La Raza

I'm a white guy. Raised in white Sacramentan suburbia. I attended grade school, middle school and high school in the 1970's and 1980's where 2% were black and 3% were Asian. (I am supposed to capitalize Asian, but not black, yes?)

I was among other whites growing up; indeed, all the way through college. West Point in the late 80s was predominantly white. CSUS in the 90s was also predominantly white -- at least, as an electrical engineering major it was.

The segregation has, in an odd sense, prevented me from ever holding any racial bias against anyone. I say odd -- because Mexican Americans that I know now in later life are among the most racist people I've ever, ever! known. There rarely, very rarely, is a Mexican American around me who doesn't treat Asians, blacks, or whatever completely different than I. Our upbringings contribute to our racisms.

I write this now as I live in the most racially diverse neighborhood than I've ever lived in anywhere else in my life, here in Elk Grove...and I have no issues with it. I don't think the neighborhood is going to go uphill or downhill just because "some nigger" moves in next door, or if "some chink" does. I use this authentic, American language here on my blog as this is the language used by everyone around me. I've really never had any reason to do so.

What reasons are attributed to such language/actions, I ask? I don't know. I've never felt compelled to treat others differently based on their race...at least, not that I've been aware of. I've a new Mexican American engineer working in our group but I think he's a shitty engineer -- not that he's Mexican. Race has no bearing in my judgements on others.

At least, so I think.

I will argue that among all the Nigerian and Ghanaian electrical engineers I've ever come across, all have been substandard...relative to my own abilities. I have yet to work with an African American electrical engineer who I believe is a talented individual. Does that make me racist for stating such an observation?

I really don't give a shit if you do or don't classify me a racist based on my 20 years of empirical observations. I have yet to work with any who I hold in high regard. Today, I hold the highest regard for an Indian engineer. He's one talented engineer, and to label me a racist simply for decrying all African electrical engineers fails to respect my 20 years in the industry as someone who knows and respects talent when he sees it.

I argue this, because we've a young Indian engineer in our group who routinely denigrates Pakistanis. He does so in a jovial way, yes...but deep down, I have to believe that he harbors extreme prejudice against them. He's grown up with that idea in northern India. Two nations in perpetual disagreement over what I consider to be the most trivial of reasons...over uninhabitable land in Kashmir...among other disagreements. What I'm saying is that this young Indian engineer is fifty times more racist than I...yet as a white guy, any single hint of racism and I'm out the door, off to find my own way again in a diverse work environment.

Jovially suggesting that earthquakes and American drone strikes in Pakistan leave a few fewer Pakistanis in the world and the world is incrementally better off. If I were to suggest that in any environment I'd be chastised up and down, be handed letters of reprimand, get fired, what have you. Yet, coming from another "minority," this is somehow deemed acceptable.

I offer that my own observations are true to form. I don't sugarcoat them. I suggest, without racial interest whatsoever, that electrical engineers from Ghana are among the most unqualified engineers in my field. This from observation. I argue that stereotyping is acceptable where prejudice is not. I argue that my beliefs about Ghanaian engineers is based on factual evidence, not on an assumption on a group of people before having adequate knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy. I have adequate knowledge -- twenty years in the field -- I think they are bad engineers.

I do not suppose I fall into the same trap as my Indian coworker because I base my beliefs on empirical observation -- I do not do so simply based on their nationalism, heritage, or belief system. He bases his beliefs on the fact that there are inherent differences in Pakistanis traits and capacities simply due to their race. He justifies his different treatment of Pakistanis because they are Pakistanis. It is a belief system he's grown up with...and one I did not grow up with.

I often mention racism here on my monologues as 1)it's a monologue, not a dialogue, so I post whatever I want, and 2)it cuts to the core of how we've developed our social arrangements here in the U.S., and how it will impact us going forward in my expectation for eras of resource shortages. It will not be pretty. Blacks will blame Asians, Mexicans will blame blacks, and whites will blame everyone who's not white. This is not conducive towards managing national trials in my opinion, but this is what we're gonna get.

I am not a fan of La Raza as I don't hold my own white skin in any way different or superior to anyone else...as I really do see La Raza promoting such ideas. Contributions mean the most to me -- contributions as social animals, as respectful citizens, as caring for others regardless. I, really, do not see our nation following these ideals under any calamity or suffrage, and La Raza will be among those willing to promote our differences during calamities rather than our commonalities.