esrosedotblog

We had no idea when we came here that California was so brown. It never occurred to me that so called "racial issues" could be about not blacks and whites but about browns and whites.

I say "browns" and "whites" because this better describes the basic issue. Color of skin is a divider, a sorter, a category maker.

There are not a lot of epithets. Color just is. If you are brown then you are not white. I know. This sounds stupid and at rock bottom it is. But it is a consideration of basic values and judgements.

When we got here I noticed that very few local people had tans. Worth noting. There are good reasons for this. The uv concentration in the desert is pretty high. But it also means that being paler has greater value than being brown. Tan.

This is only my theory. No studies on this one.

But now, there is a lot of data on the changing complexion of California which is thought by many to be the harbinger of national change.

Turmoil Over Immigration Status? California Has Lived It for Decades

Interesting and informative and, as far as I can tell, right on accurate.

You can't see it very clearly but we live right smack dab in one of the most orange areas. Over 15% brown. Tan. Hispanic maybe.

Most of the activities I engage in are mixed. I don't think about it. But be with people that do and it is apparent that it is on the minds of those who segregate themselves. Meaning the whites, the anglos, the pinks.

On the other hand, some people work hard to integrate themselves with what is really the original, the aboriginal, indigenous population. Some people have gone so far as to take up speaking spanglish which I would do if I was young enough but is somehow out of my reach.

The layers of class are stronger. The guys (and one woman occasionally) who clean our house are brown. So are all the gardeners we hire in the condo complex. When they say we have "lived it" out here they are right. But for the most part we don't do a lot about it. All I can do is be a good client to Sergio and the guys. A thoughtful employer when I am acting on the condo board. And never, never, never participate in a conversation that hinges on "those people". And, if possible, express my disagreement with such bullshit. My small part.

Labels: immigration