Does Privilege Really Have a Color?

Psst! The truth is that unconsciously (or even blatantly) rude, stupid, ignorant people come from everywhere, and are therefore, quite naturally, affiliated with every single so-called "race," color, sex, religion, anti-religion, and human tribe on Earth. Duh.

You see... I myself was born and raised in a state that (although it may not technically be part of "the South") WAS a slave holding state (from 1821 to 1865), and was, in fact, claimed by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861-65.

Yet, perhaps conversely, I also know just exactly how nice, polite and friendly "hillbillies" and "rednecks" really can be in the American South. That's why, in most cases, I actually prefer American southerners to American northerners! Hands down. No matter what color their skin may in fact be. Because although northerners may of course fancy themselves "smart," they, often times, actually aren't really, truly any "smarter" than people anywhere else in the whole entire world. 'Cause, as usual, it really "just depends on the person," right?

Well... right? I mean, we all do believe that, don't we? I mean, we're all supposed to, right?

Either way, most importantly for yours truly, even when Southerners aren't particularly "smart," most were (when I was growing up anyway) at least raised to know how to be polite. And, in most cases, that's all I really care about. 'Cause I honestly don't care what color your skin happens to be. Likewise, I don't care what you look like, or where you're from. I could care even less what you do or don't believe in. Quite simply: I don't care. What I do expect you to be, however, is polite. But maybe that's just 'cause I was raised in southern Missouri, with good, old fashioned Southern style manners.

What's more, some of the Southern style folks from Missouri (who often have the same, or a very, very similar accent to the typical southern drawl that you'll find in abundance in states such as Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, etc), actually are, quite often, extremely intelligent individuals -- despite the twangy, "uneducated" sounding, heavily discriminated against accent. Many, on the other hand... just plain aren't quite as "smart" as they really could be. But, hey! You find that everywhere, right? Well, don't you? You know, that old axiom about how "common sense isn't really common," and all that.

And it doesn't take long to figure out who is who if you live amongst... well, just about any old group of people. And believe me, I have lived with some very different groups of people over the years! But, to be fair, I've lived longer, much longer, in fact, in Missouri, than I've lived anywhere else in the world. Thus far, anyway.

Funny thing is though... I was under the distinct impression that people everywhere were like that! As in, some people (regardless of "race," color or tribal affiliation, etc, etc) are just plain smart, while a veritable crap ton of our other fellow human beings (regardless of so-called "race," color, tribal affiliation, etc, etc) just plain aren't quite as clever as we really would prefer them to be.

And how does one know when certain people aren't all that smart? Gosh... one would think that it's pretty obvious. You simply observe all the stupid things that a given group of people just plain tend to do. And come on! We already know just how stupid most people tend to be when they allow "the group" (any group) to dictate their actions. Don't we?

What's more, South Korea, China, and Taiwan (all places I have lived for long periods of time) all have more than their share of "hillbillies," because all three places (especially Taiwan - with some of the highest mountain peaks in the world - and Korea - which, topographically speaking, quite naturally IS very hilly and mountainous) are chock full of Asian rednecks. They just happen to be "yellow," rather than "white."

Duh.

I therefore assume.... No, actually, I know that the dreaded "N word" does actually refer to rude, ignorant, or otherwise not all that "smart" people. Well, I think that was the original intention anyway. The problem is, over the years, "the N word" has just plain completely and totally gotten, way, way, way out of hand!

So, I guess it's just that the particular people that are commonly targeted with that particular "racial" slur ("the N word"), just don't happen to be "yellow" or "white." In most cases (that they actually know of). Because, of course, given the dichotomy of the now long since defunct Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, most present day "African Americans" don't know their family lineage in any real detail anyway.

But perhaps most telling of all, is the fact that many of us "white" "crackers" really don't mind terms (aka, SLURS) like "redneck" or "hillbilly" all that much. Because, as they say, in a truly free and democratic society, with genuine free speech, it really should be okay to "call a spade a spade," after all. Shouldn't it? 'Cause, even if you're wrong, that's your opinion, right? And in a truly free society, you really should have the right to say what's really on your mind. Shouldn't you?

But... maybe all that fancy democracy has, in recent years, just become a reality for only some people, and definitely not for everybody. Yes, sadly, most definitely not for "all the people." Not anymore anyway. Apparently. Especially if you happen to come from a CULTure with some sort of "special" status. You know... a CULTure with a race card.

So, the only real difference that I can logically see, is that the terms "redneck" and "hillbilly" usually don't carry a shameless and quite pathetically obvious double standard when applied, suspiciously enough... only to white people. Therefore, "the N word" is only "the N word" because, in most cases, pretty much only one group of people are actually allowed to say it.

Not that I even WANT to say "the N word," mind you! In fact, having been raised in a Southern style state, "the N word" really upsets me a lot. A whole lot, in fact. But I think what upsets me most is when I am forced to hear "the N word" in all too typically violent, socially irresponsible Hip Hop music. And also... pretty much anytime that anybody (regardless of "race," color, sex, or tribal affiliation, etc) uses that awful, awful word that only some people are apparently able to say....

But maybe that's just another kind of "privilege." Maybe? Maybe... it's just not "white privilege." Hmm....

Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'

Have you ever felt compelled (or simply been given no other choice, by virtue of school assignment, or the like) to dive headlong into a classic novel that everyone says is such a must read, and then found yourself wondering what all the fuss is about? If so, then you definitely know the feeling I had while reading Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness.'

Mind you, I love classic literature as much as the next guy, but for me, much of this particular narrative seemed to simply plod on and on (and on) with seemingly aimless abandon.

And given that the story is told in the first person, by Marlow, a ship's captain, who is constantly oozing all sorts of extraneous details (that may leave one mystified as to how they may or may not amount to much in the final analysis), I was also frequently left wondering why one of the crew mates who are supposedly listening to the story didn't just politely (or otherwise not so civilly) ask, urge, or simply beg the rambling fool to cut to the damn chase already!

But don't get me wrong. In truth, many of Conrad's sentences, nay, even full paragraphs, are worded so eloquently, and with what seems to be such casual ease, as to be simply astounding in their descriptive nature; so it's not as if the book doesn't have its definite strong points. To be sure, there are some truly captivating morsels to be had here, so I suppose I really can see why the novella has reached such legendary status over the years.

My problem was not that I thought that the author was not good at dressing a scene and building anticipation for the inevitable outcome of the story, but rather that many of the peripheral characters described just seem to bleed off the page into a blurry mass of such vagueness that it's truly difficult at times to tell some of them apart. Even more pressing, what is the point in mentioning some of them at all?

But it's still a truly thought provoking classic, Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness.' Perhaps even rightfully so. It's a bit puzzling however, that a document that so oft utilizes the much feared and disapproved of "N word" should still be held in such high esteem by so many modern readers to this very day.

Yet perhaps the contrasting portrayals throughout the story of characters who seem to be either eerily and even ominously "dark" or "light" (regardless of the actual color of their skin) is surely one of the most redeeming and ever transfixing aspects of the book.

One way or another, whether at first fully internalized or not, after reading 'Heart of Darkness,' one may invariably be left with the feeling that something profound, primeval, or even otherworldly has been experienced, if not, at the very least, imbibed.

Thus, it must be the author's remarkably descriptive sensibilities that make this book so astoundingly timeless to begin with. Because let's be perfectly honest, apart from Conrad's vivid characterizations and his omnipresent juxtapositional expounding on the overarching theme of good versus evil, there really isn't much in the way of an actual story here, much less a viable plot.

Yet still, as so cleverly embodied by the larger than life, epic personage of the enigmatic Kurtz himself, this classic book really does seem to be all about the magic and the endlessly powerful symbolism of myth. So perhaps what it really all boils down to is what Joseph Campbell so aptly termed, "The Hero's Journey." For it is surely nothing more than the abidingly instinctual, primeval human fear of the unknown that is actually at work deep within Conrad's enigmatic Heart of Darkness.

So perhaps it can all be summed up as little more than our unquenchable fascination (and our never-ending quest to identify) with, the shadowy monsters that forever lurk way, way deep down within the hearts of all men.

Thus, a humble, otherwise obscure and easily forgotten Polish-British author ultimately seems to forever implore his readers, for all ages to come; where, and to what degree, might the ever-deceptive demons of Darkness, as well as the equally mysterious and all powerful forces of Light, where within us all might they truly dwell?