Born into a world where everyone was White
Didn't take long to learn the stereotypes
Most folks felt the exception proved the rule
And the evening news provided plenty of fuel
Emotions flared - I realized the deal
No one questioned if these images were real
I'd be the one to set my people straight
I'd go downtown and meet my messianic fate
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
Being young, I got the breakfast shift
I unlocked the doors and served those nasty grits
The men came in - They all had tales to tell
Or maybe just looking to sit down for a spell
All the same I was scared consistently
One of them's bound to take their anger out on me
I'd say the wrong thing and that would be the end
Of all this talk of being brothers, being friends
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
Where in hell did I get this kind of thought?
I can't be sure, but TV'd be a place to start
If I had never looked these black men in their eyes
I wouldn't know that I'd been racist all this time
So, it's been said - Where do I go from here?
This is my story 'bout irrational fear
Don't know what the consequence will be
Good or bad, it's about honesty
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I thought it'd be others, but the broken one was me
It's not what I intended, but it's what I need
Is there still room in this world for us to tell the truth?
Where that dream won't be reduced to the naivete of youth?
Many feel that we've passed the time for honesty
So much on the line now, but is that what it means to be free?
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2 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing!
I am fascinated by this topic. I am proud of you for acknowledging your own racism. I think we all need to do that. We live in a racist society (simply because we live in a society that has racial classifications). I believe a majority of “white” people think that they can just simply “become colorblind” and that fixes it all. I think it is impossible to become colorblind. I think the more realistic route is to recognize that you see race and you associate certain characteristics with race due to your environment, education and the media. No one is immune to this selective perception where we see what we believe more so than we believe what we see. In many instances that can even serve you as a defense mechanism. It’s just the way our brain works - what is the most likely conclusion? Make a quick judgment. I think it’s good to try to see those stereotypes, recognize you have a tendency to cling to them, and then dig deeper to find out where they come from. I think then when you do that you realize that race is something we have invented, yes people appear black or white or Asian, etc. but we have created the idea that those features carry with them a biological makeup, that various races carry superior traits or inferior traits or just traits in general and those that break out of the perceived molds are “exceptions.”
Now, I see why you were interested to see the lyrics, Kell. It seems like this is a topic to which you've given a lot of thought.
I agree with everything you wrote...especially that race (like gender, ethnicity, etc.) is a construct -- that is, it's something we have constructed and to which we have attributed meaning.
Thanks to YOU for sharing!
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