You grew up somewhere. Your family came from somewhere. I don’t know where, as every person who reads this is likely to have a different answer. But, if i was a betting man, I’d say that there is a high probability that you enjoy food that comes from where you ‘grew up.’
I personally was raised in Memphis, TN. Accordingly, there are certain foods that I happen to particularly enjoy. For example, I love a good pulled pork BBQ sandwich. And, it’s not just the sandwich. It has to have a particular style of BBQ sauce on it, which typically derives from an apple cider vinegar blend. I also enjoy black eyed peas, and a relish that we refer to in the South as Chow Chow, which is basically a spicy pepper based relish used to top off one’s peas. If you’re from Memphis, you know what I’m talking about.
If you’re from Texas you probably prefer your BBQ to be beef not pork. And, if you’re from the Carolinas you probably prefer a mustard based BBQ sauce… but really there is no telling for sure, as every location has its own nuances… and that’s just when it comes to BBQ.
This predilection for food often extends beyond just casual interest. As I’ve lived all over America, one thing I’ve noticed is that people are very serious about “their” food. I’ve also noticed that people always believe that their food is the best. If you ask me what the best type of BBQ is, my answer will look exactly like my description outlined above. This is the nature of preferences. We all have preferences and because our preferences are by definition what we prefer, to us our preferences are the best among possible options. This isn’t rocket science; it is glaringly obvious.
Let’s be honest, we all like what is familiar… what’s comfortable. We like our food the way mom or grandmom used to make it. No one is surprised by this. Since living in South Florida I’ve had the opportunity to meet a great many people from Latin America and the Islands. When I listen to them arguing over whether Cuban food is better than Colombian food, or whether Jamaican food is better than Haitian food, I imagine it must be a similar experience to them when they hear Southerners arguing over BBQ. After all, isn’t it all just the same thing? NO!!! It isn’t, and we’re all passionate about our opinions when it comes to our own preferences.
Similar to food, preferences extend to other aspects of culture as well whether it be art, entertainment, fashion, or beliefs. While I spent my childhood in the South, I spent my teenage years living up north in Michigan. My father, to this day, is a huge fan of The University of Michigan’s football team. Even though I rarely have time to watch sports these days, I too still cheer for the Wolverines. I always will. It is somehow ingrained in me. So much so, that when I find out a professional player is a graduate of the school I became an immediate fan. “He’s a Wolverine. Of course I like him!”
This is actually quite peculiar when one considers it. This is a person I’ve never met, I never will meet, and has no real bearing on my life. But, regardless of all these facts I will still cheer for him and feel an undeniable yet completely unwarranted connection with this individual. When I first got wind of some of the scandals surround the New England Patriots and their all American quarterback Tom Brady, I was quick to dismiss them. “So they’re using cameras to read other teams signals,” sounds smart to me. “So the balls weren’t properly inflated,” they're job is to find a way to win… it’s the referee's job to check the balls, etc. etc.” But, you see Brady is a Wolverine, or at least he was… so in my mind he always will be. Therefore in my weird and unfairly biased brain, he can do no wrong. After all, he made the decision to play at The U of M! Clear his decision making skills are top notch.
Would I have been so forgiving if the team in question had a star player who graduated from Ohio State? NO! Absolutely not! In fact, that would just give me more reason to hate the player and the Buckeyes!
If you’re from Ohio or Michigan you may be chuckling to yourself right now… unless you’re a Spartan fan (Michigan State)… but that’s a different story…
The point being we all understand a person’s innate preferences when it comes to food, or art, or footballs players despite how irrational these preferences are upon further reflection.
Where we all get into trouble though is when it comes to race.
Uh oh… that’s right. I just used the “R” word. You see, when it comes to race people think they have an innate ability to transcend their natures, to see beyond their biases, and to think clearly. Because God knows… they aren’t racist!
It’s funny, I’ve never met a person whose claimed to be a racist; yet, racism clearly exists. Somehow this equation doesn’t add up.
You see, no one wants to be labeled a racist and that’s a wonderful thing. The problem is people are racist whether they want to be labeled it or not. No one likes being called a liar, a thief, a rat, or an idiot either. That however doesn’t mean they aren’t one, per se. You see the term “racist” has appropriately gained a negative stimulus. But, that doesn’t mean human beings have changed. It simply means the way that we talk about things has changed. That’s an important difference.
Where we all miss the ball when it comes to race is by thinking that we as people don’t feel more comfortable and/or at ease with people we feel, whether correctly or incorrectly, that we have more in common with. If you throw two Michiganders in a room together they’re gonna discuss hunting, fishing, and football at some point in the evening, and they’re probably gonna have a great time doing it. They may have been total strangers before the discussion, but they are likely to feel an affinity towards one another for no other reason than where they both grew up. It’s the same when you get two Puerto Ricans together, or two Trinidadians, or two Brazilians… or any two people who grew up in similar places adhering to similar cultural values.
Would I go out of my way to chat with a random stranger if I found out he was from Oregon or New Mexico. Probably not, and not because there’s anything wrong with either of those places… I just don’t know much about them; I probably wouldn’t have much to say.
What if it came to hiring someone to work beside? What if I had to choose between someone from Michigan or California. “Well, I don’t know about the work ethic in California, but I can sure as hell tell you that up in the mitten (i.e. slang for Michigan) we teach people to work hard for their living!” What if if came to making judgment about someone allegedly committing a crime? Would I be more willing to listen to someone who looked like me, who talked like me, who grew up in the same neighborhood as me than someone I had nothing observable in common with? You see where I’m going with this. A person’s preferences tend to lean towards what is familiar and known… what they are comfortable with based on previous experiences. The first time my wife, who is of Haitian ethnicity, took me to a Haitian restaurant I was admittedly skeptical. “What am I eating. This looks weird?” Now I realize I love Haitian food & I eat it often, but that is because I’ve had positive experiences in the past. What if the first time I tried Haitian food I picked a really bad restaurant or had a negative experience, would I hate or dislike it? Oh no… I’ve just added another variable to an already complicated issue!
The problem we as Americans face is that we are willing to acknowledge our biases when it comes to everything but race. This doesn’t seem like a step forward; it seems like a step backward. Obviously, I’m NOT condoning racism. Yet, I do believe that the negative stimulus surrounding racial discussions has people unequipped to speak and quick to anger when their thoughts are labeled as racist. Racism is bigger than using the “N” word or allowing differing races into your community or social group. It can be as simple as thinking that the way “your people” do things is better than the way other people do things. More often than not, that’s how we feel when it comes to things as basic as food, isn’t it possible that the same feelings emerge when it comes to other aspects of living? These are things to consider.
I’m writing this blog because I want people to rethink how they think about race. As a white male I can tell you that there have been many many occasions where I’ve been interacting with “my people” and I’ve heard them make blatantly racist statements. They usually follow these statements by saying, “Oh, but I’m not a racist.” Clearly, there is a disconnect. When discussing the current racial issues in American law enforcement I often hear things like, “Well, look how many black men are in jail compared to white men… maybe they should stop committing crimes.” To be sure, no one should be committing crimes, but it seems that what never gets pondered is whether or not black men enjoy the same reservation of judgment as white men. When a white male teen is caught smoking marijuana he he’s viewed as ‘troubled.’ When a black teen is caught in the same act he is viewed as a thug or gangster. Who are you more likely to send to prison? A troubled teen, or a thug and gangster? See what I mean.
When rapper Dr. Dre released his debut album “The Chronic” he established himself as a “hardcore gangster.” Here was a man who was openly expressing his criminal behavior and drug use. The reputation Dr. Dre gained from this album , no doubt, cemented his place in the music mainstream. But, look how differently people responded to Tom Petty’s song “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” which came out two years later and is a song that like “The Chronic” openly encourages illegal drug use.
Correct me if wrong, but Petty did not receive any “street cred” for writing that song. He wasn’t viewed as a criminal or thug either. Why is it okay for Petty to use drugs and openly sing about them, but when Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg do it, it is immediately associated with criminal behavior. Is it possible that people view other criminal activities the same way? Or how about the Ben Affleck movie “The Town,” which came out a few years ago. It’s about a bunch of murdering criminals who rob banks and commit numerous other atrocities on screen; yet the audience cheers and reveres them for their clever escapes from law enforcement. Would audiences have responded the same way to the film if the all white lead cast was replaced with an all black one? Would white audiences enjoy watching a group of young black men commit crimes and evade the law?
I could go on for days listing examples like these and of course not every example is perfect as there are inevitably other variables than JUST race that shape our perceptions. But, I do think it is important for all of to start thinking different about race. Maybe in some small way this blog will help.
Thank you for reading.
