Thursday, June 24, 2021

An example of racism, or an example of poor assumptions?

 Disturbing and disturbed.


I am fully on board with recognizing the injustices of the past, but are there cases where we have gone TOO FAR in calling something an injustice? Or calling something racism?


Here is why I am posting this:


Watched an episode of New Amsterdam the other night and one scene disturbed me.


My common law wife found the scene acceptable so we had a discussion (debate even) about it.


One of the doctors mentioned traveling on a subway and was perturbed when a white male chastised a black mother because her child was causing a ruckus and disturbing the other passengers.


This doctor - who is white - felt that if his young daughter had made the same ruckus the white male wouldn't have said anything, therefore CONCLUDED that the white male was a racist - and actually called him that.


I was thinking WTF? I may have told the parent off as well if their child was disturbing other passengers or causing a scene, and I wouldn't have done it because of color either.


Two things bothered me about this scene:


The automatic assumption that the white male was racist, while at the same time, painting (unintentionally - hence bad script writing) children of black mothers as disruptive. Talk about stereotyping.


Was the doctor right though? Are white people more prone to chastise a black parent than a white parent? OR is this an example of where a fictional TV drama wanted to write something about injustice towards blacks, and completely FLUBBED IT?


Your thoughts?

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