I have a folder in my e-mail client (Evolution) full of messages to myself about stuff to write about and research. If I had enough time, I could have probably six or seven fully researched and properly composed posts here every day. I keep thinking this will help educate people and maybe make a positive change or two (i.e. viral informative articles to people misled by others).
Very often, I come to a point where I’m completely frustrated with the lack of time. Recently, however, I came to the point where I notice lots of Americans are completely misinformed, ignorant, and stubborn. The racist and completely off the wall comments about people make me think that I need to quit wasting my time trying to spread the truth and open eyes. For some background, I grew up with a father who has very dark skin as he was part Cherokee. He grew up very poor in a part of the country that isn’t exactly “arms open wide” to minorities. Needless to say, he taught me quite a bit (in action and words) about how to treat people. For the longest time, I was completely oblivious to racism. I honestly had no clue that there was still antisemitism until the age of 19 or 20. Although growing up I saw hatred and racism from many white people against black people. Most of them aren’t exposed to culture outside of small-town America. Most of them are exposed to the poor and uneducated black population that the country has failed to reach out to. They don’t realize there is an entire population of white people, commonly called white trash, that exist with white skin that are uneducated, addicted to drugs, lie, cheat, steal there way through life just like the “n******” they say they hate. Barely any of them have met a minority that has had the same opportunity as them (two parents, middle-class family, high school and college education) and they build this mindset of prejudice that turns them into the backwards, ignorant, racist, sheltered individuals.
No, I will not be pulling the “I have a black friend” card. I’m going to tell the truth. I have some family members and friends that are racist. How hard is it to hear hate spewing from the mouths of the people you love and stand there silently? Very hard. Maybe if these people would have had the same experiences as me they wouldn’t be racist. Maybe they had the chance to have the same experiences and slammed the door shut. Who knows. I find myself becoming more and more of a hermit because I’m embarrassed that people associate me with this mindset. I have people that have come in and out of my life who are black, Hispanic, Asian, a mix of any of those, who I tremendously respect and would die if they knew I accepted the racist comments and mindset.
All I have to say is, every single time I hear a racist comment from someone, they’re losing respect. The more I hear it, the less I hear you, the less I will associate with you, the less I care that you exist. This goes to anyone. I don’t care if you are family or friend, if you’re an ignorant, racist, hateful white/black/etc. person, you’re moving out of my life one slur at a time. I don’t feel bad about it. I feel that the less people in my life with that mindset, the better off I am. There are so many expletives I’d like to share with you on your way out of my life but I won’t. I will just shut the door and you won’t have to worry about me anymore.
For those of you who deal with the same issues, I’m right there with you. For those of you who have the power to shut the door, I’m right there with you. For those of you who are a minority and have to deal with these issues from a different perspective than the average white male, realize that it isn’t white versus black in any stretch of the imagination. It is ignorance and insecurity from the weak of every race that creates racism.
I would like to thank those of you who have given me an informed view of other races by way of a friendship. I would like to thank my dad for giving me the vision and integrity of seeing people as people and not as stereotypes.
And in an odd way, I’d like to thank the loudmouthed racist people who have shown their true colors in front of me. It was so nice of you to make it easy on me to get you out of my life.
4 comments so far
I don’t have ALL the answers to racism, but I do have a theory. Laziness. Simple as that . . . I think that racists are generally lazy people. Rather than spending their time and effort on getting to know soneone by way of (positive) interaction, they would rather just mumble some racial slur under their breath and keep on walking.
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:15 pm
It could be. It has grown to be so horribly apparent that theres a huge list that laziness is a cause of. I mean, laziness is the problem when it comes to:
parenting
education
politics
racism
etc. etc. etc.
So basically, the problem is laziness. And the fix is?
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
The fix? I don’t know . . .
In a country where you can have nearly anything your heart desires delivered to your front door overnight, it’s hard not to get lazy. I think we have it so good here that we have come to EXPECT everything to be handed to us easily.
An example - my father came up to visit last month and while he was here he helped me install a new washer/dryer in our home. While we were working he told me a story from his childhood. His father (a truck driver) worked out a deal with one of his customer to take a new dryer as payment for delivering a truck-load of them. My father, a small boy at the time, still remembers vividly his mother weeping out loud when she saw her husband bringing their very own electric clothes dryer into the house.
Just two generations back, people had appreciation for the things they had . . . and were willing to work hard for the things they wanted. I am not sure exactly what’s changed in fifty years, but I do know that few of us appreciate simple things, we simply expect them. Few of us are willing to work hard to get ahead . . . what’s the point when the government programs give you MORE money to sit around the house then you can make working full time for minimum wage?
By that logic, maybe I have just talked myself into the answer I could not come to originally - the fix: stop paying people to sit at home. People may be more apt to make something of themselves if we stop paying them not too.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
That’s one way to fix it. But if politicians keep running on that policy, and the majority are lazy, they will vote for those politicians, correct?
I mean at some point you have to either get someone in there to stop the free money or convince the people not to vote for their free money. It is just like the wealthy voting against a progressive tax. Why would they want to not get every last dollar they can for themselves? Why would they voluntarily give more than their “fair share”?
I think people look at things in an incredibly shallow fashion. If the rich would pay more of their money (percentage wise) for taxes, there wouldn’t be a huge gap between the poor and the wealthy. This helps with crime and health care. Look at countries in Europe with high taxes. Their crime is low, they have better education and health care than Americans, and their quality of life is ranked higher. You can argue the “well they’re not as big as we are” point but bottom line is, we have over 300 million people in this country (legally) that could be contributing in a system where we didn’t go to sleep at night worried that, if something happens and they get sick, they’re now in a huge hole that will take them a lifetime to get out of.
You know my medical history, what would happen if my parents had to pay $926k out of pocket for my illness? I’d be dead. Luckily they were both government workers with government insurance. Is everyone that lucky? Absolutely not. Does cancer care if you’re insured or not? Absolutely not. Do insurance companies do everything they can to reduce the amount they pay out? Absolutely. Does this infuriate the people who can’t afford good insurance? If we put ourselves in their position, we can understand why it would be hard to deal with not getting handouts.
You can also see the side of the people running business and ask why they would have to pay more than their “fair share”… Bottom line is if you look at the mass majority of the wealthy, they’re making it off the backs of the middle and lower class. They’re fighting the minimum wage increases. They’re dropping benefits such as insurance. They’re doing what is best for them and for their bank account with no regards for the future and the middle and lower class. They want to make their dime and retire as quick as possible. Let the next generation deal with the repercussions.
I think it is passed time for Americans to “man up” and realize that other Americans affect us greatly. Our culture is killing us.
February 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am
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