Comments on: International Blog Against Racism Week

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:32:16 +0000

Thanks, David. I’m also trying to confront the fact that I’m intensely uncomfortable making these posts and attempting to understand what that means.

By: David Anthony Durham

David Anthony Durham — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:14:13 +0000

Colleen,

We really have to catch up. Scotland would be treating me fine, I’m sure, if I were there. I’m not, though! Instead, I’m happily in Western MA, out in the woods, with a happy family!

By: Colleen Lindsay

Colleen Lindsay — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:08:56 +0000

Hi David!

How’s Scotland treating you??? =)

No, I dropped out of high school to get a job to help my parents pay the rent. So did my brothers. I don’t really feel like I missed anything, though. High school is kind of overrated if you already have a brain in your head. =)

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:05:47 +0000

Yes, when I read that article I recommended, I was staggered by how many things I take for granted.

By: David Anthony Durham

David Anthony Durham — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:55:23 +0000

Mary,

Nicely worded. Truth is, class or not, dressed down or not, I absolutely consider my race again and again and again throughout the day, in basically every interaction I have. It would be nice not to, but then again it’s a part of how I function successfully in this world.

Colleen,

You didn’t graduate from high school? Clear evidence that high school is overrated, considering that you’re one of the smartest, sharpest people I know…

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:06:27 +0000

I don’t deny that class discrimination exists, but that does not alleviate the biases that someone of color faces. To put another way, if your hand gets slammed in a door, it doesn’t hurt any less when mine does, too.

By: Judy Bemis

Judy Bemis — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:52:10 +0000

I was talking to a black woman about 6 months ago, who said she had to think about the size of her handbag every time she left the house to go shopping. I hadn’t previously thought about that being an issue.

By: Colleen Lindsay

Colleen Lindsay — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:34:46 +0000

My bags get checked every month at subway stations and I am as white as they come. I also get followed around some stores by security guards if I am dressed down. And because I did not graduate from high school or go to college, people ARE surprised I’m literate. =)

Class has as much to do with this as race. Speaking as someone who came from extreme poverty. I experienced many of the same prejudices as a child. It didn’t matter what color my skin was. I was poor and that’s all anyone saw. And being poor makes you a target.