“Can’t we all just get along?”
Yes, I know this phrase has been over-used and has lost any serious value since the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Yet, it was this phrase alone that kept running through my head time and time again after watching John Singleton’s thought-provoking film “Higher Learning.”
The intensity and violence in the movie leaves the audience dumb-founded. The whole procedure of entering the movie theater was as intense and overwhelming as the film itself. As you handed the usher your ticket you were asked to open your purse while a flashlight discovered the contents—lipsticks, old receipts, wallets, etc. Baggy clothing was padded down by security guards before entering the door to the theater. Movie goers were frisked just to watch the movie.
Security guards lined up along the aisles throughout the movie. You were directed exactly where to sit. Some people were even asked to switch seats with others if too many teenagers or “gangster-looking” people were sitting together. Throughout the previews, the lights were left on. As the movie began you could feel the tension in the room. As I sat there I thought, “Am I safe here?”
After two hours of violent racist scenes one after another, the film ends with a bloody finish. Why do people still have to get injured and killed because of racial tensions, have we learned nothing from the past?
As we left the theater, I noticed police cars waiting for the crowd outside. These officers were probably waiting for viewers to re-enact the riot in the film. It didn’t happen, but all the law enforcement was there to contain the situation just in case it did.
With the tension floating in the air, the police cars and the thoughts of race riots jumbled up in my head— flashbacks started running through my mind. No, I wasn’t reminiscing about old World War II films, the Watts riots, or even the L.A. riots—this was high school.
Oh yeah, my alma mater was and is a high authority on race riots. Any disagreement between individuals instantly flared up into a full-blown riot with security guards chasing students into classrooms with police and news helicopters hovering above. As I remembered the confusion I felt as I saw friends fight due to “racial tension,” the same thoughts I had then emerged.
Why don’t people remember the friend or acquaintance they have from that same race they are trying to blame the racial tensions on? There probably is a great possibility that the conflict is not due to the color or appearance of the other party, but people butting heads on personal problems who tack on race to try to get a group to back them up.
After the race riot, the life of the great majority didn’t turn into imposing hatred acts. For most, life went on. After school, racial harmony swarmed the streets. People walked home with friends and didn’t let the events of the day affect the friendships they have with people of other cultures.
No one captured that moment. We need films and books that welcome and explore people getting along. Everyday people deal with diversity and take advantage of it. You may pick up a favorite new food, learn a few words in another language and understand and appreciate people’s differences.
So, next time someone cuts you off on the freeway, takes your parking space or does any other act that can be classified as just plain rude, don’t be so quick to tack on the person’s race to your response. At that moment, you might not remember the friend or acquaintance you know from that same race that would be incapable of such an act. Is it fair to insult a whole group of people because you’re offended by one person?
When a racial slur is about to escape from your mouth, give it a second thought. If someone of your own race upsets you, do you insult the whole race? Probably not.
Embrace diversity, it is a gift not a burden.
