I suppose I get especially exasperated with folks who fixate on symbols to the exclusion of more pressing material matters as they relate to race.
I remember talking with a Black psychologist many years ago who offered that Black folks' focus on the battle flag showed an unhealthy reliance on other people's views and opinions rather than a healthy and rational assessment -- a clear-eyed view -- of one's own.
"If somebody says you're a rat does that make you a rat? No."
I've held on to that lesson over the years, and while I supported efforts to take down the flag from the State Capitol, I never lost sight that the flag did nothing to define me.
I pushed because I believed it materially was retarding state growth and was being used by the powerful to divert attention away from their chicanery by promoting divisive ruckus.
I know many are committed to the galvanizing power of symbols -- and I don't believe there's any doubting that. But I prefer substance over signage.
No comments:
Post a Comment