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6/14/2004
Breaking the Minority Mentality
Every now and then, it strikes me how warped our perception of race and ethnicity is in this country. Here we call people of color "minorities" when in actuality the application of that term ceases to be true in the United States. From a larger perspective however, I often wonder how it is that others call me a "minority" when the majority of the rest of the world has melanin closer to my shade. Granted, it's often hard to see past our own borders. We're all guilty of tunnel vision on some level. I've had the awesome privilege of traveling quite extensively out of the country and it has certainly changed my perspective greatly.
All of my siblings and I have been to Africa at some point in our lives. As a "rite-of-passage" on our thirteenth birthdays, my parents took us on a trip to an African country. I chose Ghana. I'd always grown up with many friends who had Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, so I understood the importance of the "rite-of-passage concept". In fact, I think this is something we lack greatly in the body of Christ. My parents wanted to expose us to the reality that there were many people around the world who looked just like us, and were important contributing members of society. Traveling was also an opportunity to expose us to the "God of the nations". My biggest admonision for international travel is to see the expansiveness and diversity of God's people. To recognize that God wasn't "American" radically changed my life. In fact, it was on a trip to Zimbabwe when I was sixteen that I had my life powerfully transformed by the Holy Spirit. Although our society would put a label on me, one of the biggest and best gifts my parents ever gave me was to show me that I was no minority.
The "minority" mentality is one that has plagued many here in the US. It's the mentality that thinks they are alone in their situation; that they need handouts from the government. It's the mentality that doesn't believe in the ability to rise past adversity. It's a mentality that is causing more detriment to our society than ever imagined. The "minority mentality" is not one just held by certain people of color, but there are white people who have also succumbed to the "I am a product of my environment" philosophy. We have all heard the excuses many times, "We were poor" or "I came from a broken home" or "My neighborhood was racist". Meanwhile, the average immigrant sees the potential in this country and comes here to rise past "adversity" to owning their own businesses, graduating from top schools, and establishing a family legacy. People who are not born in America can recognize what's possible in a country with so much opportunity. So what's our excuse? The truth is, there is none. Without a vision the people perish or self-destruct. America is the land of the free and the home of the blame. Here we litigate everything from spilled coffee on a lap to emancipating kids from their parents. One would think Americans originated the "blame somebody else" mentality since we will do anything to shift the blame and not take personal responsibility.
This "virtual" sense of "isolation" really serves no other purpose except to be an excuse for lack of productivity. If people can convince themselves that they have it "worse" than every other person in the hemisphere, then they can talk themselves out of any success in life. So what happens when two kids who grew up in the same poor neighborhood end up at opposite ends of the spectrum in life? When one kid becomes successful and the other remains destitute, where does the fault lie? Circumstances cannot override personal choice. The person who chooses to break out of whatever limitations may have been placed on them will always be successful. Everyone has within them the capacity to break out, however our system has successfully warped the minds of so many people to think it is impossible. This is the real oppression against which we should be fighting. This is the mental bondage that has kept people thinking there is nothing greater for them in this life.
posted by ambra at 6/14/2004 12:31:17 AM | link to this entry |
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