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Dinner And A Show: My Skin Color, Your Entertainment
Ignorant inquiries by racist troglodytes before the dinner rolls hit the table.
I’ve encountered all types of racists in my life, and there are many.
There are those who are overt in how they come at you, those who are cunning in their delivery, and then of course there are those who hide behind their ignorance and pretend to have a willingness to be interested in who you are. These latter abominations of decency are the ones that freak me out the most. No matter what identity they possess, or tactics they take, one unmistakable trait these people have in common is they are all racist.
There is no hiding this fact.
Family gatherings for instance — supposed safe spaces, are no different from the encounters one might face outside the comforts of home. Occasionally you may find yourself fielding the toxic curiosity of someone familiar, even before the salad is served.
Welcome to the family
It was early in my father’s relationship with his now-wife. A time when the two respective worlds were in the “get to know each other” phase. The occasional mixing of families was in its infancy and it was during this time, I met and had to endure some rather “interesting” interactions with folks I would not normally associate with.
Each appearance at my father’s betrothed all-white family events brought new opportunities for me to play defense; especially when it came to my interaction with “uncle” Norm (by marriage). Not the loveable, “everyday man” character from Cheers, whom everyone knew, rather, this Norm I often had the non-pleasure of seeing during these gatherings.
For some reason, Norm found it his responsibility to sidle up to me whenever I made an appearance. At holiday dinners especially, when an audience was held captive at the dinner table for an hour or so, his attention would inevitably be directed toward me once the final guest took their seat. It didn’t matter if we were seated next to one another (which I always dreaded) or seated on opposite sides of the table. He would always seek me out with his disturbing and offensive line of questioning.
When you are put in…
