Julia, I am not suggesting a discussion primarily among non-African ancestry people is valueless, just less valuable.
The problem is, that every time we start to get at something that seems to be in the direction 2wins suggests, we are met with resistance, denial or philosophizing.
what I know for certain is that I approach differently colored, differently abled, and differently dressed people with a set of preconceptions. I, like many people, try to mask that preconception and not act upon it, but it is there.
When I drive through certain areas I lock my car doors, but not in others. Some areas I won't even drive through. I consider myself to be very non-prejudiced in my conduct, but then most of us do.
I know that I carry many opinions about how badly many groups have been treated by whites, and even though I have done little of such bad behavior myself, I carry shame for it having been done.
Some here criticize that sense of shame and eschew "group responsibility". To me that seems preposterous and something only a privileged person would say. They disagree.
I try to look through the eyes of people I know extremely well who are non-white, non-European or differently abled. I can get a glimmer of how the world looks, but only that. I try my best to listen to what they say on the subject, but notice it is very difficult to get the kinds of opinions I am told are uttered between people of the same "category."
That rings true because I know that among my gay friends we speak one way about other people and our experiences than we do with non-gay people. It is just the way it is. Fortunately for me and my friends, America is more open to honesty about gay matters.
But I think the gap between the "white" experience and the "black", "brown", and "yellow" experiences is still large, significant and daunting.
