We need win-win situations as it concern racial issues. We have got to stop thinking about one racial group getting over on other groups. We have to change our mindset. Any solution that does not take into account the interests of everyone has to be rejected. This does not mean everybody will get everything they want. That would be nice but we know it is not realistic. But we can find solutions where all parties gets something. If all parties do not get something out of what we work out then we will not have a stable solution as those who feel ripped off will continue to work against our stated solution.
I wish I could clearly enunciate what the ultimate solutions are. But in fact we all must work together to find those solutions. One person is not going to be able to figure it all out. What I can offer is some suggestions about the sort of atmosphere we have to create if we are going to find those solutions.
First, we have to think about what brings us together. What are our core values that we can all agree on. We all have different ideas about what it means to be a member of our society, but are there not certain values that unite us? Some of my research suggests that notions of freedom may be a unifying value that people have across racial groups. We need to think about that and about other values we have in common. Doing so can help create unity between those of different races so that we begin to care about those who are not in our own racial group. Furthermore, once we have those core values then we can hold people of all races accountable to those values and create a type of equality among us.
Second, we have to be accepting of differences outside of our commonly accepted core values. Our core values will not be so encompassing that we can not differentiate from each other. Appreciating differences that do not violate commonly accepted core values will allow us to express ourselves no matter what group we come from. This will help us have a solidarity that can help us to deal with the tough issues.
Thinking about those tough issues brings up to the third suggestion. We need to develop attitudes where we think about the needs of those of other groups. It is tempting to only focus on solutions that help our group. This is a mistake. We invite our fellow citizens in other racial groups to fight against us. Instead of bringing us together thinking only about what we can get for ourselves will pull us apart. But if we can have a solidarity with those in other racial groups, if we can acknowledge the cultural core we have in common, if we can respect our differences, then we can be in a position to care about working towards solutions where we can all win. Ultimately those are the solutions that are stable and can lead to lasting racial peace.
Of course this is just a summary of some of my ideas. Space does not allow me to fully elaborate on them. However, I am the co-author of a book that just came out entitled "Transcending Racial Barriers." In it we go into more depth about implementing these ideas. So my shameless plug is that if you are interested in pursuing these ideas further then by all means check out that book. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Sincerely,
Trouble-Maker
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment