"But as we look for splinters in the eyes of slave traders of the past, are we perhaps overlooking beams in our own eyes? Is it possible that today we are equally disconnected from an understanding of the suffering we bring to the whole of God's creation? Behind what euphemisms do we hide the modern equivalent of the slave trade, our oppression of the Earth?" -- Lisa L. Gould
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| BRIGADIER-GENERAL SAMUEL R. CURTIS, of Iowa, |
Yesterday I mentioned how Bruce Levenson, controlling owner of the Atlanta Hawks, was willing to discourage the majority (in this case, an African American majority) of his fans from showing up to games for the purpose of making the minority (in this case, a European American minority) of his fans more comfortable. While perhaps not a racist himself, he guessed that European American Hawks fans were not fully comfortable attending Hawks games as a minority. So he sought to make them the majority -- a much more comfortable thing for most people -- most people are most comfortable hanging out with people with similar ancestral heritage. So after making business changes that reduced the 70% majority of African Americans in attendance to 40%, he was still concerned that European American fans would not be comfortable. So he sought to further increase the percentage of European American fans attending Hawks games, thereby further reducing the percentage of African American fans attending Hawks games, by switching out African American cheerleaders for European American cheerleaders, guiding the kiss cam toward European American fans in the stands, and increasing the number of European American fans invited onto the court to shoot hoops during breaks in the game. Oh. And he discouraged rap and gospel music in the arena in favor of music that fifty-something European Americans would be familiar with. In my post yesterday, I mentioned that this is white privilege. And I mentioned that he was just looking out for his bottom line.
In the case of Levenson's Atlanta Hawks, we're not just talking about basketball games, who goes to the arena and who stays home. We're talking about who gets hired as a cheerleader and who does not, and who feels welcomed and valued by the Atlanta Hawks franchise and who does not. For the sake of profits.
But what if we were talking about who gets locked in solitary confinement and who does not? Who gets stabbed in prison, has his finger amputated, and then gets gangrene? And who does not. Who goes blind in prison after getting no treatment for glaucoma? And who does not. Who has rats crawling over him at night? And who does not. For the sake of profits.
Today, on A Woolman's Journey, that's what we're talking about. We're talking about who loses their freedom and their finger and their eye sight and their chance at a better life. Who gets to care for their children and who does not.
Getting a job because of racism is one thing: Most European Americans do it without even realizing it. You apply for a job. You interview. You do your best. If you do well enough you get the job. You have no way of knowing who didn't get the job and why they didn't get the job. You can easily assume that you were the best candidate. But you can easily assume wrongly.
Going along with racism for the sake of profits, as Levenson did, is another thing: Many European Americans do it without giving it too much thought. It might cause some discomfort, but what to do? The alternative is not attractive in terms of a future of financial security. Our culture says, take care of family first. Sometimes it means finding plausible reasons for denying the good stuff to African Americans. It's a gut feeling, maybe. You can easily assume that your instincts are just really good. But you can easily assume wrongly.
But just as there are always unscrupulous dictators and wall street financiers and mafiosos in the world, there are always slave traders. Well they used to be slave traders. Today, incarceration is their trade. They run for-profit prisons. They profit not by selling free people into slavery. They profit by incarcerating people. For as long as possible. For as much profit as possible. Some of those unlucky prisoners are European Americans! And most are not. Most are native Americans, African Americans and other non-European immigrants.
If you can stomach it, read about Dockery, et al., v Epps, et al., the Southern Poverty Law Center's lawsuit against an East Mississippi, for-profit, correctional facility:
http://www.splcenter.org/get%20informed/case%20docket/Dockery-v-epps
Thank you to Execution of a Slave Trader for the image of General Curtis. (I don't advocate for execution of anyone, though, for the record.)
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