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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Black & White



I am in the process of reading President Barack Obama’s first book, “Dreams from my Father” which relates to his early life. He was born in Hawaii of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya. He spent a large part of his early years in Hawaii and in Indonesia, before moving to New York as a young idealized man. Finally he settled in Chicago.

I found it quite interesting to note that his journey of self discovery involved, more or less the same confusion of a young black man whose both parents were black. My reasoning is that if one of your parents is white, and you have white relatives, why would you go through a process of demonising white people if your relatives were kind to you?

I think that many people no longer even know what the difference between being a Negro is and what being black is. What is the difference between being a Caucasian or being a White person? I believe that most people think it’s the same thing, but I beg to differ.

The dictionary says that to be Caucasian is to be a part of the White or light-skinned division of mankind. In other words, of the Caucasian tribe. According to Wikipedia, the name appears to have been developed by a German scientist and classical anthropologist, Johann Freidrich Blumenbach, around 1800. He based the name on the people from the Caucasus region of Russia, including Georgia, because he deemed these people to represent the archetype of the race.

The Nazis took the whole concept to an even higher and ridiculous level insisting that having fair skin was not enough. You had to conform to definite measurements to be accepted into the club. Generally, in very early times it might be said that whites came from the northern hemisphere, and other races from the more sunny south.

It is not my intention to go too deeply into the subject, but the thing that is evident upon just scratching the surface is that this is a very thorny matter. However, what is not debated is that Caucasians and Negroes fundamentally differ in our approach to life. This is as it is supposed to be, and our challenge is to get along and succeed in spite of our differences.

The Wikipedia definition of Negro is to be of Black ancestry. In the languages of Spanish and Portuguese Negro means black. However, until the early to mid sixties the race was described as Negro or, in polite circles, “Coloured.” Then came the struggle for civil rights and we began to hear the term Black used in various connotations. There was “Black Power”, and “Black Rights”, and “Black People.” Because of the circumstances of its introduction into common language I believe it represents an attitude rather than a colour.

You could not say that you were Negro, and not Black without drawing down upon you the most severe condemnation. Even to day, in certain highly militant circles you cannot belong and express an admiration for things outside the circle’s approved list.

As a development in the right direction, if you don’t wish to be seen as a black man, or as a polite descriptive usage you are allowed the use of “African-whatever”. President Obama, who apparently some people still seem to think is Irish, (O’Bama), is described as America’s first African-American president. That was a very important step for America to take as they have broken the sacred mould of “white and male” as president in favour of simply the best person available.

If we accept that black and white represent attitudes, it can then follow that there will be people who can hold black attitudes while being Caucasian, and vice-versa. Who says that we have to remain absolutely within the club in which we were born. To be able to move about and to contribute to and take from other cultures is how we grow and live life to the full.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael