Picture of Teron Hide

Tuesday, October 21, 1997

Race, clothing only skin deep

REALITY Relax, exposing world to our real selves shouldn’t be so
difficult

Last week, while trying to live through a nasty case of the flu,
I found myself fretting over what to write for my next article.
During this period of recovery, I was listening to the radio hoping
to find at least one radio station that can provide a wide rotation
of consistently good music. (Alas, I can only dream). It happened
that I turned the dial to 92.3 FM, or better known as The Beat.

Usually, there is nothing notably remarkable about this
particular station, but on that day their slogan of "Keepin’ It
Real" with no color lines, caught my attention. This struck me,
because I had never really considered what "Keeping It Real" meant.
In a time when everyone and everything is about images and
perceptions, I got caught trying to interpret a simple, but
abstract, phrase that attempts to seek truth in a world based
around lies. Strangely enough, the aforementioned line seemed to
deal with the subject of perception and image, of which I will
attempt to associate with topics of the student realm.

The first issue that "Keeping It Real" made me consider was
race. Over the last few weeks, there have been an abundance of
articles written about creed and ethnicity. Some were courageous
attempts, but lacked depth, while others were sympathetic, yet a
tad bit demeaning. While sitting at home, I began to read Jeff
Gold’s article "A Recipe for Disaster," and it surprised me. He
tried to play the middleman in a controversial argument that no one
can really win. Gold displayed a remarkable understanding of both
sides, as he attempted to come up with viable solutions to the
problems related with ignorance. It is at this point that I enter
the battlefield.

Does everything have to deal with race? Gold contends that it is
harder to be white in this society. Now, I do mildly agree with
this opinion, but who is to say that it is not hard being
non-white? In other words, it is difficult enough to be a son, a
student, and more importantly, a human being. Perhaps, this is
starting to sound a little idealistic, but this is the goal of
writing a commentary, is it not? The last time I heard, we were all
supposed to be equal, so I plan to level the playing field.

It is true that some minorities do accuse the white man of acts
of injustice. It is also true that there are those who believe that
they or their ancestors have suffered dearly and tend to play the
role of the victim. When Gold stated that the Japanese internment
camps erected during World War II have been taken down, I thought
nothing of it. The camps were terrible things of the past, but the
Japanese-American community does not feel oppressed. Rather, it
follows the saying of previous generations: "Shikata nai." Roughly
translated, it means; what happened, happened. There is nothing
that we can do about it. We can only move on and work harder.

Each of us should be proud of who and what we are, but
understand that this does not make you better or worse than the
person standing next to you. It is much too easy to blame our
problems or troubles on outside forces because of our own
unhappiness with ourselves. Each of us makes mistakes, but it is
very, very hard to accept and admit them to our peers and family.
This is "Keepin’ It Real."

Next, I find myself concerned about everyone’s obsession with
fixing up their car. Okay, it improves performance, and most of the
time it looks good, but it is getting out of hand. C’mon, I asked
one guy if he knew what the racing sticker on his car said. He had
absolutely no idea, but remarked that "it looks cool."

My next question is directed to the people who drive those cars.
Why do they always seem to be mad-dogging (scowling intensely at)
everyone who passes by? Does it make you feel better about yourself
or bad-ass? Is it just me or does no one smile anymore?

At UCLA, seeing people who drive Honda Civics, Accords, Preludes
and Acura Integras is about as unique as people wearing Nikes.
Nowadays, even Beamers are common. How can students afford these
cars? I thought USC was the spoiled, rich school. Once again, it
comes down to trying to hold a defined, raised stature. Do we
really like to acknowledge ourselves in this manner? Or are we just
too insecure with being our own person?

Another disturbing occurrence I find is the stroll down Bruin
Walk. All I see are big-name clothing manufacturers like Structure,
Adidas, Tommy, DKNY, Polo, etc. I could be wrong, but there seems
to be very few individuals, only groups of clones.

Maybe this is not all that bad because to survive in this world,
everyone needs to find a collection of peers who share common
traits and characteristics. This could very well be reality. After
all, this is how we have been raised, and it carries on throughout
our lives. Honestly, for the most part, I also blend in quite well
with the background scenery. I would just very much like to hope
that there is more to all of this than shallow dealings with
materialism and status. It is not so easy to be yourself;
conformity is almost a necessity for the majority of the
population.

Throughout this discussion on defining what "Keepin’ It Real"
means, I find myself in a precarious position. It is easy to
critique so many examples, because while I look upon them with
slight disdain, I cannot help but wonder about being in the
opposite position, about being the suave figure who drives around
in a sporty automobile but can still be received favorably by the
public. I guess I would like to have the best of both worlds:
creating a great first impression and staying true to form. Janet
Jackson has an intro on her new CD that symbolizes what I think
most people feel: "It’s my belief, that we all have the need to
feel special, and it’s this need, that can bring out the best in
us, yet the worst in us." We all get caught up trying to be liked
and respected by our peers, and along the way, we project an image
that is not always truly reflective of ourselves. As fads and
trends change, we all try to keep up in a world that never slows
down.

Conclusively, I was unable to find a steadfast definition for
what "Keepin’ It Real" really means. As one of my roommates tells
me, there is no need to find an underlying message; it means
exactly what it says. This could very well be true, but there has
to be more to it, since most people find it difficult to explain.
Personally, I like to believe that the slogan embraces the need to
stay true to oneself in the face of all challenges. But, that is a
fanciful interpretation and could never survive in a society built
on superficial ideals.

What I am left with is an image of my friends staying up with me
until the wee hours of the morning just talking. Being too tired to
think, we just converse freely. There are no feelings of
defensiveness, simply uninhibited honesty. As Calvin Klein’s
awkward promotions declare, we "Just Be."

While referring to designers like Calvin Klein is not my
favorite pastime, it helps me illustrate a point. My friends and I
are not names, races or genders, but just people. The next time you
have a chance to glance at yourself in the mirror, take a real long
gander. You might be surprised at what you find. Meanwhile, I will
be out in my friend’s BMW 325I, with my Structure clothes, Doc
Marten shoes, Polo Sport cologne, and slicked-back hairstyle. See
ya in the real world.

Teron Hide