My wife works for a local special school distract as a secretary in the office. She is white (Italian American to be specific). The other secretary that works with her is African American. We can call her Amy (though that is not her name)
They get along farely well. However, a group of African American teachers in the school have formed a click with this other secretary. They are heavilly into the "Black Unity" thing. One in particular, we can call her Bev, is a vocal proponent of everything that even hints at black unity, from OJ's innocence (and Kobe's and Micheal Jackson's) to the war in Iraq being "just another excuse for white boys to kill black brothers."
She dislikes my wife.
My wife once used the term "black" in describing her, and she took offence. (She also used the term large, but this woman says that was not the reason she took offence).
Last month was Black History month. Amy volunteered to run the Black History festival. She passed out duties and asked for, among other things, other African Americans to bring in foods of their culture for a luncheon.
As the day for the festival approached most of Amy's black friends vanished. My wife's Cheesecake joined the majority of food brought in by non-black staff. My wife and other non-black staff helped arrange and setup the Black History Festival, with help of several members of the staff who were African American.
It was mostly Amy's friends, the click of Black Power, who was missing from being a help.
This has crushed Amy. She feels betrayed and hurt by her so-called friends. They want to be friends again because "We have to stick together."
What do you call this behavior? This is a type of cultural elitism and minority abuse of power.
Another example, they found one of the cleaning staff, who happens to be black, was stealing from the rooms, taking jackets and stuff that belongs to the teachers and the students. One of the black teachers refuses to write up an official report against this worker out of a sense of brotherhood.
These are bad people taking advantage of good people in the name of their race.
What is the term for these people?
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
I consider that racism, or more correctly, culturalism.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I'd call them "sadly misguided" at the best.
AJ
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
quote:We can call her Amy (though that is not her name).
I know that I'd be offended if you called me Amy, and I'm not even ethnic.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
It's racism-the prejudice against your wife, and the non-participation with a 'sister' in the activity.
It's also a sign that charity, duty, friendship and sacrifice know no, and have never known, any color boundaries.
Oh, and as a practical matter, it's a sign that talk is cheap, and that anyone who wants you to 'stick together' for reasons of skin-color only is selling you something. Have a basis a little deeper than that, at least.