.
Most people are "blessed" with interesting days. Sometimes I think that due to my identity, sometimes my days are exceptionally interesting. Today is a good example.
I decided to take the kids to the zoo before the weather gets too cold. Today was perfect because there was a group meeting of mothers there that I wanted to check out. So we all got dressed up, I dealt with all the fighting, gave them what to eat and off we went.
Lucky for me, right at the bus stop there was a cab with a friendly driver just sitting there. In true Israeli style, everyone who had been standing at the bus stop tried to get involved in helping me. One bubbie /grandmotherly lady offered to help with the baby, another guy tried to explain to the cabby how to close up the stroller, another was hollering at the cabby for not helping more. Oy! okay. We're in and off we go to the zoo.
So far so good. Until we get to the monkey section. The zoo was mostly empty save a family who was video taping their daughter's glee at the animals, and a Jewish man with his son. The man and son seemed a bit distant with each other. Strained. I automatically presumed a divorce case and it was his turn with the kid. While my kids were looking at the swinging monkeys the man says to his son in Hebrew, "look at those monkeys, like black folks eh?"
I was shocked. I don't know how much Hebrew my kids understand, but I was upset. That's putting it mildly. What a public embarrassment. So I spat at him and moved away with my brode.
My kids got nervous about my actions and wanted to know why I spat at the man. I was glad about that: that meant they either didn't hear or didn't understand. However, I couldn't tell them. I just said he was teaching his son bad behavior. As I recall the poor son just stood there with his head hanging down. At his tender age of about 5, he understood the obnoxiousness of his father. Too sad.
Although I was still reeling, I put on a happy face and continued our excursion so the kids will relax. Finally we got to the zoo playground and the kids played happily. I got anxious when I saw a group heading our way. It was a school of Arab children taking a trip to the zoo. What now, I thought. What new insult to bear today?
When the loud, boisterous children got to the playground it was a sight to see. Children everywhere, up on the slide, swinging on the swing, climbing bars, running on bridges, very nice. A little crowd gathered around me and a little girl asked, "what is the name of your baby?" I told her. Then she said, "what is your name?" I answered. We both smiled at each other and she ran off to play.
I finally was able to round my own kids up and told them its time to go. They really wanted to go on a slide so I backed down and let them go once. They were quite small for the slide but lots of the Arab children took my kids and gently helped them across the play bridge and down the slide. Wasn't that the sweetest?!
Then we were leaving. On our way down the grassy hill, one of my daughters started rolling down the grass. Before I knew it, many of the other children from the school came rolling down as well. It was so beautiful how they wanted to interact. Had I had more time....
Anyway, so we finally got home. The kids with their new animal toys forgot about the incident after they told Mr. Blackfirewhitefire that mama spat on someone, of course. LOL!
But days like these just leaving me wondering, how in the world can outside people judge and hate one or hate another. Those who are too emotional about the middle east situation, I think, are harboring a hatred they don't want to admit to. We are all human and want to be happy and live our lives. Those who want to fix things in the middle east are welcomed by me. Haters stay back.
8 comments:
It's not so much hate as dehumanization. I don't think that father woke up in the morning intending to hate anyone. For him to say something like that, and to say it in your presence, it has to be a thought process so deeply ingrained in him he doesn't even give it a second thought.
Obviously, there has to be hatred when it comes to the professional racists--the members of white supremacist groups and the like. But even those folks have something in common with the casual bigots. I have occasionally gone to neo-Nazi websites. I can't stay on those sites for very long before my stomach gives way, but I do have a strange fascination with what I read there.
I had to ask myself why. And I came to the following conclusion: I get an odd, almost cathartic feeling reading the views of people who passionately believe that my entire existence as a human being is invalid. No matter what I do, I'm still a Jew, and nothing I do or say can change that. Therefore, if Jews are the epitome of evil, then I'm evil by default, just from the mere fact of my birth.
There isn't a damn thing I can do about it. My whole life, I've been Jewish, and most of the people I grew up with are Jewish. Thus, it's strange to contemplate the mindset of those who think there's something intrinsically wrong with being Jewish.
I can dismiss other kinds of crackpots more easily. If someone thinks the moon landings were faked, I can comfortably dismiss that view as hogwash. Even though I may occasionally have some smidgen of doubt--what if those guys are right, after all?--it doesn't matter. But I cannot have that smidgen of doubt with professional anti-Semites, because it would invalidate my whole life, everything about who I am.
I almost want to ask the racists, what is it you want blacks, or Jews, or any other group you disrespect, to do? Kill themselves? Say, "Enslave me"? No matter how much a person tries to dehumanize other groups, members of those groups are still human beings, with feelings and a life and will of their own, and a desire to live in peace and happiness just like everyone else.
That's why it's so astonishing when I see regular, ordinary people who are unabashed racists. Those people haven't had an ounce of reflection. They haven't asked themselves, what if I were born to the group I despise? Isn't it fortunate that I just happen to be one of the superior race? The temptation to be racist crumbles just by applying the Golden Rule at the group level.
It's especially surprising to hear this kind of thing from Jews or blacks. It suggests a cocooning. They haven't made the connection between anti-Semitism and anti-black persecution. Jews who think this way probably figure that anti-Semitism consists of nothing more than folk tales, like the claim that Jews are bloodthirsty, hook-nosed money-grubbers. But the Scary Black Man is real enough--all they have to do to prove it is visit any American big city.
The black anti-Semites, on the other hand, think that the disparaging images of thick-lipped, blubbering Negros are pure fantasy. But, they reason, Jews really do have inordinate control over the banks and the media and Hollywood and politics, and that control is not always used for good.
At least that's how the American varieties of racism and anti-Semitism work. I don't know how it is in Israel, where, I've been told, there is even racism between Ashkenazim and Sephardim, which is a little like the Jewish version of the "brown paper bag" phenomenon among African Americans. As a Jew in 21st century America, I have had relatively few direct encounters with anti-Jewish bigotry. But I've examined the issue enough that I find this sort of thing unfathomable, even when it's staring me in the face from a seemingly "regular" person.
What a bittersweet story!
Re the Jewish idiot (I mean, seriously, what else can he be??): What a jerk - good for you! I never get where anyone, especially Jews, come off being racist!
Anyway - sounds like the kids had fun! How DO you do it with the little one?? Hats off to you!
:-)
Just think: you got to hear his thoughts, his true feelings, hiding behind a language he didn't think you knew.
Your attacker was arrogant on several accounts: he underestimated your knowledge, felt comfortable enough to insult you, and your children, and didn't properly weigh the civility of his own actions.
A person that careless had to be missing a tooth or two.
Kylopod - Hi. In Israel with the Ashkenazim and Sephardim its a bit different. But it does effect the school system, the neighborhood one chooses to live in. One big tiresome problem that needs resolution QUICK. I feel like our national security is dependent upon our "togetherness".
But its not even brown paper bag, because, if someone is blond and blue eyed but carries the name, say, "Joseph" as a last name. He's suspect and can get called "cushie" as well.
(the problem w/the schools is that since Sephardim don't distinguish between whos "orthodox" "conservative" or "reform" all sephardim are welcomed in the school. But that makes the shtarker crowd nervous. So then they try to put their kids in Ashkenazi schools who then seem to have a problem w/that. Not enough space maybe? Too different hashkofa -like Ashkenazim can't tell how "religious" a family is because they have different standards like not covering the hair with a shaytel but with a scarf. The whole garb is different. etc)
Tr8erGirl - Hey. Bittersweet is true. I didn't even know how to feel by the end of the day.
With the little ones, hmmmm, I honestly don't know! lol
Domino - I feel bad for his son. He seemed aware of the wrong that was taking place.
re: missing a tooth. LOL
Well, this in-group racism among Jews may not be as appearance-based as it is among blacks, but there are close parallels. If the Ashkenazim call those blonde kids "cushi," we know what they're implying.
The most bizarre story I ever heard concerning this sort of thing was about Ethiopian Jews who had negative views of blacks. They didn't consider themselves black, but "red."
In his book White Lies, Maurice Berger talks about how his olive-skinned, Sephardi mother's prejudice against black people bordered on self-loathing, since it was tied into her whole feeling that a blonde or light complexion was superior.
I am not too versed of the ins and outs of Middle East classism.
I do not that the region has been gripped with religious intolerance and separatism for centuries.
Kofi Bofah - The middle east situation is definitely a very complicated situation. And the one who had a big hand in it all, Britain, is safe and sound while others are trying to figure it all out.
Wow it's so hard trying to not knock the crap out of people! You have every right to be angry. We still have to navigate our way through this world though. That's a hard lesson for me as well. I've quit jobs where I've had racist/bigoted bosses but then I realize I may never keep steady employment!
Post a Comment