by ,
Posted in on Monday, Jan 31
Ithaca is a town where its citizens pride themselves on their liberal open mindedness and acceptance of diversity. I have grown to enjoy living there and the comfort that familiar faces can bring. I have enjoyed the cultural mix and the intellectual spectrum that a college town can bring. However, over the years I have either directly or indirectly been affected by incidences of discrimination. Not that discrimination will ever seas to exists, I believe that it is an innate part of human kind, however we must not live in denial and outright say that we don't have a problem with it in Ithaca. Sweeping it under the rug will only allow it to grow more. To illustrate this idea I will use the brick tiled streets of downtown Ithaca as a metaphor of the problem at hand.
If you were to see the bricks in the street as a whole they look unified and are set in a beautiful pattern. However, every brick is a unique part in the street with cracks and holes and variances in color. It goes for the people of Ithaca. The community is made up of people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles who have come for different reasons. However, there is a darker side that lies between the cracks of those bricks.
You see weeds that grow naturally from beneath. These weeds can be hard to keep up with, at first you begin to pull them out individually and throw them away. What happens if the weeds grow to big and all over? It causes the overall makeup of the bricks to change. Bricks shift and break and begin to deteriorate. The overall harmony of the brick pattern is disturbed. Bricks that should sit side by side now are further apart. Bricks that are beyond repair are then tossed aside. Overtime neglect can allow the problem to get too large to fix. If a remedy is not found it will cause the whole structure to crumble.
The weeds I am referring to are Prejudice and Discrimination. These are weeds that live in every human garden, in every community. They are weeds that have to be tended to and dealt with to allow the garden to grow and to maintain its structures. Why is it easier to just toss away broken bricks or people rather than deal with the weeds individually? After all we have to start somewhere, one by one tediously picking through the ground. If the goal is the same for each brick, than each brick is of equal worth to another. Or are they?
No, unfortunately they are not. Just as bricks differ in appearance, they differ in resilience and strength. Some brick can withstand the pressure of stress put on it by cars rolling over it day by day. The brick was well made, fired at the right temperature, or just lucky. Same thing goes for our people. Yes, ideally we are all equal and are the same, but yet our resilience, patience, skills all differ. So, therefore, since we don't know which ones are more fragile than others we should decide to just treat them all gently, maintaining their foundation.
Unfortunately,it is part of human nature to go by the rule, if it doesn't appear broken don't fix it. So, since there is no real big problem, just little individual occasions, we rather ignore it. If we continue to neglect and ignore the problem, not only will it pick at the heart of certain individuals, it will creep into the very system we rely and live by.
As a member of the Ithaca community since the age of twelve, this hits home. It is almost certain that I pay attention to incidences of discrimination given I am of mixed origin and am raising my multi-ethnic daughter. I have to know how to prepare her for the harsh reality that we are outcasts to both our worlds. Being mixed we are neither A nor B so we must be C. What makes this more ironic this is nearly all of us face this in life.
We have come up with such classifications as white and black to describe ourselves, because we are so far from our descended cultures. Therefore, we are all mixed and we nearly are all caught up with classifying ourselves based on not just race, but on color, style of dress, music genre, economic status, privilege, handicap and overall appearance, but the list is never ending. Think about it, we think we have figured someone out in the first few minutes, and this can cloud our judgment and how we view them from that point on. It effects how we treat one another. I could mention several instances where pregudice happens in this community. For this purpose, I will include the most recent event that I was indirectly effected by.
Two friends of mine decided to get a bite to eat at a local downtown restaurant. A quiet spot, not very busy and a sign up for all you can eat clams. It seemed perfect. They went in, were seated and ordered the special. A little pricey: but worth the treat. The two fellows enjoyed the company of one another, reminiscing old times as they devoured the tasty clams. They thought to order another set to satisfy their craving. When approached by the owner they were questioned as to how they could buy out all their clams. They were told there were no more clams. Shortly thereafter, a family sitting on the far side of the restaurant was served clams. The two fellows feeling rather disturbed to see this asked the owner why they had served that family the very clams that were said to be all gone. Does it matter who eats the clams first as long as one makes his money at the end of the night? Is what my question would have been.
Over the course of the dinner, the fellows were mistreated by the owner's comments and sarcasm. One fellow wearing an all fatigue outfit was asked if he was a duck hunter and to be careful that around his way he'd get shot. This was definitely an inappropriate and unprofessional way to chat with customers you don't really know.
When the other fellow later mentioned how good the food was and that he thought of recommending his family check the place out, the owner said to call first. Now what was that about? Is that an obvious note that they weren't welcome? When asked what he meant by that, he replied that he had seen his kind in there before and that he knew what those “players” are all about. So not only did he clown them by ridiculing their style of dress, but continued to project a prejudice display. So, since the two fellows of non-Caucasian decent had enough money to splurge on expensive clams, they must be “players”, hustlers, and drug dealers. And since they dress in fatigues and large baggy clothing they must be no good “gangsters”. So, it seems his pre-judgments clouded his whole professional manner. After all he has a responsibility as an owner of a public place to keep up on his public relations. It isn't good for the community, or for his business.
The obvious question is, how was this matter dealt with? After much debate between both parties, the police were called in to mediate. And this is where we see how prejudice has seeped within our system. The first police officer to arrive did not do his job appropriately. The officer headed directly to the owner, by passing the other party involved and prompted to request how the owner wished to proceed. Not objective at all. Fortunately, two other officers answered the call as well, and objectively dealt with the matter. The other two officers told the first officer that he was not a team player,since he was playing devil's advocate and questioning their role and participation.
What is most interesting is, even the officers involved had issues with one another. IT is ironic that the three officeres were of African American decent. This is an issue that stares them all in the face each morning. That probably explains why they too lack unity. The fact is that these officers have the toughest job. They are discriminated against and prejudged even among their colleges. They work with the system looking over their shoulder, watching their every move, waiting for them to make a mistake. They are lucky if they can keep their jobs while keeping their sanity. They are shunned at for talking to members of the community. It is also more of a challenge for them to reach any high promotions or even get the respect that they deserve.
Since this discussion was out in the public, by standards overheard the whole scene. Three individuals claiming to be black advocates for Russell Simmons national hip-hop campaign approached. They observed the entire drama and told the fellows involved that is was a typical example of discrimination in the North. That at least in the South the racism is strong and it is out in the open. No, it's not pleasant, but at least you know with whom you can relate to and who you rather not look in the eye. In the North you never know who is the wolf amongst the sheep. Discrimination here has a smile on its face and gleams at you in loathing glare. Who can you trust to be real?
The advocates casually interviewed the two fellows, and mentioned that they were researching the trends or paths of discrimination and would be writing a book, and Ithaca would be in it. I feel it is time to really confront this issue in Ithaca. We see discrimination as a hierarchical system itself. For example as a college town we cater to the students and their parents. All improvements to Ithaca are made for them and the economy they support. New hotels, new roads, new shopping centers and all constructed in the summer while the students are gone. The “townies” are below the students. We are not treated with the same respect or attention. We don't bring the money that the students do, we are not an asset to preserve.
The mentally/physically handicapped have it worse. Their illnesses/conditions are an asset and the businesses, facilities and programs, medicine they depend on bring a major source of employment and money. We profit from them being that way so why fix them? Just maintain them living on the system. They however, are the most mistreated. You see many walk the streets with no place to really call home, no real community warmth or embrace. They are overly drugged and set to be non-functional, co-dependant individuals. They are ignored and not treated hospitably at some local businesses. Some, have been befriended by kind people, whom take it upon themselves to enrich their own lives by being a friendly face.
The teen youth have it hard too, looked at as trouble with out an organized place to hang out or go, their views aren't respected or even taken to value. Just hanging out side with their friends they're harassed for loitering. In school they are dealt with quickly and with general rules that don't apply to each individual. They face a time when drama and conflict and prejudice are at its climax, but not taught to deal appropriately; they are disciplined and sent home.
If you dress all in black, and paint your lips black, if you have a plentiful of piercings, or if you participate in one church rather than another. If you speak differently, or look strange, or if your too loud, or too quiet. Chances are, if you are human you have been discriminated against before, or have been prejudice yourself. The problem is there are just too many people, too many views, cultures, and lifestyles that the general rules for the majority just don't apply anymore. We are the “melting pot” of everything not of one thing. We pride ourselves on our diversity? No, we outcast others based on their differences. We spend so much time worried about fitting in. If we all just befriended one another and actually appreciated those differences we'd get a lot more out of life. Things would be pretty boring if each of us were the same. The little variances are what make the overall pattern so beautiful.
Lets not let fear rule our view of the world. After all, we're all made up of the same DNA pattern, the same breathe, and heart beat. Finally, we need to take responsibility and be accounted for our actions, nor more excuses. If individually we cop out, the whole system will eventually be a cop out. Start with yourself and the role you play in your community. No one is left out of this one.
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