COLUMN: A different side of the race question

From Jamil Smith's, "Invisible Man," Fall '96 From Jamil Smith's, "Invisible Man," Fall '96The rain continued to fall on campus as Josh made his way down Locust Walk. He began to wonder why he had decided to go to the library during this monsoon. But his optimistic spirit won out; Josh thought to himself that while the rain was making his hands very cold, it was also making the snow melt. Soon, the rain would be joined by warmer temperatures and would give birth to spring. "What's up, Josh?" his friend Demetrius said. A little startled, Josh managed a reply. "I'm all right. Thanks for saving my back." "Don't worry about it. Try to look up next time." Josh moved under Demetrius' large umbrella and took his hood off. "This rain is something else," Demetrius said. "This is supposed to be the last storm for awhile." "Don't worry, it won't be. They always say that -- and then another one comes along." "Which way are you headed?" "Toward the gym. I'm going lifting." Seizing an opportunity to procrastinate, Josh asked Demetrius if he could meet him there in a half-hour. "No problem." Josh walked into the Hutch weight room and found Demetrius alone doing the military press. Demetrius was beginning to struggle, so Josh came around to spot him. Demetrius turned around to talk to his friend. "Good to see you, man. It's been a while." "Yeah, I know. Work's kept me busy." "That's understandable. I see you're still writing for the DP." "I see you're still reading." "Well, you know we disagree on a lot of things, but I won't stop reading your pieces." "By the way, did you ever get that guest piece that you wrote last semester in the DP?" "No, but I plan on writing a Letter to the Editor now." "Who's got you upset?" Josh asked, already knowing the writer's identity. "Did you see those 'columns' printed not too long ago asserting that race is not a social construct and that black people should be called 'Negroes,' among other things?" "Yeah. I can understand why you might be irritated. What are you going to say?" "Well, I can only give you a general idea of what I've been thinking about." Josh knew Demetrius was fascinating to listen to when he got going, so he sat down on the next bench. Demetrius turned to face him. "Basically, what I want to assert is that by saying there are only three defined racial groups -- Negroids, Mongoloids and Caucasoids -- the writer completely ignores the connotations that accompany race and color, especially here in America." Deciding to play devil's advocate, Josh said, "How so?" "His argument is based on the assumption that this is utopia -- where everyone lives together in harmony, regardless of physical differences. Culture is thrown out the window, along with consideration how the nation perceives race." "But you miss a point here, Demetrius," Josh interjected. "He sought to show that race has little to do with ethnicity, largely because there are a lot of non-racial factors that go into making up an individual's cultural origin." Demetrius began to take the weights off the bar. "That's true, I guess. But what about race as a social construct? You can't deny that each race carries a peculiar burden of social implications or meanings. There are a great number of people who look like they belong to one race when they are actually members of another. While they may be members of one particular social group (which races often can be), that can lead to a remarkably different path in life than someone else who has minor facial and epidermal differences." "Certainly," Josh replied as he got behind Demetrius' bench to spot him. "A look at West Philadelphia can illustrate that." Josh didn't even have to answer. He knew. Demetrius continued as he and Josh switched places. "What West Philly represents to a lot of people is a pestilent body that the good people of the University of Pennsylvania must complain, write, bitch and do whatever else about -- except act. That is one way people -- individuals -- get 'problematized.' It's almost as if the large majority of people living honestly in the community are invisible." "And you want to assert this is largely due to race?" "Of course it is. I don't think I get stopped by police and am feared by students walking west down Spruce because I have guns a-blazing all around me. They don't see anything but my face. What they see is my race -- their 'problem.' " Josh began pressing the bar over his chest. "So you? believe? that race? is always a 'problem?' " he asked between lifts. "No. However, race is significantly more difficult to define than that other writer seems to think. You can't -- how did he put it -- 'do history justice' with respect to race in 900 words. It goes beyond that. Race and color deserve a more in-depth look." "So how will you address it in your even shorter letter?" Josh asked as he gave the bar to Demetrius and went to do sit-ups. "We'll just have to see. I can't address it all, but then again, I don't know it all. We'll just have to see." The two eventually finished their workout. On their way home, Josh remarked that the rain had stopped, but Demetrius pointed out that the swirling wind and heavy clouds conveyed Nature's intention of delivering it again very soon.