Awesome Rose!

What an awesome young lady! Rose on Black. White., that is. There are six people living in that house and I think she's the only one who's truly beginning to 'get it'.

On last night's show, she sat talking with her mom and basically (because I can't remember verbatim) said, "I can put on the makeup and experience the stares and the slights, but I cannot truly be black because I was not raised in that culture. I am not black. I do not carry within me the centuries of oppression and slavery which is a part of their culture. And they cannot put on makeup and truly become white because they were not raised white." She recognizes that there may be a barrier there that cannot be overcome ... and truly respects and is awed by what she has learned, and manages to hear, truly hear, when her stereotypes are challenged, so that her understanding is broadened.

One of the African-American teens pointed out to Rose that some of her cultural expectations regarding an innate family-ship among those of African descent were built on expecting all blacks, regardless of background, to feel that same kinship and rootedness in the African culture. She told Rose that she grew up in this country and her family came from slave roots, but that she was completely disconnected from the African aspect of her background. Rose is beginning to understand that it isn't just skin color which determines one's cultural understanding. Watching Rose grow has been the most truly fascinating part of this six-week show.

I'm not sure if it's the way the producers have cut the rest of the footage, but I've gotten frustrated with the rest of the people in the show. Well, I probably oughta give Carmen a bit of a break - she is at least recognizing that life in the other culture does have strictures that she wasn't truly aware of earlier. There has been a subtle shift in the focus of the Spark family. Now it is not so much about how they experience being white, but on how Nick is not culturally aware of his blackness and on teaching the others in the show what being African-American is about.

The interesting thing is that I think Nick may be struggling with his identity, regardless of culture, and simply trying to find a place where he fits in. It's only after he reveals that he's really black, not white, that he encourages the rest of his etiquette class to use the N-word. And truly doesn't seem to understand one of the girl's discomfort and objection to its usage, even though she's white and even though she's been given permission by an African-American to use the word. My guess is that Nick slipped back into some subconscious cultural expectations - whites expect blacks to use the N-word and feel comfortable about it - and put on the role when he was faced with the experience.

I guess I'm just going to slog on through until the end, if only to see if Rose has any impact on the rest of the participants.