Are you a voicist?

I was 17 years old when I watched a celebratory interview with Daley Thompson who had just won his second gold medal in the Olympic Decathlon.   I had been rooting for our American competitors but really understood nothing about the sport; but because these were the Olympic Games  I joined the rest of America in rooting for Team USA.  I still recall my surprise, not that Daley Thompson won, but for the first time in my life I heard a black man speaking with a British accent.  

Eight years later I found myself in a law school lounge chatting with some classmates about our new shared experience.  We discussed where we came from, some basic life and world views and other typical topics when you are getting to know someone.  One of the men was a black man who had come out West to study.  His experience still shocks me.  

He arrived about a month before school started so that he could get settled before diving into the law student routine.  During the 30 days before school started he was pulled over eight times.  On none of those occasions was he cited.  Whether you call it racial profiling or something else, that experience is so foreign to me.  I like to believe that I judge people on the "content of their character" rather than the "color of their skin."   I still smile when I recall an episode when I was dating a woman with African heritage and someone close to me asked, "You know she's black?"  Of course, I knew that but what difference does that make. 

But what about the sound of the voice? 

When I hear a voice, I imagine what the person must look like. I am usually wrong.  I typically attach a relationship of intelligence, culture, and manners with a British accent. I was surprised when I spent a couple weeks in England to listen to other Brits talk about themselves with obvious levels of disdain depending upon the accent of the speaker.  It was a little like the "you know you're a redneck" jokes but with a highfalutin accent.  

I suspect that despite my efforts to the contrary there exist racist parts of my being.  I certainly associate certain speaking patterns with black people.  I am still surprised when someone from the Deep South gives a presentation about brain wave patterns during child development.  Because I speak Spanish, I am too quick to assume the the hispanic people I meet share the same ability.  

Though frustrated and angered by my friend's experience, I do not know it.  I cannot imagine how I would plan my life if I had to account for a twice-a-week encounter with law enforcement.  I don't consider myself racist but I might just be a voicist.  I will continue to work on the quality of the judgments I make and improve their bases.  Curiously I find comfort that I am still a work in progress with much to do.