Hidden Meanings
This Week's Theme: Racial Sensitivity
Glen Kehrein
Monday, June 25, 2001
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Key Bible Verses: Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited (Romans 12:16).
Bonus Reading:
We must cultivate sensitivity deliberately. Otherwise, we may say or do things that imply disrespect, even when we don't mean to. During the 1992 presidential race, for instance, independent candidate Ross Perot blundered by calling an audience of African-Americans "you people." Speaking to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Perot offended many in the audience. His action was a classic case illustrating racial distance. Consider the response: many white folks identified with Perot, asking in bewilderment, "What did he do wrong?" Many black folks who watched news reports on national TV later that evening also reacted in anger.
Perot denied any racism but was ignorant of the historical impact of those words, often used to maintain distance and separation. When a white person says, "It's great to be here with you people today," a black person is likely to hear "you people" as "you poor, ignorant folks of whom I am not a part." To many blacks, it sounds condescending. The term "you people" sets off a little warning: "Watch out; you can't trust whites."
Glen Kehrein in Breaking Down Walls Respond:
Are there any terms I use that could be perceived as put-downs? Thought to Apply:
To get a person to understand our point of view, we must first get to understand his.
Anonymous
Adapted from: Breaking Down Walls (Moody Press, Moody Bible Institute, 1993)
For your convenience, Breaking Down Walls is available in the ChristianityToday.com bookstore. 1 of 1
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Dear Father, please remove the cataracts of insensitivity from my eyes so that I can see others with true compassion.
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