THE DEEPER MEANING OF “INEXEPERIENCED”
Oh, for heaven’s sake! Five days to go and the McCain campaign is still pushing the inexperienced, “not ready to lead” angle. But really, we all know what that means. They’ve been trying that argument since the first day someone thought perhaps slavery wasn’t such a good idea, and time and again it’s worked: with emancipation, voting rights, the military, educational opportunities and the corporate world. Not just white people have fallen for it, sadly, a lot of black people have too over the years, so you can imagine how even today those ads and speeches are playing with voters’ subconscious feelings.
Believe me, having spent my entire life as a poster child for integration, yet consistently having my capabilities questioned, I, unlike many in the media, am not surprised. Several parents of color have told me about how shocked other parents – and sometimes teachers – can be to see how bright a brown-skinned child is. Some have gone so far as to ask flat out how he or she managed to get into such an academically challenging school. As much as I have heard about how smart my daughter’s classmates are, I have yet to hear someone say the same about my child. She’s funny, lively, talented and oh so articulate, but never actually intelligent. Does this happen to you?
Believe me, having spent my entire life as a poster child for integration, yet consistently having my capabilities questioned, I, unlike many in the media, am not surprised. Several parents of color have told me about how shocked other parents – and sometimes teachers – can be to see how bright a brown-skinned child is. Some have gone so far as to ask flat out how he or she managed to get into such an academically challenging school. As much as I have heard about how smart my daughter’s classmates are, I have yet to hear someone say the same about my child. She’s funny, lively, talented and oh so articulate, but never actually intelligent. Does this happen to you?
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