FRIENDLY FIRE - This week we learned that there were more minority births in the USA than majority births. In some western states, minorities threaten to become majorities. The old majority, now the minority, often acts frightened and disoriented--although with the growth of the Asian population maybe they are just dys-oriented.
This language, feeling tone and stubborn illogic hints at fear and resistance to this demographic sea change in America. When I used the word "threaten" above, it was intentional and not a reflection of my secret racist feelings but of the fear I hear, see and sense in our society.
The skinheads and Aryan Brotherhood types have long railed against the "disappearance" of white folks and the growth of all those others who are coming here and having the temerity to reproduce--often at a higher birthrate than white folks.
I suspect this differential is not about one ethnicity or nationality being hornier than another but the normal relationship between wealth and the number of children--which is usually inverse. Although I am willing to consider that wealthier folks have better cable and Internet access while the poor have to entertain themselves in the old-fashioned way.
If words actually meant anything then the term "majority minority" would disappear; it is an oxymoron.
But since our history indicates that white folks in America persecute and marginalize minorities, out of a sense of fear we resist both becoming minorities and recognizing ourselves as minorities.
Resistance is both inevitable and also futile. We are on our way to having white people in the minority--and I see nothing wrong with this. Our classifications are pretty random and unimportant.
For most of European history Jews were not white. Now we are. (Just try putting Semite in the race box on the census.) Once a drop of African blood made you a minority. Now we seem to go on appearances. Thus, Obama is half white, but not when he is trying to hail a taxi at 10 pm in a city.
Given all the ways we separate ourselves from each other--race, religion, gender, sexuality and national origin, it is fair to say that we all fit into some categories where we are a minority and some where we are in the majority. This is of no intrinsic importance.
Our future is pretty clear--although neither black nor white nor brown. We are, if not inter-marrying, at least inter-breeding, and the future will be beige and beautiful. However, we can be sure with our big brains we will find other arbitrary reasons to see one another as different. Perhaps we can learn to feel enriched and not threatened by these differences.
(Jonathan Dobrer is an op-ed contributor to the Daily News and Friendly Fire and is a syndicated columnist. This column was posted first at Friendly Fire. More on Jonathan and his books at www.Dobrer.com)
-cw
Tags: Jonathan Dobrer, majority minority, minorities
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 41
Pub: May 22, 2012