In Black and White

I usually stay clear of political topics in this blog, but today I want to talk about something that's been bugging me for a long, long time. It does have to do with language: specifically, the way in which language informs our speech. I am referring to the use of the terms 'black' and 'white' to categorise human beings.

Why does it matter?

It matters because the language that we use informs our thinking as much as, or more than, the converse. It's no accident that most people don't lay down any meaningful long-term memories until they are two or more. It is the existence of language that allows the formation of detailed memory, and it is memory that allows the formation of rational thought. So yes, the words we use do matter, they matter terribly.

The Facts

Let's look at the relevance of this terminology to the phenomenal world. Is it actually possible for a human being to be black or white in his skin? I say, in his skin, because that is how the terms are used nowadays. I believe the ancient Celts used to say of a person that he was a black man, a white man or a red man in reference to his hair colour, but no one thinks that way today - today it is all about skin.

White people

A living human being cannot be white. Even albinos are pink, as their red blood shows through their skin, which is translucent. So is everyone's - that's why we can blush or turn pale. A person who was actually white must have had all of his blood drained out, and would therefore be dead. Therefore, there is actually no such thing as a 'white person'. So-called 'white people' are generally beige, or cream, or pink, or even light to medium brown, depending on their sun exposure.

Black people

Humans don't come in black, either. You can take the darkest-skinned person in the world, and if you put him next to a black dog, or a black cow, you'll see that he is only very dark brown, the way black coffee is dark brown.

Race

These false skin colours are used to categorise people into races. What does that actually mean, we may ask? There are a number of 'races' who are classified as 'black'. Africans, Polynesians, Melanesians, Australian Aboriginals, and probably some others that I've forgotten. There is only one race classified as 'white' - Europeans. Traditionally, Europeans fell under the Caucasian race label, but at once we see the futility of this system, for Indian peoples are also classified as Caucasian, and they come in all shades of brown.

The notion of race has undergone a number of modifications over the centuries, and you can read a good summary of it HERE. Whether this system of classifying humans is at all useful is very much open to question, absent some political ideology as exemplified by America and Nazi Germany. I'm not qualified in the biological sciences myself, but I do think it's useful when contemplating any speech or writing supporting the notion of race to ask oneself what the speaker has to gain by his beliefs, what political, economic or emotional benefit is supported by the notion.

There was a study done some years ago that I saw reported on the BBC. DNA samples were taken from people all over the world, in every country and culture, and compared for close matching. I can't remember all of the matches they found, but the one that sticks in my mind was between a very cut-glass English woman and a traditional shaman in a village somewhere in Africa (they called him a 'witch doctor', but I think that's just plain rude.) The conclusion reached from this study was that there is actually no such thing as 'race', and the so-called racial characteristics (skin colour, epicanthic folds, curly hair, freckles, nose shape and so on) are nothing more than family resemblances on a large scale. About like dog breeds.

This female Deerhound (Emily) and this male Boston Terrier (Dave) couldn't be more different - they're far, far more different physically than any two humans could ever be. Yet they share a species and could have puppies together.

Recently, Meghan Markle was all over the media for declining to assign herself to a 'race' box. Although I am even now gritting my teeth at having to approve anything done by a member of that awful family, the stand she took was both courageous and sensible. Race as a concept is obsolete, outmoded. and it is actively harmful, enabling as it does all kinds of bigotry. It deserves to go the way of the buttonhook and lead-based paint.

8 meghan markle and why we all should follow her example

Live Reading - Operation Tomcat and others

Something special for you today. If you click on THIS LINK, you can see well-known children's author Rusty Trimble reading aloud from several books, including my own Operation Tomcat, and dealing with technical difficulties mid-read with the panache of a true performer.

It was quite strange hearing my book read aloud. Cool, though. Way cool. I felt like a celebrity. Truly I did.

Rusty's own book, Middle School Madness, caught my eye on Amazon. I've been reading quite a bit of children's fiction since I ventured into that field myself, and this one looks like a great read, with both wit and charm, and cute illustrations sprinkled all through it. Here's the cover:

You can find this and his other work on AMAZON, and you can find Operation Tomcat HERE.

Book Review - The Island In The Sky, by Bernie Manning

I've reviewed a number of CDs from this Melbourne musician, and I've watched him develop over the years, but this latest offering is his biggest departure yet, for this is an audiobook. A children's audiobook. What a godsend for those parents who do not enjoy reading to their young children! You can just pop it in the player and off you go! Ten chapters, each followed by a song about the events of that chapter. I'm way older than the target readership, but I really enjoyed it. 

My Review

This is an utterly awesome debut book. In charming and humorous quest story, three children seek the Island in the Sky. It's a tale well told and I enjoyed it very much.

Of particular note is the didactic element, which is always present in a really good children's book, and perhaps in a really good novel for any age. The real test of a writer is how this element is handled; most new writers tend either to labour the point or to omit it altogether. Manning does not fall into either of these traps, but shows us, delicately and with warmth and humour, how the world could be if we lived better. Further, the beautifully developed Ice Tiger character demonstrates the two sides of the coin of strength, showing the reader how a fearsome individual can be seen in two ways - either as a terrible foe, or as a bastion of security.

I really think the Ice Tiger is one of the best characters I've ever encountered in a children's book. He is up there with Pooh and the Psammead. A beautifully developed character who absolutely makes the story.

I can hardly close without a word about the music. Manning is a musician, and I've reviewed many music CDs from him, so it should come as no surprise to find that in this delightful audiobook, each chapter is set off with a song about it. They're charming songs, and some of them are brilliant. I have caught myself singing 'The Ice Tiger' around the house already.

All around, a real treat for any age.

The Island In The Sky retails for $19.95 including postage, and can be ordered from the author at berniemanning@optusnet.com.au.

Music Review - Songs From the Heart, by Bernie Manning

In recent albums from this artist we have seen a shift in focus each time, and Songs From The Heart is no exception, with this album’s theme concentrating on the more personal aspects of life.

In this album we see the trademark Manning mix of soft, easy vocals, some spoken by Manning to a musical background, and others sung by long-time collaborator Bruce Haymes, whose light, soft voice works well with the gently contemplative tone of Manning’s lyrics.

The subject matter in this new compilation, though, has shifted from the externally focussed themes evident in the two previous albums, Heroes and Woodstock 2019, to the inner life of the self. In light of the five-song Prostate Cancer Blues Suite, one feels that this new direction may have been prompted by the author’s personal journey.

Following the suite, the album moves into a tone of gentle contemplation, with two tender love songs followed by the poignant melancholy of Best Friend and Nostalgia, and finishes as it began, on an upbeat note with the cheerful The Magpie.

Musically, the tracks deliver the same smooth rhythms we’ve come to expect from this artist, with the creative use of background sound that distinguishes his work. Traffic, voices, birdsong, weather effects, all are used as instruments in Manning’s compositions. In this album, the track Pain is of particular note; the harsh sounds that make up the track’s backing convey the idea of pain in a startlingly realistic way, beautifully reinforcing the theme of the lyrics.

A good choice for a long drive.