Being of color in America by no means amounts to a constant barrage of negativity. However, unlike being white, being of color means one's race is a constant issue.
John RidleyRead
Why do we cling to bigotry? Because bigotry, plainly, is convenient. It is a near-effortless way to both elevate one's stature and make a pity grab in this culture of victims that we have become.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Bigotry is an easy way for individuals to feel superior and gain sympathy within a victim culture.
In this quote, John Ridley addresses the reasons behind the prevalence of bigotry, suggesting that it serves as a convenient means for individuals to assert superiority over others. By reinforcing prejudiced beliefs, individuals elevate their social status while simultaneously positioning themselves as victims in a society that often rewards such narratives. This reflects a deeper commentary on societal dynamics, where convenience takes precedence over critical thinking and empathy.
Themes
BigotryConvenienceSocietyVictimSuperiority
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on social issues, one might quote this to highlight the dangers of using prejudice as a means of identity.
More from John Ridley
All quotes βSlavery was not a bad day on the job. It was not your boss yelling at you. It was not hard work for little pay. This was a full system of human subjugation.
John RidleyRead
People of color grow up steeped in 'white' culture. The reverse is not true. And, no, listening to hip-hop on the way to work does not count as immersion.
John RidleyRead
For children, diversity needs to be real and not merely relegated to learning the names of the usual suspects during Black History Month or enjoying south-of-the-border cuisine on Cinco de Mayo. It means talking to and spending time with kids not like them so that they may discover those kids are in fact just like them.
John RidleyRead
Similar quotes
There are many, many nouns for the act of looking - a glance, a glimpse, a peep - but there's no noun for the act of listening. In general, we don't think primarily about sound. So I have a different perspective on the world; I can construct soundscapes that have an effect on people, but they don't know why. It's a sort of subterfuge.
Walter MurchRead
It is a tragic mix-up when the United States spends 500,000 for every enemy soldier killed, and only 53 annually on the victims of poverty.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
I started off believing all men were equal. I now know that's the most unlikely thing ever to have been, because millions of years have passed over evolution, people have scattered across the face of this earth, been isolated from each other, developed independently, had different intermixtures between races, peoples, climates, soils... I didn't start off with that knowledge. But by observation, reading, watching, arguing, asking, that is the conclusion I've come to.
Lee Kuan YewRead
Propositions show what they say: tautologies and contradictions show that they say nothing.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
Lost, lost! one moment knelled the woe of years.
Robert BrowningRead
Christianity is at its best when it is peculiar, marginalized, suffering, and it is at its worst when it is popular, credible, triumphal, and powerful.
Shane ClaiborneRead