Today I had a rather interesting conversation randomly with a black security guard in the street that has sparked this blog post.
I mentioned I'm from New York and everything spiraled from there. To my surprise, he said: Isn't New York all divided? With the blacks in one place, the whites another, and hispanics elsewhere?" I was so surprised to hear that! Even more weird, I also heard this another time from a friend of mine, a California resident and native. Does everyone in California think this way about New York or something? It must not be all of California because no such misconceptions exist in LA or Southern California. In fact, LA is very similar to New York and most residents of LA have at some point in their lives lived in NY or visit it often and they know all about it. In fact, it is one of the reasons why I have been able to fit into LA so easily.
Let me just say here for the benefit of all Northern California folks: this is untrue! It's a very [annoying] myth actually, because New York is actually known for its immense diversity since ever! In fact, when I moved to North California last year, I missed the diversity in New York. I felt like it is more divided here. Most black people seem to be exiled to one part of Oakland--East Oakland. To whoever you say "East Oakland", they usually get scared or disgusted even! It has become synonymous with the lesser. I know certain white people personally, who refuse to even go there and try their best to not even go to places that might be located there. Sure, you hear about shootings in East Oakland or other treacherous and criminal acts. In my opinion, this is all because of this damn stigma and fear that is going around about it. Nobody goes there to take care of it. It needs care, the people need care and love. Instead, everybody seem to practice fear and hate.
Whether it's New York or Northern California or Southern California, it seems like certain stigmas exist. Don't go to the Bronx. Don't go to East Oakland. It seems like it all leads to the same root--fear.
Fear of being mixed. Fear of being different. Fear of acceptance. Fear of hate. And this fear amplifies our stigma and soon we are blended in with the rest of the world in all their fear and this cycle just continues. Rather than coming from a place of love, we step onto this divided world full of fear, masked by ego. Whether it's New York or California, I believe we're in a more diverse place compared to other parts of America and the world, including my own country, Iran. I think we are blessed to be here, but it's not enough. As long as this fear controls our actions and our hearts, we are not free and division still exists.
At the end, I suggested the security guard to visit New York someday as it is not as bad as he has heard to which he exclaimed, "I don't want to be killed! They kill black people there, that's what I heard!" It's unfortunate that these stereotypes even exist but to those who are reading this and believe in this stereotype: it's no truer than the stereotype that if you just pass by East Oakland, you will be shot!" You know this is not true if you're a Bay Area resident or that "Berkeley is filled with thieves." People, this is not true! There are good people or "bad" people everywhere. It doesn't matter if you are white or black or Iranian or European or Indian or Arab or Muslim or Jewish or Sufi or Atheist or Native American or Hispanic or..from any other ethnicity or religion, it's unfair to divide people in such ways or to put them in a box and expect them to be criminals just because they live at a particular neighborhood. We all know that no one is branded to be a thief or murderer when they are born, without any choice in the process. These are all choices that we make. Admittedly, that choice seems to be more difficult for certain people who have less access to certain resources, those who are born to broken homes, poverty, gang-ridden neighborhoods, drugs, etc...
FYI: I was in East Oakland today, waiting for my Uber when I had this unexpected conversation with the security guard. I spent the whole day there, in fact.
I mentioned I'm from New York and everything spiraled from there. To my surprise, he said: Isn't New York all divided? With the blacks in one place, the whites another, and hispanics elsewhere?" I was so surprised to hear that! Even more weird, I also heard this another time from a friend of mine, a California resident and native. Does everyone in California think this way about New York or something? It must not be all of California because no such misconceptions exist in LA or Southern California. In fact, LA is very similar to New York and most residents of LA have at some point in their lives lived in NY or visit it often and they know all about it. In fact, it is one of the reasons why I have been able to fit into LA so easily.
Let me just say here for the benefit of all Northern California folks: this is untrue! It's a very [annoying] myth actually, because New York is actually known for its immense diversity since ever! In fact, when I moved to North California last year, I missed the diversity in New York. I felt like it is more divided here. Most black people seem to be exiled to one part of Oakland--East Oakland. To whoever you say "East Oakland", they usually get scared or disgusted even! It has become synonymous with the lesser. I know certain white people personally, who refuse to even go there and try their best to not even go to places that might be located there. Sure, you hear about shootings in East Oakland or other treacherous and criminal acts. In my opinion, this is all because of this damn stigma and fear that is going around about it. Nobody goes there to take care of it. It needs care, the people need care and love. Instead, everybody seem to practice fear and hate.
Whether it's New York or Northern California or Southern California, it seems like certain stigmas exist. Don't go to the Bronx. Don't go to East Oakland. It seems like it all leads to the same root--fear.
Fear of being mixed. Fear of being different. Fear of acceptance. Fear of hate. And this fear amplifies our stigma and soon we are blended in with the rest of the world in all their fear and this cycle just continues. Rather than coming from a place of love, we step onto this divided world full of fear, masked by ego. Whether it's New York or California, I believe we're in a more diverse place compared to other parts of America and the world, including my own country, Iran. I think we are blessed to be here, but it's not enough. As long as this fear controls our actions and our hearts, we are not free and division still exists.
At the end, I suggested the security guard to visit New York someday as it is not as bad as he has heard to which he exclaimed, "I don't want to be killed! They kill black people there, that's what I heard!" It's unfortunate that these stereotypes even exist but to those who are reading this and believe in this stereotype: it's no truer than the stereotype that if you just pass by East Oakland, you will be shot!" You know this is not true if you're a Bay Area resident or that "Berkeley is filled with thieves." People, this is not true! There are good people or "bad" people everywhere. It doesn't matter if you are white or black or Iranian or European or Indian or Arab or Muslim or Jewish or Sufi or Atheist or Native American or Hispanic or..from any other ethnicity or religion, it's unfair to divide people in such ways or to put them in a box and expect them to be criminals just because they live at a particular neighborhood. We all know that no one is branded to be a thief or murderer when they are born, without any choice in the process. These are all choices that we make. Admittedly, that choice seems to be more difficult for certain people who have less access to certain resources, those who are born to broken homes, poverty, gang-ridden neighborhoods, drugs, etc...
FYI: I was in East Oakland today, waiting for my Uber when I had this unexpected conversation with the security guard. I spent the whole day there, in fact.
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