You see, the appellations of "black" and "white" simply don't appeal. As literary devices, those colors denote evil and good. Besides, those colors are completely inaccurate. Were I to select a word to describe my coloring, white wouldn't be it. Caucasian works, so we have a term that covers part of the population. But black, well that term just hurts me. I have friends who use the term "black" to describe themselves. Brown, I feel, is a much more accurate adjective, but it hasn't caught on. When I meet someone, though, I prefer to value the person on their own terms.
Until very recently, Jews didn't publicize their ethnicity in an attempt to avoid prejudicial back-lash. A baptismal certificate was requested of my uncle when he applied for a job at the phone company. There were accounting firms and law firms where my father could not work. When she started teaching in the late 1960's, my mother, Miriam Spiro, was first asked whether she was Greek, then she was asked if she was Italian. Time came for Passover, and my mother asked for a day off. The principal wasn't too happy that he had hired a Jew. How you describe yourself should make you comfortable and secure. In a society where pretty much anything goes, it is a wonder that anyone was bothered by Paolo Serodio's self-identification. It just goes to show you, though, that words are our arsenal.
Covering up uncomfortable. My parents and their generation limited their lives, in large part, to Jews. They were able to avoid being "out." A negative message is sent to the off-spring when parents engage in that kind of identity avoidance. But that was how things worked long ago; my parents were not overtly Jewish out of their perception of necessity. Not to worry, though - I worked it out in therapy. Now I have to come to terms with being short.
Until very recently, Jews didn't publicize their ethnicity in an attempt to avoid prejudicial back-lash. A baptismal certificate was requested of my uncle when he applied for a job at the phone company. There were accounting firms and law firms where my father could not work. When she started teaching in the late 1960's, my mother, Miriam Spiro, was first asked whether she was Greek, then she was asked if she was Italian. Time came for Passover, and my mother asked for a day off. The principal wasn't too happy that he had hired a Jew. How you describe yourself should make you comfortable and secure. In a society where pretty much anything goes, it is a wonder that anyone was bothered by Paolo Serodio's self-identification. It just goes to show you, though, that words are our arsenal.
Covering up uncomfortable. My parents and their generation limited their lives, in large part, to Jews. They were able to avoid being "out." A negative message is sent to the off-spring when parents engage in that kind of identity avoidance. But that was how things worked long ago; my parents were not overtly Jewish out of their perception of necessity. Not to worry, though - I worked it out in therapy. Now I have to come to terms with being short.
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