Awaiting the Post-Racial Society…

America has always been heralded as the great melting pot: people from across the world were suposed to come to the new world and create a new democratic and uniquely American culture that was united by personal liberty and shared ideals. And while many people would still consider the United States a melting pot, it is quite clear that it is anything but such a pot. We know the true history: Italians occupied their specific area of the city, as did the Irish…African Americans were enslaved, Chinese Americans were killed building the American railroads, and Native Americans were exterminated.

But the headlines, it seems to me, are always filled with the news of America’s progress towards some ideal of a post-racal society. The election of our first black President, whose middle name is Hussein, was heralded as one such indicator of a fundamental shift in the United States. The term “Majority Minority” is the new catchphrase that describes the demographic trend in America, where the current majority white population will slowly decrease proportionally with regard to “minority” groups.

There are two points to consider about the post-racial society. The first is that simply because America is becoming more diverse does not mean that it is post racial. What’s even more concerning is that this quick demographic change can often lead to the rise of intense, race-induced prejudices. How often do we hear about foreign groups stealing American jobs…etc. Regardless of the truth or fiction of these statements, race plays a role in, at least, the expression of these frustrations. This in turn tends to entrench racial identities among respective groups.

Second, if we were truly a post-racial society then none of these racial and demographic changes would truly matter. Think of it this way: what would you think of an Ivy-league educated intellectual who decries the aloofness of the Ivory tower and the heartlessness of the establishment. Hint: you shouldn’t take him/her seriously. The mere fact that American intellectuals/media waits for any particle of an indication that our country moves towards a post-racial society (i.e. its intense focus on race) disproves what they try to prove.

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