Learning About Ethnicity

Now before some of you say, "Hey this looks like a poorly written college paper." - it is. However, I thought it an interesting read just given my background, as it was definitely interesting to write.

That being said I hope you enjoy it....

Learning About Ethnicity as a Child

As I sit and contemplate what I was taught about my own personal ethnicity as a child, I’ve concluded that it’s more accurate to say that I was not taught anything.

            Being born into a white lower class family that was a mixture of German, Scottish and Irish, ethnicity was rarely (if ever) spoken of with a serious tone. If I recall, my family worked harder at perpetuating the typical stereotypes of the aforementioned cultures through either their own actions, or the telling of slanderous jokes, of which they bore the punch line. 

            On my mother’s side, our lessons in culture came from primarily my Grandfather’s stories of leaving his parents to travel from Kentucky to Ohio at the age of fourteen. The move stemmed from a falling out between my grandfather and his own father (my great-grandfather). These were coupled with my own father’s tales of moving from Michigan to Ohio shortly after his mother’s death when he was around ten years old.

            Perhaps I could surmise that due to the extenuating circumstances in their own lives, the priorities during their youth didn’t involve learning much about family customs. I certainly cannot fault them for that, as there were no doubt other things that called for their attention at the time. This fact does nothing to calm my curiosity when thinking about the question of “where I came from.”

            Neither my mother’s nor father’s side of the family would be classified as spiritual enough to attend church regularly. Truthfully, I cannot clearly recall a time when my father or mother declared any particular religious loyalty, although most family members did have a painting of Jesus hanging somewhere in their homes. In retrospect I feel the paintings served the same purpose as a fire extinguisher.

            It was solely through repetitious acts I was able to learn that we celebrated only the most typical American and Judeo-Christian holidays; St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. These usually involved the occasional firework, overindulging in food and spirits with my relatives in attendance.

            Further complicating this was the fact that by and large most of our family time was spent with my mother’s side of the family. If there was a barbeque, or other gathering, it was most usually at my mother’s parent’s home- with her siblings and their extended families. This effectively cut me off from being able to pick up any second-hand knowledge of culture that my father’s German relatives might have been able to pass down.

Real World Impacts on My Ethnicity

Through my own schooling and independent reading I later learned that my German ancestors were responsible for some of the most horrible atrocities in recorded history (I will return later to this topic). In contrast, my Irish relations survived famine and maintained a proud and vibrant culture. Likewise, my Scottish relatives overcame the oppression of tyrants to break free and form their own unique society.

            In an effort to be completely honest, I can say that in the instances of both my Scottish and Irish brethren from a historical perspective they’ve taught me to be tenacious, resourceful and courageous. However, I will state that this has never gone beyond more than just a superficial connection, and could claim no formation of ideals based on these historic accounts. Sadly, to say that I have “pride” for any strand of my heritage would be stretching the word.

Pride and Shame within My Ethnicity

Without a doubt the most glaring example of ethnic shame I feel would be Germany’s role in the Holocaust. To this day it can be hard admitting to someone you are German (especially if they happen to be Jewish). I can only imagine what the reaction was following the end of World War II.

            Although, on the flipside present day Germany seems to be doing a much better job in the humanitarian role. The modern day Germany has (by some counts) accepted over 700,000 Syrian refugees in 2015 alone. This number and their total pledge to aid refugees far outpace that of any other country in the world. This is a statistic of which to be proud. Though again, because I lack any true anchored connection to my German culture I can only take that pride so far.

Passed Down Perceptions about Other Ethnicities

            Regarding messages that have been passed down to me from others regarding ethnic groups- particularly dominant vs. minority groups- I struggle to come up with any that reflect positively on any group which might’ve been discussed in front of me in my youth. It didn’t take me long to figure out that my family was clearly prejudiced. Though it may seem strange, I can at least say they were evenly biased,as along with other ethnic groups, they also held upper-class whites in disdain. 

            To start, my grandfather was unapologetically racist against African-Americans. While it was never spoken to me, I witnessed him berating an African-American couple that moved into the apartment complex behind him when I was only six years old. While I will not recount the words he used while yelling at them, I will note that the only problem he seemed to have with them was they had more melanin in their skin than he did. I remember thinking how shocked the couple looked and wondering why my sweet “Papaw” was so mad at these strangers. The way he was acting didn’t seem justified. I stood there confused and awkward, not knowing what to say, having never seen my grandfather behave in such a way.

            When I asked my mother about my granddad’s behavior, she brushed it off. To this day, I am unsure if her non-explanation was good parenting or not, but she did manage to make the scene into a non-issue in my mind, at least when I was child. I can only wonder if this led to helping me to not draw attention to it, so that it wouldn’t become taboo or somehow interesting.

            Luckily, my parents themselves were fairly level-headed, if not culturally aware. The only time I can recall receiving any message about groups outside our immediate home was when it came to upper class whites. Both of my parents carried the thought that anyone that earned a better living than they did couldn’t be trusted. Often the connotation was carried further, assuming that the offending party was elitist, snobbish, and quite possibly “up to no good” as was my mother’s turn of phrase.  

            Regrettably, I must state that the behaviors I noticed as a child and into young adulthood will affect my labor as a Social Worker. Nonetheless, let me be clear; I state this only because it would be less than honest to say they’d have no affect on me. Further, I can state with the utmost confidence that they’ve only provided me with examples of what not to do, how not to treat people, and how not to act in interactions with those that may be physically, spiritually, or culturally different.

            These experiences, coupled with the fact that I was born with cerebral palsy helped to form the earliest foundations of what I perceived to be the proper way to treat others. I reasoned that because of my disability, I didn’t want anyone treating me unjustly. As a result, how could I seek to do it to someone else, regardless of the motive? The examples that were shown to me by my family never sat well with me because of this methodology. In every instance I felt they were inherently wrong, often times despicable, and therefore I didn’t want to replicate those examples in my own behavior. 

Closing

            In conclusion, I feel the need to say this paper has not been easy to write. Reflecting on some of these memories has been emotionally trying. I have often felt like a traitor to my family and a stranger to my various cultures.

            Ultimately, I am pleased that I went through the exercise, as I can now reaffirm I hold few biases. This also helps to reinforce areas where I may need to be aware, to further ensure I keep a watch over my own way of thinking when interacting with others.

            It would certainly be rare for a person raised in modern society by any human being, who of course holds as much potential for fallibility as the next person, to assume they are bias free. Obviously, I wouldn’t dare to assume that. I will say that knowing where you’ve come from and how you learned certain perceptions goes a long way in helping check behaviors that could be interpreted as insensitive, uncaring or downright disrespectful.  

            Moreover, I would venture to say it stands as a testimony to the attempts of others to teach right and wrong, versus innately knowing the difference between them.