A little book with a big message. First paragraph preview.
BIPOC is an acronym which stands for, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, but there’s also a larger, more important meaning behind the acronym, it gives a name to a deep-rooted sentiment held by some Americans, that we are a white supremist nation. I’ve not seen it used in any other context other than a grouping of all non-white Americans in an alliance of the oppressed formed to confront their oppressors, the white populace of America in its totality. It’s a rather bizarre concept really, that all non-white people in America can be reduced to a common core, that all of a person’s individuality, life experiences, perceptions of the world around them, and the way in which they choose to interact with that world are immaterial, because they are not white, and that all of their philosophies and thoughts must first be filtered through a prism of non-whiteness and oppression before they can be fully formed. It is an equally bizarre concept that white people are incapable of any philosophies or perspectives that are not first filtered through a prism of their whiteness.

https://www.amazon.com/BIPOC-isnt-reall ... B092P6WN8N

I am reading Emmanuel Acho's 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man' right now. In it he goes through the labels traditionally used for black people (when will we as a species stop using labels) and touches on BIPOC. BIPOC, he writes, is more a "synonym for minority."

From what I sense he does not particularly like the label, but prefers it to minority. I dislike most labels as it helps to denigrate the power of seeing things from a more elevated position. Labels by their nature make it easy to not think.

I am trying to understand the state of relations in this country and the world. I find myself finding a bit of overreach and overreaction on both sides. I am not, at the very least, in favor of re-writing history or ignoring reality. I am not in any way supporting any racist or any other form of ignorant thought or belief systems.

It is a complex world. Human interaction is complex. Those that see only in white and POC are part of the problem... And that is a phrase that can be applied to both 'sides.'

I am seeking out literature that presents all facets of this issue and trying to understand. I hope more and more people do just that.

Mr. Pessimistic wrote:I am reading Emmanuel Acho's 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man' right now. In it he goes through the labels traditionally used for black people (when will we as a species stop using labels) and touches on BIPOC. BIPOC, he writes, is more a "synonym for minority."

From what I sense he does not particularly like the label, but prefers it to minority. I dislike most labels as it helps to denigrate the power of seeing things from a more elevated position. Labels by their nature make it easy to not think.

I am trying to understand the state of relations in this country and the world. I find myself finding a bit of overreach and overreaction on both sides. I am not, at the very least, in favor of re-writing history or ignoring reality. I am not in any way supporting any racist or any other form of ignorant thought or belief systems.

It is a complex world. Human interaction is complex. Those that see only in white and POC are part of the problem... And that is a phrase that can be applied to both 'sides.'

I am seeking out literature that presents all facets of this issue and trying to understand. I hope more and more people do just that.

Thank you for your reply Mr. Pessimisstic,
Mr. Acho's work sounds interesting and I will look it up.
You are right that human interaction is complex, just look at the difficulties couples and families face in their relationships with each other. Those difficulties are magnified a thousand times when trying to consider the interaction of all the peoples of a nation. You've hit the nail on the head though, and exposed one of the keys to crafting a future for ourselves different and better than our present, if we understand that the issue is complex, we understand that it will take some dedicated thought to sort it out.