As a woman of colour adopted by Caucasian parents, race and racism have always been a factor in my life. Racism in every day language is something that I am becoming more tuned in to.
Some people want to believe that race should no longer be an issue that because people of colour are afforded the same opportunities as everyone (in reality this is not the case). However, the reality is race does matter and it should be discussed, acknowledged and steps should be taken to balance the power inequalities. Race is a social construct, and racism is a social disease. There is overt racism which is continually being addressed but there is another form of racism – one that is normalised, it has seeped into society and is continuously being perpetuated and not being challenged which is causes more damage to society than overt racism. I particularly agreed with Love Isn’t Enough contributor Renee’s comments about “when children go to school and learn that white people are the only ones who did anything historically important, how is that not actively teaching children racism? When children turn on the television and see that white people are everywhere, whereas; people of colour are relegated to specific roles that are necessarily degrading, how is that not actively teaching them racism? When parents actively have to struggle to find books that have good representations of people of colour, how is that not affirming racism?”
And I would like to add, when the media is trying to be more representative of the general demographic population they are accused of be tokenistic rather than just accepting that this is how it really should be. Publicity campaigns which depict a diverse group of people who are different shades of brown and peach are mocked for trying to be “politically correct” – how is this attitude not perpetuating racism? Illustrating that it is not normal for media representations to be diverse. The fact that many people are ignorant to this type of subtle racism that is constantly going unchallenged is evidence that society is not post- racist. Ignorance is not a valid excuse, we all need to open our eyes and support rather than patronise those who are trying to make changes.
My mother made a effort not only to provide us with books with drawings of beautiful children of colour and black dolls but also when I grew up she and I had (and still do) lengthy discussions about how Western society is “white washed”. I fully believe she embodies an “Anti-Oppressive Parent” and I hope to follow in her footsteps. One strong example that she told me is the use of the word “dark” to describe a sinister and evil things and a foreboding atmosphere. It is often used in literature, the media and every day speech. I was taught to use “dark” in my English class to analyse poetry, I blindly subscribed to this norm, comparing “dark” imagery depicting sinister and evil things and a foreboding atmosphere with “light” imagery signifying purity and blissfulness. When discussing poetry with my mother, she vehemently argued that “dark” to represent a foreboding atmosphere was yet another example of pervasive racism which is glossed over by society by people naively believing that “dark” and “light” comparisons are simply referring to night and day and the night is considered to be scary, when in reality – using “dark” with all its negative connotations is an example of racism against people of colour. I would really welcome your thoughts on this issue. Also can anyone highlight other examples of common day language which is in fact racist and oppressive?
-Anonymous
From co-editor Sarah:
I wholeheartedly agree that there is racism in everyday language and we should guard against it. I immediately thought of a few more examples of racism in everyday language: black sheep are the outcasts or odd ones out in a group (because white sheep are the ‘good sheep’ or the ‘normal sheep,’ of course), white lies are better than plain old lies (because if you call something ‘white’ that automatically makes it less upsetting, I guess), black magic is the worst kind of magic (I suppose that would make white magic the harmless, fairy variety). And I’m sure there are so many more. This is just off the top of my head. However, I’m not sure if I feel that “dark” and “light” are examples of racism in language. Although, I agree there is a negative connotation with “dark,” I did always think of it as associated with night and the inability to see what is around you, which can be frightening and disorienting. That’s just my personal opinion, though, and I’m open to the thoughts of others on the issue.
Readers, co-editors, what do you say?
-Sarah
This is tricky for a word-nerd like me, because it gets into the issue of a word’s origin versus possible ways it could be understood now. The dark/light example, for instance: I have trouble believing the use this author refers to has as its origin anything about skin — day/night seems much more likely — but I am willing to admit the possibility that the connotation has slipped in such a way to encompass skin…maybe. This seems akin to the “niggardly” problem — here is a word that has NOTHING to do with the slur it sounds like, in neither meaning nor derivation, and yet good luck using it without at best completely distracting your audience from your point about stinginess. (I’m afraid I’m with Julian Bond on this one, who, following a scandal about this word suggested that the mayor in trouble for using it buy his staff dictionaries as needed.)
For an example of the opposite phenomenon — words losing their meanings and becoming (supposedly) less offensive — see the author’s use of “sinister.” (It means “left,” and as such is part of the old belief that left-handed people were suspect or even evil.)
The word usages that bug me — about race, gender, sexuality — are the adjectives used only when the race, gender, or sexuality is supposedly surprising (read: wrong). Woman taxi driver. Gay marriage. Black doctor. A woman driving a taxi is unusual and perhaps even worth mentioning as such; it’s the adjective bit that gets me, for some reason, as if she isn’t really a full taxi driver, but a modified one.
Picture the yin and yang symbol
Light and dark
Swirling around one another
With a small bit of each
At the center of the other
It’s not perfect
But the two are in balance
(Even here
One is sometimes associated with evil
But) mostly both are valued
I think the conception of darkness we hold is a deep underpinning of racism. Starhawk talks about this in Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics. On page 21 she writes:
Light is idealized and dark is devalued in the story that permeates our culture. The war of dark and light is the metaphor that perpetuates racism.
There’s a lot more there, but I can’t find the best part. She has lots of connections to darkness that I find appealing:
Seeds grow in the velvet dark
As do babies
Dark is a quieter, restful, growing time
If we think of darkness and light as associated with our subconscious (or perhaps right brain, and creative thought) and lightness as associated with our conscious thought (or left brain, linear thought), that doesn’t privilege one as better. Both are needed. We still shouldn’t essentialize the difference by acting like people’s skin will determine which they’ll connect with.
I have a party to celebrate the winter solstice each year, and I ask people to say something they love about darkness.
Yes, I agree with your anonymous writer, light and dark are used in racist ways, and it goes deep. I’m not comfortable telling people that when they use the words this way, though, because the change is so hard. However, I hope I am teaching my son to notice the effects of language like this. (I am white, he is Black and Latino.)
Thank you for sharing this.
Namaste.
While I’ll agree that light and dark are often used in racist ways these days, I think it’s incredibly unlikely that the human association of dark with the unknown and danger has its roots in race.
According to an online etymological dictionary, “dark” wasn’t even applied to colors until the 16th century (and I assume that it’s a very old word). Seems about a thousand times more likely to be associated with the danger of being a diurnal animal without night vision or natural defenses…
I agree with the comments above. The word usage that is most problematic are the words “black” and “white” and using them to describe people, not the words “dark” and “light” and using them to describe moods, feelings, conditions, situations. “Black” and “white” are so far from what is truly being described, given the non-specificity those words actually capture. Now when Disney combines “dark” characters with voices that are obviously an English vernacular commonly associated with people that we have socially ascribed “Black” – then you have a problem.
I wasn’t sure about the origin of black sheep, so I looked it up (note: “black sheep” also connotates worthlessness)
- http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/66250.html
I’m pretty sure that has racist connotations, especially because it contradicts the idea of black sheep as good omens. It wasn’t until 1938 that someone decided black sheep are bad (the first record of “black sheep” to mean worthless is in the 1700s, well before that).
It wouldn’t surprise me if dark v light didn’t originally have racist ideas- especially back when darkness and lightness wasn’t as much a choice as it is today. Not only did danger lurk in darkness- you also couldn’t get as much work done when it’s dark because of limited light. But it certainly has developed otherwise.
It also might be a bit ablist, as there are people who are more comfortable in darkness due to light sensitivity of some sort. Phrases like “living in darkness” are seen as negative, even though that’s how some people are most comfortable.
i tend to agree with comments #1 and #3 that the origins of the associations of “dark” with “evil” most definitely have more to do with fear of night than racism, but it’s kind of a moot point in the here and now. last night my three-year-ld son, during the usual bedtime battles, said “i don’t like dark people brushing my teeth” (i am white, his father is brown – mother black, father white – and our son’s skin is the same as mine). is this because hy husband is more “tough cop” than i am about toothbrushing and our son is extrapolating that to all people that look like daddy? or is it to do with watching “the neverending story” which had a “creature from the dark” and has nothing to do with my husband’s skin colour at all? trying to navigate the minefield (without turning it into and issue he is afraid to bring up with us) is tricky…
Regardless of the origins of the light/dark distinction, I do think that the constant negative use of dark/darkness/black/shadowy/etc. outside of a race context does exacerbate racism. I mean, when you can describe someone as having a “black heart,” and mean that they’re evil, and in the same sentence, say that someone’s Black? There isn’t a lot of pro-black/dark/darkness language out there, that flips this paradigm.
I’m in agreement with those who land on the side of dark/light imagery coming from night/day sources. That is not to say that the imagery isn’t co-opted by racists for further negative insinuations.
I found this article interesting in talking about language shaping worldviews: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703467304575383131592767868.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook
One thing I like about budgets is the fact that when you’re doing well, you’re “in the black”.
I identify with the author; that racism is often times overt. And in many cases, in lieu of ‘dealing’ with racism, some of other colors ‘pretend’ that it doesn’t exist. In particular, when it has to do with the racial identity of the black child. The hair care, body configuration, and level of social awareness for these children is different than those of other children; and they realize this at an early age. Langston Hughes’ last book ‘Black Misery’ categorized this sentiment perfectly. What happens when black little girls realize that the white hair care curler doesn’t work on their hair..and why. It’s the first time that children realize overt racism. There have been other books such as “I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla”; as well to state that children seen race in shades and flavors-like ice cream. I somewhat agree with the aspect of ‘the dark’ being attached to a negative connotation of black people. I think that initially our ancestors were always scared of night, and the darkness. So..when uneducated people saw black persons, they started to assoc. us also with dark matter. But, when people such as the Dalai Lama state that ‘He is scared of the dark’, that he is referring to only the dark matter. However; it is true, that ‘Dark’ could be the opposite of ‘Light’, such as in the worship Indian Goddess-’Black Kali’.
But, back to my point. I am a single mother, and adoptive parent. My child was adopted from the West Coast, and his hair shows signs of either Caribbean or Indian descent. I am an Asiatic light skinned black woman, and I am sure that sometimes those that are less educated may think that it appears juxtasuposed. So, I know how you feel to a certain extent. Race does matter; as I am also an African American activist. However; it is helpful when you are raised within a strong black community, that respects the differences within our culture. I would have to say (as a fellow blogger), and friend- that it is a struggle for many who have been adopted into the situation that this young lady was; to even identify with the black community at all. They are often taught almost immediately to deny their own cultural heritage. So, I am quite proud of her. It takes courage to whether the storm. It seems that their is a wealth of knowledge that black women can still bring to the table. Kudos to you. I commend you for being one of few that are able to both admit, and confront the truth. It is enlightening. Thank you.