"Non-White Jedi" Discussions

Here is your place to argue.
My Non-White Jedi post spiraled out of control. It bothers me that some ordained ministers of this community are so uninformed and additionally so inarticulate in their delivery. I don't think I want to be clergy any more, at least not here. I don't like being treated like some "unenlightened" Neanderthal because of my post. People equated making decisions in adulthood that they knew would change how they were treated to being born dark-skinned and curly haired. If you went to a foreign country as unwanted military, why would you expect to be treated kindly? It's not the same.

Prior to fixing your fingers to telling me that I'm wrong about something you have never experienced, do your research. Look up articles written by the black people you call "locking themselves in cages of their own creation." 17% percent of the U.S. population is Hispanic, and 12% black. Turn on Disney Channel, go to the movies, are these statistics reflected there? No. Those percentages aren't seen here either.

I wrote "Non-White Jedi"searching for people who are born other (in the U.S. at least). Yes, we are other. It is only from not seeing yourself everywhere and in everything that one can appreciate the camaraderie I seek.

Consider this: If there were only three boys in a class of thirty, they might want to become friends. If two of those boys were black, they might bond over going to the same barbershop/church/etc. That doesn't they dislike their white friend. That doesn't mean they have anything against playing with the girls. When the Black Panther movie comes out, they might experience different feelings from the white boy. Of course he can appreciate a good movie, but he might not know what it feels like to see someone like you starring in a major superhero film. When Princess and the Frog came out I can't tell you how long the line was, how excited the parents were to have a black female role model in the mainstream. Unless you've spent hours searching for baby dolls that looked like you, you couldn't have the same feelings.

Why is representation so important? Because at age 5 my sister started asking for a relaxer. She couldn't stand her hair. The black Barbies she had still had wavy hair and she wanted some too. You think "they didn't bother to make the doll that looks like me because it's ugly and no one wants it...does no one want me?"

Beyond just looking similar, people of the same race share culture. Just search for #blackmoms on Twitter. From my understanding some of those experiences will extended to African folks still on the continent. Of course not all of it (that's why #africanparents exists). Why? Because they have different traditions, the weather, the crops are different over there. However, black Americans and Africans got plenty in the center of that Venn Diagram.

I was searching for the group non-default race people on this site because I knew that Non-Whiteness and Jediism would be in the middle of our Venn Diagram.

Being a Jedi does not mean you automatically see every angle. I miss more stuff than I see. And when we think we have the whole picture, that's when the real trouble starts. Objectivity is an ugly illusion, in my opinion.

Issues of race and privelidge are difficult to discuss. People tend to treat their own experiences as the norm, so if they don't experience it, it must not be so. Our community is not significantly better about his stuff than any other. I suspect I don't really need to tell you that.

And I'm sorry that you had a bad experience some members of our clergy. I am more than happy to listen about it, should you decide you would like to speak.

Getting your foot in the door can be tricky sometimes. Don't let a weird first impression scare you off.

this is a community of people who identify with the jedi ideal

it so happens that white people are the most awkward and nerdy people that live, and if you really want to find the cultural identifier that unites us (other than the obvious JEDI moniker) it would probably be "nerd"

therefore you will find a lot of white people in any jedi community

just as you will find them (white people) in any superhero comic (oh sorry GRAPHIC NOVEL )community or any board game community or any cos play community or any place where gentle people get to play silly games without judging each other

frustrating as it might be, white people are everywhere, and ESPECIALLY they are wherever people dress up in funny clothes and pretend to have super powers lol

which isnt to say that we dont do our best to be mature and "serious" with our ideas here at totjo; we do

but this community is unified by its fascination with the jedi archetype

if you are interested in participating in such a community, then this is will likely be a place that you can benefit from and contribute to

and youre contributions would be appreciated

if youre interested in being a part of a community that is unified by its shared racial identity, then probably this isnt a good fit,

youre clearly an intelligent person, i hope that we can be friends, and i do hope that you find the camaraderie that youre looking for

I do it myself sometimes, so I will not condemn anyone, but people post off topic sometimes and I hope people reread the thread before they hit submit.

My mom would tell me to sit on my hands while playing chess for the same reason.

I didn't see anything wrong with your original post and I had nothing real to contribute so I didn't...until I saw it derailing. I think that it was a poor first impression, but I hope you stick around.

Many of us just don't know...and it would be nice if someone who did shared.

Cabur Senaar wrote: Being a Jedi does not mean you automatically see every angle.

Issues of race and privilege are difficult to discuss. People tend to treat their own experiences as the norm, so if they don't experience it, it must not be so.

This is so very true, for both ends of the spectrum. While I may never see or understand the struggles of the under privileged, there are struggles that I experience, that they will most likely never see.

There is a fundamental difference with all people, we each see things and experience things differently, so there really is no societal norm, but as Cabur said "People tend to treat their own experiences as the norm". One of my struggles is to understand that, because I will never be followed around a department store like my darker skinned friends will be, so I have no real benchmark to judge that issue with. I think it's hard for most people to see past their own experiences. I often tell people "I'm just a regular guy, and if I can do it anybody can", but that is really not the truth because as a light skinned guy with an above average IQ there are more opportunities for me to succeed. Yes, I worked my tail off and made huge sacrifices to get ahead, but there were more initial opportunities come my way.

Just know that there very few people of color here, so you may not find anyone that fully understand what you have experienced because of the color of your skin, but don't hold that against us. Tell us your truth, and give us a change to better understand. What you will find is a lot more people that understand the spiritual journey you are on, because many of us share similar spiritual life experiences - we started out somewhere else, and gravitated here because the we saw the message as truth. If you too see some truth in our message, then maybe you can learn something from us, and maybe even help us to see a side of life that we wouldn't normally be exposed to.

Thank you Mahogany for speaking up.

I can't say I've lived your struggles - but I have had a wee taste of them, having lived for a year as a visible minority (a white person in Asia) - not the same, I know, but it's something, ha ha! I know, at least, how important it is to well-being to have people around you with similar cultural experiences. If I met another white person (hell, any non-Asian person, really) in Seoul, we were instant besties simply due to a shared culture in a land where were were not the norm.

I think it's so so important for experiences like yours to be heard. Those who aren't aware of their privilege/position must learn to recognize that there are others who may have things working against them that they can't control (race, sexuality, physical or mental disability, gender, etc)

I'm white. I can't help that I have a certain level of privilege. But what I can do is listen, try understand, and ideally add my voice to yours should you need the support. I hear you

I hope that you can find the fellowship that you seek here within the Temple, and May The Force Be With You!

Please don't give up on this community based on a few that refuse to see other points of view just yet, Mahogany.

And I would like to suggest that the BEST reason for you to pursue becoming a clergy member is because we don't have enough representation from other races and experiences. Being a member of the clergy doesn't make one a master of anything but that content on the site, injecting your experience into that content could truly change the game for some folks and open doors.

I'm a member of the clergy too (a seminarian still) and there are so many big-hearted, awesome people involved in the group. Most of the clergy are here not only to help, but to understand, and represent what is best about who we are.

Mahoganygipson,

You made a discriminatory post. I'm surprised that you thought the discussion would go in any other direction. You posted issues that are ubiqutous to the human condition and used it as justification to dismiss an entire group of people and their experiences based on the color of their skin.

- Mindas Ar'ran

Mindas Arran wrote: Mahoganygipson,

You made a discriminatory post. I'm surprised that you thought the discussion would go in any other direction. You posted issues that are ubiqutous to the human condition and used it as justification to dismiss an entire group of people and their experiences based on the color of their skin.
- Mindas Ar'ran

NOPE

Mindas Arran wrote: Mahoganygipson,

You made a discriminatory post. I'm surprised that you thought the discussion would go in any other direction. You posted issues that are ubiqutous to the human condition and used it as justification to dismiss an entire group of people and their experiences based on the color of their skin.

- Mindas Ar'ran

Respectfully, I disagree. There is no harm in looking for people with whom one shares context.