Old White Folk Story

[1StrongBlackMan]

33. Good Prose ...

I especially liked, and agree with, your final paragraph:

Tensions within groups, and between sub-groups, is a good thing if it is used to fuel creativity. The opposite potential -- for tensions to be destructive -- is not a good thing. As we all contribute to the potential outcome, by way of our individual beliefs and actions, how we view others, especially those “different” from ourselves, plays an important role.

However, reading some of the congratulatory responses, I fear many missed your point. It seems that your message is inclusive, calling for introspection ... what I see in response is, "Yeah, it's not me, it's them." How does: "As we all contribute to the potential outcome, by ... how we view others, especially those 'different' from ourselves", square with some of the first responses to your OP?

Placing someone on ignore because they say something that you do not like/makes you feel uncomfortable is a poor substitute for listening, non-defensively, to what that person is saying and attempting to figure out why that person is saying it ... especially, if that person is saying it directly to you.

I think the anti-"Not All Men" threads can be instructive here ... No one has said "All Men" there, and no one is saying "All old white DUers" here; but in both cases, there are enough posters that cross the line regarding Gender and Racism, that those of us directly, and negatively, affected by it feel a need to point it out.