Anthony Eichberger
1 min readApr 24, 2021

--

I should have clarified that Point B is something one can just mentally consider -- not necessarily verbalize it out loud to the other person. In fact, I'd say DON'T verbalize it to them unless they specifically bring it up (or if they solicit the topical discussion).

Also, this isn't to say all Black people have the same experience, all Indigenous people have the same experience, all APIDA people have the same experience, etc. -- it's acknowledging, to oneself, that there are specific cultural patterns that tend to affect people belonging to certain ethnicities in distinctive ways. Now, as somebody develops an actual friendship with somebody else, they'll learn to what extent/magnitude their friend actually identifies with those cultural patterns relevant to their own life.

So it's more a matter of being aware of likelihood...and then, such conditions can end up as part of the dialogue if/when you cultivate a stronger relationship with them.

To answer your ending question, more directly: based on your skin tone in your profile picture, I would have a base-level consciousness of the possibility that you may have been unjustly targeted by law enforcement, you may have had your intelligence questioned by others, et. al. But, I would also want to get to know you and exchange thoughtful dialogue with you, over time, rather than automatically making those proclamations about your life as absolutes. After all, I don't know your exact composition of ethnic background, nor have we talked with each other about our respective childhoods, adolescences, etc. -- that's all part of the learning experience.

--

--

Anthony Eichberger
Anthony Eichberger

Written by Anthony Eichberger

Gay. Millennial. Pagan/Polytheist. Disabled. Rural-Born. Politically-Independent. Fashion-Challenged. Rational Egoist. Survivor. #AgriWarrior (Deal With It!)

Responses (1)