Race Relations at SisterPlay.com
It seems these days that most of the comments I get on SisterPlay.com are regarding the Race Relations area. People find the links to websites featuring a diverse mixture of peoples great. But, the Diverse Views on Race section seems to throw some people for a loop. They don’t know how to take it. Some of the views are quite politically correct, but then some are far, far from anything correct—and, on both sides of the spectrum. The question I get often is “What are you trying to start?”
My answer is “an honest discussion about race.”
Most of the people I have honest discussions with about race look just like me. However, most of the things I would label as misunderstandings, misconceptions, or gaps in perspective deal primarily with other peoples. So, what is the point of discussing those things amongst us?
Sometimes I watch the CNN shows with the panels of prominent educators and entertainers speaking freely about race relations, but “really”, what does that do for race relations with regular everyday folks? Most of us don’t even watch those shows.
As many of you know, I am retired military. I have had quite a bit of “diversity training” in my civilian employment, but no one deals as honestly and upfront with race relations as the military. They deal with it and move it on out of the way. They start you off with the discussions in your first few weeks and they don’t cease until you leave the service. I guess it has something to do with there is no place for racism or racial tension in a war—so they deal with it before getting there. Is it perfect? Is it the fix all? Does it eliminate racism or racial tension? No. Resoundingly no! But its much better than a fancy one day seminar to check off the diversity training block.
I don’t think that it is realistic for honest discussions about race to really happen in most workplaces today—at least not around the water cooler or in the lunchroom. I don’t even think it is desirable, because most people are just not prepared for that kind of honesty at work and neither are most workplaces equipped for the possible consequences of such discussion. On the other hand, most of the people I know really only interact with other races at their place of employment. I guess its what is known as a “Catch 22.”
But we do need to have the discussions.
I know this is going to sound cliché, but my best friend in this whole vast world is not of my race. And we have had many discussions regarding this issue, some of them quite uncomfortable—but most of them enlightening. Because of these discussions and the many discussions in the my military life, I think I come to the table with much less racial baggage than many the people I have met over the years.
I created the Race Relations area at Sisterplay.com, this blog, and the SisterPlay.com Community Discussion Forum as a place where people could have honest, civil discussions on Race Relations in a non-intimidating forum.
That’s what I’m trying to start!
posted by YouthPlay Staff @ 6:51 AM
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