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Staci Backauskas

When I couldn’t find a job after getting my journalism degree, I went back to school and got an EMT license – a pivotal choice that created the set point for my life. I caught a lot of flack for putting the employment search on hold. Some said I was impatient; others accused me of being too ar...

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It’s the heart of truth – that creates change and heals wounds – are you brave enough?

by Staci B

When I saw the YouTube video “I’m Voting Republican or Democrate,” I laughed so hard I cried. On it, a young African-American woman named Glozell admits to initially siding with the Republicans because she wanted to be on a winning team.  Flipping the blond hair of a shag wig over her shoulders, Glozell goes on to joke about how she’s placed all of her issues with black men squarely on Barak Obama’s shoulders, pouting, “Why you didn’t call me, Bama?”

 After back peddling about how she knows it’s not fair to blame him for all the wrong done to her by black men, Glozell rants about spending over $20 on a dress at “The Rainbow” and taking care of his kids that aren’t hers, only to have him come home from a game of dominoes with sucker bites on his neck.

 She goes on to make salient points about the McCains and Hillary Clinton, but in the end, it was Glozell’s “ghetto speak” that had me laughing.  It wasn’t until I forwarded the video to my friend Karen, also African-American, that I began to ask myself if I had overlooked something. 

 Karen told me she didn’t find it funny because Glozell portrayed a stereotype to communicate her message. “It doesn’t speak to anything new or diverse about the black community,” she pointed out.  “It’s affected, old and not interesting.”

 When I showed it to another African-American friend, her facial expressions told me she didn’t find it funny either.  Did I, as a white person, need black people to be “ghetto” in order to find them funny?  The awareness about my own subconscious racism pelted me like hail, and I realized that there was little difference between me finding Glozell’s video entertaining and the millions who laughed at Al Jolson in vaudeville clubs as he sang about “Mammy.” 

 I had another opportunity to raise my awareness about ugly thoughts bubbling beneath the line of consciousness by watching Bravo’s reality show The Real Housewives of Atlanta.  The show focuses on four African-American women and a token white one, all of whom are rich, mostly because of current or ex-husbands.  The show is a total train wreck, but an interesting vehicle for raising awareness of subconscious racism.  Why was I surprised when DeShawn was well spoken and extremely intelligent?  Why was I not surprised when NeNe wanted to rumble with Sheree?  Although I am loathe to admit I had these thoughts, I’m confident I am not the only one.

With an African-American man running for president, we have a perfect platform for discussing this issue, to discover the thoughts and beliefs we have regarding race in our society.  The reason we’re not is because we, as white Americans, don’t want to admit racism still exists.  That would mean there’s more work to do.  More to become aware of.  More to change.  And we’re all so busy, what with jobs, families, scrapbooking, watching football.  Who has the time to deal with the racism still prevalent in our country, especially that which lurks beneath the surface?

The thing is, it’s not staying beneath the surface so much anymore.  Now that being “politically correct” has gone the way of the car phone, people feel more free to be open with their opinions.  Like the guy riding a motorcycle with a McCain-Palin bumper sticker wearing a T-shirt that says, “N*****r please – it’s a WHITE House.”  Or the vocal threats on Southern Poverty Law Center founder Morris Dees’ life by white supremacists groups for suing the Imperial Klans of America because  they beat a 16-year old US citizen believing he was an “illegal sp*c.”

Many may think that Glozell’s video is hilarious.  After all, “funny” is in the eye, or ear, of the beholder.  However, humor can reinforce stereotypes in a way that subtly anchors them in the subconscious, making the beliefs they perpetrate an insidious thread woven into a culture that claims to have come “so far” in treating all races equally.  I challenge you to grab hold of one of those threads, be courageous enough to become aware of the thoughts you have around race, and then discuss it with someone.  Let me know what happens.