My childhood induction into the socialization
of racism, prejudice, sexism and gender inequality. Chapter One.
When I began my journey in believing in equal rights I was
17 years old. A woman who had moved to town opened my eyes to the prejudices beliefs
and bigotry that we practiced. At the
time our community was completely white except for one male who was black, one grandmother
who was black, and the migrant workers who came to town and lived in little
cement houses outside of town.
“Mexicans” were something to be feared as they were dirty, and dangerous. (This attitude was directed at the migrant workers that came to our town.” We knew little if anything about African Americans. Interracial socialization was a huge NONO. What I heard was “Birds of a feather flock together.” And you certainly never see chickens breed with turkeys.” So never marry outside you r white European culture. Interracial marriage was really bad. And if for no other reason than “what about the poor children they had,.” those children would be picked on and ostracized their entire lives. Although I remember at age sixteen meeting a very handsome Spanish man and going out a date or two with him. I learned that he was no different then I , and his family was genteel and very nice. My father said “I do not want my grandchildren playing cowboys and Indians with real Indians.” And yet he claimed his grandmother was Native American and he was proud of it.”
Our prejudice’s s did not just extend to racial differences.
It also concerned religion, sexuality, gender, and financial status.
Methodist did not
inter-marry Catholics; Catholics worshiped statutes and prayed to those icons. So
they were not following the bible and would go to hell. .
Homosexuality was a
disgrace and certainly they were “pedophiles “that would hunt and injure your
children. Lesbians were just women that
could not get a man, or was women who hated men. They should be taught a lesson if a good man
would just “Bed” them they would not be that way
Women’s status was that of housewife and mother. If a woman worked it was because she could not get a decent man. If a woman worked, and her husband stated home, well then either he was an alcoholic who could not work, or was lazy. “A woman could run faster with her dress up than a man with his pants down” This social belief indicated that most rapes were just women who got caught having sex with someone and screamed rape. The term Old Maid was common describing a woman who never married. It was never believed that she did not marry because she chose not to or she must be a lesbian.
As I set here today, looking back over the historical inequality issues, I find it unbelievable that people practiced this without thought to the injury they were causing other humans. Their white privileged status was openly practiced. “If you want to be a citizen you damn well better speak English.Att times we as young people received mixed messages of our ingrained socialization of inequality and beliefs.
These beliefs and values sometimes conflicted with life. I
remember mom crying when Martin Luther King was shot. And I remember dad saying
that “those people had a right to vote.” That the violence against them was
wrong, that they should be treated as human beings. My father a staunch
republican voted for JFK. He said he was the first democrat that actually made
sense. But then dad said in the bible “those people were Hams children and were cursed by god.” My parents taught me violence against any human being was wrong. That Christ taught us peace and good will towards all men. That Hitler had been evil. But the Jewish people were still on our list of " Not white others"
No comments:
Post a Comment