"What you focus on expands"

Admittedly, I tend to see the word through rose-colored glasses. This often makes me naïve to many of the world’s evils. I believe this course is helping me see the world a little clearer, especially as it related to race. However, one point from the article  “Nine Themes in Campus Racial Climates and Implications for Institutional Transformation” really has me heated. Harper and Hurtado cite a research study conducted by Swim in 2003 that I have a serious issue with. Whether using my rose-colored or newly acquired racial lenses, either way I find this study problematic.

Before I go into the study, I want to introduce a friend’s blog post that is influencing my strong feelings.  This entry has been fixed in my mind since the day she wrote it. For those of you who do not want to read her story, I will summarize. My friend Ali had a baby young and this post tells the story of the horrible looks and comments some women would make to her when she was pregnant and now when she’s out with her daughter. She let herself internalize these criticisms that perpetually made her feel bad about herself, regardless of the fact that these women knew nothing about her or her situation. They just saw one external characteristic and judged accordingly.  Her realization was that by focusing on the hate directed toward her, it was expanding and controlling her life. By concentrating on the misguided hate in the world, it allows it to become ubiquitous.

In the study conduced by Swim, black participants were asked to keep a diary and write down every time they experienced racism or perceived racist acts. Two occurrences noted by students in this study included “unfriendly looks” and “bad service received in the dining hall,” both of which were attributed to racism. My first thought went immediately to Ali’s blog post. Not only were these participants solely focusing on hatred, they were out looking for it! How this study must have affected the internal well being of its participants! Once they started looking for it, were they able to stop? 

My next thought seriously questioned the implications of racism experienced during this study. Unfriendly looks and bad service?  I honestly believe my list of these occurrences would be just as long as those in the study. Most likely these events would be triggered by an outwardly displayed quality; they didn’t like my shirt, I wasn’t smiling so I looked unfriendly, I bought the last slice of pizza in the buffet line that they wanted, or maybe, in some situations, they have preconceived notions about individuals with the color of my skin… or all brunettes are boring… or all Italians smell bad. People judge for all sorts of irrational reasons. Race is just one of many nonsensical explanations.

However, my glasses are not so rosy that I refuse to see racism as a problem altogether. In fact, in the same study, some students also reported derogatory and stereotypical verbal remarks, which should absolutely be addressed. There is a line between fixating on every potentially judging glance and letting yourself be a doormat to clear discriminatory acts. Stand up and fight back when necessary, but don’t turn everyday into a fight.

I’ll close with a conversation I recently had about racism with my stepbrother, who is Hispanic and one of the most positive people I know. I was asking him about racism on his college campus and about any personal racist occurrences he’s experienced. He couldn’t name one. Instead he pointed out all the good things his college was doing to decrease racism.  He then commented, “I think most Hispanics spend way too much energy focusing on racism. Why focus on the negative? If you don’t label yourself as ‘different,’ no one else will either.”

So to steal the quote from my wise friend, “what you focus on expands…” If you focus on the negatives in the world, then negative will be all you see. Concentrate on the positive and “expand love.”