Remembering Who We Are and Where We Came From
Posted in culture on 15. May, 2008
If there is any one over-touched topic in the news these days it’s the subject of racism—with regards to whom WE are as Americans. And I am as guilty as the next person when I say this: I want to talk about it—so badly—but I so badly avoid it instead, all for the sake of not arguing or being blacklisted as a racist myself or the target of a race debate.
I have written countless articles on the subject, but no one has seen them or heard of them. I look them over, considering submission, and using my journalistic hat, I review them to ensure they are free of any racial bias, only to discard them. In the end—I put them away—stored in a place where they can’t be found. I do it because I’m scared of what people might say if they read my words.
Remember, I am a fiction writer—a creative sort—not a journalist, but a blogger with a necessity to write on a daily basis. I have my own opinions and prejudices, as we all do, naturally, whether we choose to acknowledge that truth or not. It’s reality. But something happened to my daughter recently that triggered my earnest desire to touch on the topic—regardless of the outcome. And where better to address the topic of racism with regards to a changing culture, than right here on CultureFeast.com, where all topics related to our society are fair game.
I can’t say who said what to who and why because the persons involved are minors, girls under the age of 13 and obviously ignorant. But like the basis of the word ignorant—lack of knowledge and understanding—it stems from high up on the family tree; I believe racial prejudice is learned, and like a garden it is instilled at birth and nourished over time and the fruit borne is an exact replica of the caretaker. We mimic our surroundings; that is the natural order of mankind. And over time in my life, I have experienced prejudice from both sides of the border—right here in my own backyard.
“I wish Mexicans would go back where they came from.” That was the statement implied directly to my daughter’s friend. No, it wasn’t said directly at her and because of that (and I toot my own horn here) my daughter said nothing. The comment wasn’t made towards her directly, therefore; it wasn’t worth arguing about. Stupid people say stupid things—that is what I’ve always told her. When people are too busy watching you and worrying about what you do or say, or what you look like or what you don’t own in this world—they obviously have nothing better to do with their lives than watch what you do. Those people are like the pathetic cronies who sit and watch washed-up actors and over-privileged people crying about how miserable the world is when the local coffee shop runs out of Espresso. In all actuality, they have nothing better to do with their lives.
I told my daughter not to worry about what was said, because in the end, the person who said it obviously wasn’t smart enough to discover truths for themselves. What this girl said was a direct response to what has been relayed in her home. No doubt the girl’s parents have a problem with Mexicans which is probably a direct response for the “Illegal Immigrant” issues we now face in America. Face it, people are mad and the fact they keep their feelings bottled in, proves we are on the cusp of great anger and hatred as a people in whole. Now, knowing this, I have deducted the girl’s parents are either THAT prejudice that they lump all people of Hispanic/Mexican-American heritage into the same basket of hate or they are that ignorant they can’t tell the difference between the two cultures. And yes, there are two entirely different cultures of Meskin’ in America.
The people who were born in Mexico and either came here legally, or found alternate means make up the first culture now occupying a vast majority of this country. The second culture is the one closest to my own heritage—people of Mexican-American background—those born in America (once, twice or three-times removed) whose origins date back to a time when Texas was part of Mexico. My great-grandfather was born in what is still Mexico, just across from Eagle-Pass, Texas (which was Mexico at the time). He migrated with his five sons and one daughter and settled in Karnes City, Texas. From there the children each in turn settled in Fort Worth, Texas where my father was born—and now—his five children and grand/great-grand children. I am a second-generation United States Marine, following in my father’s footsteps, and more than American, I am a Texan—born and bred.
Growing up I faced the same prejudices but from two-sides of the fence. As a child of Mexican-American parents, we (and those like me) were considered “coconuts” or “Oreo’s” because we were dark on the outside and light (or white) on the inside. We were taught to speak English properly to compete in a predominately white world and thereby allowed most of our Meskin’ roots to linger for the sake of careers and future advancements. To people born of Mexico, we were nothing more than a darker shade of white; we were no different than the Anglo-American race. To white people however, we were the same—Mexican. As far as they knew, we didn’t speak English and because of that, probably weren’t smart, as if the lack in ability to speak another language somehow dummies down your own natural born intelligence??? I find that ironic because as a writer I hear countless people (born in America) tell me, “I can’t write…I didn’t do good in English class.” I feel like asking them now: You didn’t? Why not? What country are you from?
I told my daughter to ignore the girl who made the comment. I told her she was as dumb as the parents who are instilling the hatred towards another race. I mean, come on, I’m American. I want EVERYONE in this country to be documented, stamped, screwed, blued and tattooed. But I’m also a smart man and I know this. We can kick the Mexican’s out of America and hopefully, when we do (if we ever did), we send everyone else who can’t prove they were born in the US right back to wherever they came from. Then, we can disregard welfare, since hundreds of thousands of jobs will open up to us tried-and-true red-blooded Americans who aren’t afraid or too proud to wash dishes in restaurants we can’t afford, wash the cars we won’t ever drive and cut the grass and build the homes we will never own. And when prices go up for general lawncare, from minimum wage (and less), that will get rid of Homeowners Associations because I’ll be darned if tried-and-true American’s will do anything themselves for less than $15 bucks/hour which means we will all have to cut our own grass and I think we know that isn’t going to happen. But hey, kick them out. I’m an American. I’m an athlete and a former US Marine. I’m not scared to work and get my hands dirty because I know where I came from…
