The popular trope, “in the bubble” has gained social media and political pundit status to describe voluntary encasement in a political ideology or racial finger pointing. Part of what a lot of the world does not understand is the imposition of monolithic ideology on people who look differently, speak differently or pray differently. During my life, I remember being asked by white people whenever a man of color committed a crime anywhere in my city, “did you know him?” Yesterday a horrific murder suspect committed suicide following the senseless massacre of a seemingly random 74-year-old man. Both the victim and the alleged killer were men of color, one young, one old.
I did something I seldom do and was quickly reminded why. I read the comment sections of a few publications and they were exploding with racially charged language like, “did Obama say the murderer looked like him?” and “Trump told you the Blacks are out of control.” A few weeks ago, a White man traveled from Maryland to New York with the express purpose of killing young black men https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/03/22/white-man-traveled-to-new-york-to-kill-black-men-and-make-a-statement-police-say/?utm_term=.04bcc181fb35. Except for those who may have lived in his neighborhood, I am sure random white men were not asked, “do you know him?” He was a dastardly murderer, crazed and depraved enough to stab an innocent 66-year-old black man to death. That is an example of not having an imposed monolithic cage closing in on you. He was not all white men, he was a white man. I have lived most of my life with the quizzical looks that come your way when a horrible crime is committed by a member of my racial group.
I am sure this is true for Muslims, Hispanics, Asians and any other group that has suffered the sting of collective blame. September 11th, 2001 changed the perception of Muslims in America forever. The tragic murder of Kate Steinle became a talking point during the 2016 Presidential campaign. It was used to posture the absurd point of the dangerous undocumented Mexicans being rapist and murders. The Virginia Tech murders were used to bludgeon the Asian community. America spent decades stereotyping the Asian community with white men in “yellow face.” Ashamedly I laughed at Peter Sellers’ Asian characterization along with amusing myself with Warner Oland, Sidney Toler and Peter Ustinov as Charlie Chan in the movies, with his black sidekick who frequently was named after a southern town.
A lot of you are saying, well that was a long time ago, but Dr. David Dao was dragged off an airplane plane just days ago. Michelle Obama was called an ape in heels, just weeks prior to the 2016 election and hate crimes against the Islamic community rose 67% between 2014 and 2015 http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/us/fbi-hate-crime-report-muslims/index.html. We are not all the same but lots of anecdotal and practical evidence exist of this one-way monolith. I am a black man who has been told all my life, do not be angry at atrocious acts toward you, but adopt the faults, like a child, of anyone who looks like you. Men and women, of my age, remember being told when you entered a store, keep your hands in plain sight, keep your head down, don’t argue with a cop, right or wrong, it could, “get you shot!” Being seen as all the same makes you melt into the landscape of life, bare of leaves to shield your eyes from the glare of discrimination. You just stand rooted as strong as you can and squint in anger.