Day 183 – Need to change

Yesterday I was in Goodwill shopping for an awesome 80s costume for an upcoming concert when I heard a young lady scolding an 80+ year old working in the store.  Apparently the older women had asked her to pick something up off the floor and when she did not the older lady yelled at her.  Now of course nobody likes to be yelled at, but the first thing the young customer said was, “Just because I’m Hispanic doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”  Wait a minute.  Back up.  First, nobody said you were stupid.  Second, nobody said anything about your race/ethnicity.  You got yelled at by an old lady.  She might always be always grouchy, she might be having a crappy day, her job might suck, but she didn’t say anything to you about being Hispanic. 

If we are ever really going to embrace diversity, sometimes those of us who are minorities need to remember that not everything that happens to us is a result of that minority status.  Give people the benefit of the doubt before we play the race/gender/ethnicity card.  Maybe you didn’t get that job because you were not the most qualified.  Maybe that person didn’t greet you with enthusiasm because they are tired.  I know giving the benefit of the doubt is sometimes hard based on our past experiences, but if we really want things to change, we need to be willing to believe they can and are changing.