“Smart People” is a recent play written by Lydia R. Diamond, in which several characters struggle to handle the ideas of race and sex. Taking place in 2008, before the inauguration of Obama, America’s first black president, this play examines the state of race in America in what is supposed to be a post-racial time. The characters are all educated liberals, as they are all associated with Harvard or other respectable institutions, yet they still struggle with their own racial identities and those of others. In particular, the characters of Brian and Jackson are seen throughout the play struggling to make sense of their identities, even though they come from very different worlds. The overall message of this play is to demonstrate that regardless of the time or a person’s background, everyone struggles with race. Therefore, what follows below is a look at two of the main characters, Brian and Jackson, and how they are more similar in this regard than they appear.

Brian White is a well-known professor of neuroscience at Harvard. His focus has been studying race, in particular whether or not people are hard-wired to respond to racial differences or whether or not it is a conscious choice, which helps form the premise of the play. Of course, his work makes a lot of people uncomfortable. For example, a recent appearance on NPR embarrassed the university, as it demonstrated that they were not doing enough to make the university more equal, something that was labeled “aggressive passivity.” Because of this his punishment is to teach ungrateful undergraduate students. This character is a “white male patriarchal asshole” by his own admission, in that he comes from privileged classes of society and is forced to take an outside view of the plight of other marginalized groups. Although he means well, he is unable to successfully navigate racial relations in America.

On the other hand, Jackson Moore is an intern at a Boston area teaching hospital for surgeons, and on the side he helps run a local clinic for people that cannot afford health insurance. As an African American, Jackson has his own struggles to navigate successfully through America, as his race has set up a unique set of obstacles that he must overcome, which has made him hyper aware of racism. He is shown to be somewhat of a hothead, particular when it comes to what he thinks might be due to race. In particular, he seems to be oversensitive to criticism from his white superiors, as he assumes it is racially charged. Jackson is also portrayed as having major concern for race when he seems to like Valerie’s, his new girlfriend who is also black, enjoyment of hot sauce. This is also the case when he looks down on her for doing house cleaning jobs, something their grandmothers were forced to do. Overall, he is portrayed as a person that is aware of the racism that surrounds him and is not sure how to go about fixing it, as if he is frustrated.

While these two characters come from different worlds and have a unique perspective on race in America, they also have a lot of similarities. First of all, this play is not just about race but about marginalized groups. These two characters are both straights males, meaning they enjoy certain benefits over other groups that are often oppressed by society. In other words, they are very similar in that they both know what it is like to have power over other people. This can be seen in the way Brain speaks to Ginny and the way Jackson speaks to Valerie. That is, they both speak down to them due their privilege. Second, both of these characters are successful. Brian is a professor and Jackson, although he is only an intern, is on track to move upward in society quickly. This is because they are ambitious and intelligent. Both characters are hard working and have received a high level of education, making them very similar, despite their outward differences. Lastly, they are both well meaning individuals. Although, they approach it differently, both are concerned with the plight of marginalized groups. Brain has taken a more scientific approach to it, while Jackson is more hands on, yet both desire the same outcome.

In the end, the main point of the playwright is that even amongst educated liberals the issues of race, gender, etc. are not easy to cope with. That is, as people struggle to succeed and find happiness, discrimination in some form is likely to get in the way, regardless of who you are. To get this point across, the playwright created a variety of characters that overlapped in a variety of ways, which showed that people’s similarities and differences are more than just skin deep. The characters of Brian and Jackson are more similar than meets the eye, thus demonstrating the author’s point. That is, they come from very different backgrounds and have a different perspective on marginalized groups, yet they both have the shared experience of being successful, educated males. Of course, this is a lesson that everyone can use because everyone, regardless of who they are or their upbringing, is in some way involved in the struggle between marginalized groups and those in power. The idea is to focus not on the superficial differences but on the similarities which help people relate to one another.