Recycling and Racial Stereotypes

My father’s sister, Ruthie and her husband Tom started an empire in trash called Crown Disposal.  Legend has it they won a prize on a game show and sold it for a dump truck.  They would go out everyday and collect trash.  They eventually had a huge landfill and tons of trash trucks and we could climb around in all of it.  We would walk through the dump and try to find treasures.  Uncle Tom told us that he made a ton of money just by the trash people threw away.  They had a big huge sorting machine and it would sort the trash by type. 

This was 30 years ago and one day while I was at their house, my Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Tom started to explain to me how they took the trash they sorted and they were going to turn it into something new.  For example, the margarine container was going to be turned into a clear plastic container that could be used for soda.  How could this be?  This sounds like the most magical idea EVER.  That night, an important man was going to come over from Mexico and he was going to be taking the paper and turning it into toilet paper.  WHAT???  This was all insane!  I could not wait to meet the Mexican Magician. 

The doorbell rang and at the door stood a tall man, with blonde hair, green eyes, tan skin and a huge smile.  This was the Mexican?  Impossible!  My Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Tom welcomed him into the house and he sat next to me on the couch.  Could they not see what I saw?  There was an imposter on the couch and no one was doing anything.  I couldn’t stop staring at him.  It was so obvious and slightly awkward that he finally turned to me, looked in my 5 year old eyes and said, “Well, hello young lady.” 

“You don’t look like a Mexican.” I stated. 

My aunt and uncle giggled nervously and he said, “Oh! Well you must be wondering why I have light hair and eyes.  There are different regions in Mexico and people come in all sorts of color combinations.  Some people, like myself are decedents of the European Spaniards and they tend to have lighter skin.”  This night was blowing my mind. 

Racial stereotypes were crashing down all around me and I didn’t know what to do.  On the one hand, it was exciting to learn more about different cultures, but on the other hand, racial stereotypes felt safe.  If I could look at someone and identify them with something I understood, then I felt like I knew something about them and that was comforting.  But now, everything was different.  I didn’t really know anything about anyone.  

I knew that my blatant staring through dinner was inappropriate, but he was so kind and so patient.  My aunt and uncle let me go through my process as they could see this was a big moment for me.  I felt so much older and wiser after dinner.  I felt like I knew something that other people my age didn’t know.  No matter what you looked like, you could be anything. 

Although he will never know it, the Mexican Magician was kind of a hero for me.  He not only obliterated my racial stereotypes, but he also made old newspaper into fresh soft white toilet paper. 

Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Tom now own Community Recycling, as well as two sister companies that turn trash into usable energy.  They are not only my entrepreneurial inspiration but also total environmental magicians.