In his “I have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King uttered these famous words; “that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” People will be judged – sometime unfairly (skin color), sometimes fairly (character) and sometimes by a combination of both. But it is imperative to distinguish the difference.
Some people have serious character flaws. Examples include being immature, tactless, selfish, rude, lazy, undisciplined, dishonest and self-righteous. They are usually judged and treated accordingly. But if that person is a member of a minority group, then he often faces a double judgment – by those who judge character (equally) and by those who prejudge minorities (apart from character).
Anytime a member of a minority group is mistreated he should ask himself a simple question. Was it due to my minority membership or my character? My experience has been that you can often tell by their reaction. People with character usually endure the mistreatment and seek to quietly demonstrate by their character that they were worthy of better treatment. They view it as a wonderful opportunity to strike a blow for fair play by helping others see the light and eventually cease that sort of mistreatment. Those who lack character often claim prejudice at the first sign of trouble, never considering that their lack of character might be to blame. I acknowledge that this is not always the case. After demonstrating character, those who have it will eventually need to confront those who don’t seem to get it.
This is true for many minority groups, not just Dr. King’s group. Many stereotypical opinions exist about Women, Internationals, Born-Again Christians, Muslims, Blondes and others. They all endure various forms of pre-judging. The best way to respond is to win others over with a solid demonstration of character.
This was brilliantly demonstrated in two scenes from the movie, The Tuskegee Airmen. A bomber pilot had been saved from enemy fire by a squadron of fighters (the Tuskegee 332nd). Later that day he visited them to offer his thanks. When he discovered that they were black, he couldn’t accept it. He was convinced that black people could not have been flying those planes. He later had the following conversation with his Lieutenant. (The quote has been altered to replace the N-word)
“Let me give you a little sociology lesson. I think being from California and all you might be a little bit confused. Now I’m a Texas boy. I grew up with “black people.” I was around them every day. Hell, in Lubbock, you can’t throw a rock without hitting one. Now I know how they think, and I know how they live, and I can tell you with complete certainty what they are and are not capable of.”
The Lieutenant responded, “And you don’t think they can fly them planes.”
His answer: “If they was flying them planes, and that is one hell of a big IF, then what happened up there was a fluke. So forget about it.”
Later in the movie, the bomber pilot demonstrated that he had “seen the light”. He said “Sir, I looked into it, and since they been escorting bombers, they haven’t lost one to enemy action sir. Not a single ship. And if it’s all the same to you I want the 332nd to take me to Berlin and back.” He had been won over by a demonstration of their character.
The Tuskegee Airman got their name because their flight school was stationed at the Tuskegee institute, an all-black school founded by former slave Booker T. Washington in 1881. Washington was his generation’s equivalent of Dr. King.
In a controversial speech, he said that “it was foolish for blacks to agitate for social equality before they had attained economic equality.” He then promoted education as the primary means toward attaining economic equality. His premise was simple: Get educated, be successful and prove to all that you are just as capable and just as worthy of respect as anyone else. This position was denounced by many other African-American leaders who believed that they should not postpone their demands for equal treatment until they had proven themselves worthy.
Both had good points. Equal treatment is a basic human right that nobody should have to earn. But Washington understood that there are many people who will never treat others with respect in their personal dealings until they are persuaded that the other person has character. No laws will ever change that.
But there is a sad reality. If a significant percentage of people from a minority group demonstrate that they lack character, then otherwise good people will subconsciously expect similar conduct from all members of that same group until they demonstrate otherwise. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is not difficult to understand why it is. If one out of every four cars of a given model has a defect, then you will be suspect of that brand when car-shopping. If one out of every four graduates of a particular college lacks the skills needed for a job, then you will be suspect of all of their other graduates. If one out of every four members of a minority group demonstrates particular character flaws, then other members will be suspect of similar flaws – until they prove otherwise. This may not be fair, but this is how life is.
Everyone has a personal obligation to better themselves, to get educated and to overcome character flaws. This is how all people earn respect. We owe it to ourselves. Yet members of minority groups also owe it to others of their group.
Every time a negative stereotype is reinforced, it makes it that much harder for others to win respect. But every time a stereotype is shattered, somebody will be like the bomber pilot and see the light. They might begin presuming that others have character until proven otherwise instead of the other way around.