IMO, other than both of them using social media to voice their opinions, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. They are polar opposites, and not just in race and color. (Which are two different things, for those who don't know, but I'll leave that for another time.)
I'm on a bit of a rant here; I read something on a site that I enjoy reading (XOJane), and the person hit the nail right on the head (IMO) on the topic; it's some of the comments that have me breathing hard and ready to spit though! Some of the writers definitely (again, IMO) need to wake up!
I've been accused of being 'rebellious', 'a troublemaker', someone who is 'always dissecting the things people do', and many other terms and phrases that all mean the same thing: I don't like bullshit, especially when it comes from those who use it to their own slimy ends. You know what I mean, like the smarmy elementary school teacher who says to a black child's mother "I notice that little Jeremiah wears that same t-shirt a lot, so I thought I would mention to you that I am part of a ministry in my church that gathers donations of clothing and gives them out to those who might need them." all the while holding in her hands several shirts that are A. Obviously too small; B. Obviously torn; or C. Obviously for a girl!
Now, I'm not saying that the woman is wrong exactly; in her head she is doing something nice for someone who is in need. I can't fault a person for that. What I can fault a person for though is not taking the time to think that there could be other reasons why this child comes to school in one particular T-shirt more often than any other. Let's see... A. It has a favorite character on it that the child likes. B. A favorite relative gave it to him so he likes to wear it. C. The child has more than one of that same T-shirt because he likes it so much and it's the easiest thing to get him into in the morning. I guess they are all variations on the same theme, but none of them have anything to do with whether or not the child has enough suitable clothing to get through a week wearing that piece of clothing! For the teacher to assume that because the family is black they are in need of cast-offs from strangers is highly insulting to me, and while I would not 'go off' on the teacher she would probably walk away feeling as if I had!
Okay, if you're wondering what all that has to do with anything, it was to tell you why I found this debate on XOJane so interesting. Pia Glenn is the author of a post in which she condemns Leigh Anne Tuohy (who you may or may not know is the real-life wife in the white couple who adopted a young black man that later became "a successful NFL offensive tackle" (Pia Glenn, Leigh Anne Tuohy's Latest White Savior Act) Personally, I happen to agree with her. This Great White Savior attitude that a lot of people have is old, and it's tired. (Just like the "Some of my best friends are black" bullshit.) So, you went over and badgered two young black men into telling you what they were talking about, and then you magnamimously <snicker> gave them three whole dollars to go to a basketball game; SO WHAT??? You obviously didn't do it to help out two young people in need, you did it so that you could post on Instagram how tolerant of others you are, and how you "Don't judge a book by its cover or however you'd like to express the sentiment" (Leigh Anne Tuohy, Instagram, from Leigh Anne Tuohy's Latest White Savior Act) One thing that I do wonder, if it was her friend (and not Tuohy herself) that had the bad attitude, what did she think going over there and posting all over social media about it would accomplish? What did the 'friend' think about the whole thing? Seems to me it would have been more impressive if Tuohy had had the guys come over to where she and her friend were, and then had the conversation! Or was she perhaps subconsciously leaving herself an 'out', so that if her friend was right and the young men were "up to no good", Tuohy wouldn't have to hear "I told you so."? (Of course I don't personally know that it did not happen that way; I did not see the original narrative on any social media outlet, I am only going on what I read in the article I am discussing here. YMMV) All I'm saying is that to me, just as to the author Pia Glenn, what Tuohy did was extremely offensive, and more white people need to be aware that, while they may be doing something from the goodness of their hearts, it doesn't always come out that way. Take my earlier example of the grammar school teacher. If she'd known the family and known what their circumstances were, and had seen that the child did not appear to have more than one or two outfits, she could have given the mother a gift certificate to a kid's clothing store as a prize for something the child has done. (Helping the teacher, a good score on a paper, etc. To go to a person whose home life you don't know anything about, and offer something obviously cast off because you think they're in need and would be grateful for it can get you seriously hurt in today's society, regardless of how good your intentions are.
I don't think I'm racist, though some may disagree, and I don't believe I have an attitude problem. Neither does Pia Glenn, or any of the however many blacks there are today who believe in the existence of The "White Savior Syndrome". There ARE those people who are always going to feel a sense of superiority over those whose skin is darker than theirs, and they will have that feeling as long as there exists in this society the divide that we now have. As long as people can turn on the news everyday and hear about another innocent black child being killed, as long as the national news will run a story everyday for weeks about JonBenet Ramsey but never run a word about Shelbi Lawan Evans (see? I bet you said who? just as I did!) or any of the thousands of other missing black POC, as long as things remain the status quo and we sit back and accept it ("well, it's better than where we were") it's going to continue.
End of rant.
Here's the link to what started me on it in the first place.
Leigh Ann Tuohy's Latest White Savior Act Isn't So Great by Pia Glenn on XOJane
And folks please remember, the opinions contained on this blog are the opinions of the author, who is in no way connected with Pia Glenn, XOJane (other than being a reader) or of Blogger. YMMV.
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