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The absurdities that arise from political correctness amaze me. The newest is the Professor Gates affair. As usual, driven by media hoopla, people are lining up to take sides on an issue that really isn't an issue but more a misunderstanding blown totally out of proportion. This drama is in fact a perfect illustration of how the world is not black and white. It is complex.
Professor Gates teaches classes on African-American history and race at Harvard. As such, he is steeped in the history of slavery, racism, Jim Crow and all other matters of concerning race in the United States. Add in his age and the fact that he teaches at Harvard, one can assume that his viewpoint is shaped by the Leftist narrative of American history so prevalent in academia today. My point is not to talk about Mr. Gate's viewpoint or ideaology but intstead to illustrate how his perception of the situation was formed. That perception is what drives his actions.
I don't know as much about Officer Crowley's background except what has been reported in the news. He is white, a police officer with a good record and also an instructor for the Police Academy on racial profiling. I don't know if he has prejuduces, a history of racism or a record on anything pertaining to race. I can assume, however, that by the nature of his profession he approached the situation from the perspective of his training as a police officer. Police are trained to approach a potentially dangerous situation from a position of authority in order to establish calm and keep the situation from escalating. I'm not just talking about situations involving crime but even times like an accident scene. Two of the biggest factors in such situations are stress and confusion which require someone on the scene to remain calm and be decisive. For example, in every First Aid class I've ever taken, one of the first things I was taught to do upon arriving on the scene is take charge and designate someone to go call 911. I wasn't taught to politely ask anyone in the crowd " Can someone, anyone, please call 911 for help?" Instead, I was taught to authoritatively, even forcefully designate a person; "YOU! Call 911 for help!"
What we have in this whole affair in Cambridge Mass. is an example of two individuals entering a situation from totally different perspectives that clash causing an escalation into issues unrelated to the actual event. The initial event had nothing to do with race relations. It had to do with a possible crime that in fact did not exist. However, because one participant is black and the other white, the intrusion of interlopers with agendas and the tendency we as a people have to simplify complex situations down to an "either one side or the other", the whole situation has escalated to a point of ridiculousness.
My point in talking about this event is to show that behind every interaction you have with another person is a complex chain of circumstances leading up to that interaction. Perceptions are formed quickly and easily, often without all the facts. Sometimes without any facts. Perception and reality are two different beasts. Reality is not always black and white.
More to follow...
#154 A Fork in the Road
14 years ago
3 comments:
Mac, this blog brings up a very important point. The rush to judgment is based on a persons system of beliefs about the world. These beliefs are derived from ones basic upbringing, education and personal experiences. These beliefs about the world trigger a response to situations based on the reality they interpret. In other words someone will respond to a situation in which they feel to be racially charged in a way that makes sense to them based on their system of beliefs. This is not to single out anyone in the whole affair in Cambridge Mass, because every single person on this Earth responds to the world based on their own system of beliefs.
The bottom line is that the “teachable moment” here is to understand the fact that the way people learn and experience the world determines how they will respond to different situations. Now I personally do not think this situation was escalated due to racial tension or ignorance. However, I do think it was escalated because of perceived racial tension. The “teachable moment” is that whatever race we are, we are still all Americans (well most of us). And I believe we are Americans first.
What we all need to understand is that although we are all Americans (well most of us), we are still all very different, and we all view the world differently. I’m not going to go into a whole thing about diversity because I think we can understand the basic ideas of right and wrong, because that’s what it all comes down to anyway. We have to be able to cut through the “BS” (for lack of a better word) and talk to each other with respect and dignity, which all people deserve. Of course there are different perspectives and ideas about mostly any topic. These differences are not going to be all of a sudden worked out, but to be able to address these issues with maturity and intellectual honesty, progress will be made.
Mac - Great start place. Seems to fit in with a lot of what we have talked about before. An elderly lady sees 2 men trying to ge into a house. She stops another woman and asks her to call the police because she thinks they are breaking in. The 2nd woman makes the call, but does not know the race of the people involved. The police respond as we expect them to. Profesor Gates proves that he is who he says he is and that the home is his. Then there is a space in time and he is arrested for "disorderly conduct", but quickly released. And then they all end up drinking beer at the White House....
My guess - and it is only a guess - is that the elderly lady saw 2 black men and assumed a break-in. The 2nd woman working off 2nd hand information was not quite so quick to make that leap. The police respond and the "misunderstanding" begins.
My concern with your commentary is the way you describe both Gates and the policeman. Consider your language and the implication is that Gates started the whole thing and now the good solid blue collar cop has to arrest him and it becomes a racial incident. Your tone lays the responsibility with Gates. Maybe. Maybe not. If I locked myself out of my home and was breaking in and the cops arrived and started asking me a bunch of questions about what I was doing there and then I explained and then they didn't accept my explanation then I might be upset too.
I was certain that the reason you would be upset was because of the ridiculous amount of press generated by this incident. I laughed out loud last night as the New York Times gave an almost minute by minute rundown of the meeting at the White House...to include who drank what kind of beer with what slice of lime or orange etc. That is what is ridiculous. Not that the event happened, not that there was a misunderstanding, not that something escalated more than it should have, but that the best we as a nation can do is inform our citizenry what type of beer a profesor, a cop, the president and the vice president drink. I'm glad no one pays that much attention to me. I'd never leave the house. And I DAMN sure would'nt forget my keys.
Joe, Fen, thanks for your comments. This post is just the first thread discussing how we view the world around us. I only used the Gates incident because it seemed liked a good example of two people entering a situation with totally different perspectives and how that can cause conflict. Also how we, in groups or as a society will pick a side in this conflict without stopping to analyze what happened and then determine if there is even a cause for conflict or a need to choose sides. In other words, avoiding a rush to judgement.
Fen, yeah there is a problem with wording. This is because of lack of information. When I'm trying to analyze the perceptions of each individual involved, I'm putting myelf in their shoes. "How would I react in the same situation"? In order to do this I need information on those idividuals. There's much more information on Professor Gate's background and thinking than on Crowley's. Because of that lack of information, when I put myself in Crowley's shoes I do so based on my knowledge of police training. I suspect, based on what I've read of him, that he may be a Type A personality, aggressive possibly arrogant. But without meeting or observing him I don't know.
For example, I just learned this morning that Gates had returned from a long flight prior to the incident. So now, when trying to figure out the factors that shaped Gates' perspective of the situation, I have to include fatigue. But now I'm getting into a second post.
Once again, the overall theme of the post is how our perceptions of the world effect our reactions to it. It's not about who is right or wrong in the whole Cambridge affair. That incident and the whole media circus around it is only an example or tool for a thought exercise. Are people looking at why the situation developed as it did or are they simply judging the players based on a preconceived narrative?
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