My White Roomie
One of the chapters in “White Privilege” that we recently read discussed the discomfort we often feel when discussing racial issues. The chapter indicated that black people are usually much more comfortable discussing race openly than whites. My experience has been that I am much more comfortable discussing racial issues with other black people than I am with whites, especially those I’m friends with. I have a roommate who comes from a very conservative background, and as much as I love her, there are times when I sense that she doesn’t quite understand the racial oppression black people have had to deal with. On issues of racial equality, I’m usually a total hot-head, but I’ve had difficulty discussing anything racial with her. Part of it is that I do value her friendship. She’s a great roommate and she’s not at all racist. However, I’ve heard her make comments that show she is really undereducated or just miseducated on racial issues. Inside, I’d like to sit her down and explain my way of seeing things, but on the other hand, I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable or think that I’m judging her in some way. After reading this chapter and reflecting on some of the classroom discussions, I’ve realized that my dilema with my roommate is a problem for many. Racial issues often persist because we simply don’t want to talk about it. It’s not necessarily that it doesn’t matter to us; because it does, but we don’t feel like we’ll be heard or even understood. My hope is that the next time we’re watching tv together or whatever and something racial comes up that I have a strong opinion on, I’ll be able to speak up. I have a feeling that she’d be a lot more receptive than I realize.
I agree with you, I think that if you just give your roommate a chance to talk about racial issues in a calming matter that she would be more willing to listen. Race is already a hard subject to discuss and going about it in a certain manner is not going to help he change her views.
tjurgonski
April 16, 2010 at 6:13 am
I also think that there are many more people out there that are very uneducated when it comes to racial issues. Sometimes it is not so much that they don’t want to talk about, but more that they don’t know what to say about it and afraid that since they are uneducated about it, they will say the wrong things.
jobyjob
April 16, 2010 at 2:11 pm
I’m sure your dilema is a problem faced by many. Many people don’t know how to discuss racial issues with people that are of a different race and rather not talk about it since it is a very touchy topic. I feel that the only way to begin to put an end to discrimination/racism is by people of different races expresses their feelings about it and being understanding of each other’s perspective.
taishae
April 16, 2010 at 9:37 pm