics and examples that show in many respects black lives have become worse. He also points out the dilemma blacks face “how to air anxiety without further arming Obama’s enemies [which] has rendered blacks virtually voiceless on some pressing issues at a time when their voices would have presumably held greater sway.”
What also needs to be mentioned is the effect the Obama Presidency has had on whites, those who generally support Obama, and, prior to his election, could also be counted upon to oppose racism and ongoing injustices against blacks and other ethnic minorities. How has Obama’s Presidency affected their ability to speak out?
The answer to that can be partly found in the response that people gave to the question we asked a mixed racial group during the height of desegregation some years ago, “When is a neighborhood integrated?” White Answer: “When the first black family moves in!” Black answer, “When the ratio of blacks and whites is about 50-50.”
These different responses are telling. Read more »
