Times change, at least that’s what you believe and hope for. However, some people still judge others for their actions from years past. Several days ago I received a phone call from an old high school friend who said, “Stellbread, (my nickname), I read some of your articles on the internet and noticed that about one in five contains the words’ race ‘,’ racista ‘or’ racism ‘in the title. Do you still hate whites? “
I said, “I don’t hate white people. I hate racists. Being ‘anti-white’ means harboring white hatred for no other reason than to be white. That’s the sign of a weak mind, and it smells like mental illness. in my book. “
“Well, I remember in high school, you were excited about the revolution and fighting the police and all that,” he replied.
“I graduated from high school in my junior year,” I reminded him. “For the record, that was about three decades ago. A lot can change in three days, let alone decades.”
His statement made me think about what an older man had told me almost twenty years ago: “If you are in your forties and you continue doing the same things as in your twenties, life has taught you nothing.”
When I was young I spoke out against racism, but with more fervor than anticipated. As a middle-aged man, my statements are tempered by research and the ability to analyze things based on age and experience. For the most part, everyone is trying to make it through life without too much drama. I have always had the ability to get along with people. But many times these people have exposed the fact that they have disdain for blacks. This ranges from the “slip” of the lip and the use of the “n-word” to an actual physical attack on a black person.
I worked fourteen years in a steel mill in Pittsburg, California, and for the most part, I got along with just about everyone. But I also witnessed overt racism every day. My bosses and coworkers wondered why I seemed to have a chip on my shoulder. As I said before, a racist will not accuse himself. He will cover his hatred with euphemistic terminology or rationalize his actions by resorting to some rule, or whatever. In short, racists don’t realize they are sick, or they know it and, as the saying goes, “they have no shame in their game.” These are the people I fight.
But as with any ideological battle, convincing one to modify his forms or words is impossible. In short, racism will always be a reality. Talking about it is necessary, but you have to go further. To what extent depends on the individual.
I think this country is full of idealists who would like to amend the racial divide. However noble your intention, such a task is impossible. Martin Luther King had a dream, but for the most part it cannot come true. Many share that dream and refuse to wake up from it. What King imagined is out of this world. (As a child I used to call him MARTIAN Luther King sometimes, for that very reason.)
As individuals, it takes more than treating each other with respect and trying to understand each other’s point of view. Every angry black man is not like that because he is fashionable. However, few people try to find out the reasons why there is such anger. It is easier to “assume”. Those who explore the subject are often faced with their own racism, which is painful and sometimes causes the viewer to plunge into denial or an angry tirade. Many cite wrong data or outright lies. They use such studies and statistics, as the saying goes, “as a drunkard uses a lamppost; for support instead of lighting.” (Shockley and Jensen come to mind).
These are the people who equate the high crime rates in the ghetto to mean that everyone in that area has a genetic predisposition to break the law. They believe that lower scores on so-called “intelligence tests” are a verification of the inferiority of blacks.
Oh America, we have seen the enemy and it is us.