I keep
seeing this theme over and over again on television, on the internet and on radio. Every time
there's a meaningful discussion about the state of our nation on the rise.
someone cries "RACISM!" and the whole conversation gets upended and
thrown by the wayside. I heard a man on the radio last night say that it's fine
to disagree with President Obama's policies, but people who criticize him are
racists. If that makes sense to you, then you might as well close this page and
find something else to do today. I'm looking for the people who hear such a
statement and think, "That doesn't make any damn sense." Those people
have common sense and will be able to relate to my frustration. I'm gonna start
out with some Q & A to get the thinking juices flowing (and yes I get to
ask the questions AND answer them):
-Has racism magically disappeared?
NO, and if you think it
has you're lying to yourself.
-Are there absolutely no racist people left in America?
NO,
certainly not, and I wouldn't argue otherwise.
-Does being white make you a racist?
NO.
-Does being a minority make you non-racist?
NO.
-Is there a systematic attempt by Republicans to oppress
minorities?
NO, regardless of what the left says.
-Is there a systematic attempt by Democrats to oppress
whites?
NO, regardless of what the right says.
-Does criticizing Barack Obama make you a racist?
NO, and
neither does voting against him.
-Does supporting Barack Obama make you a racist?
NO, and
neither does voting for him.
-Was it racist for people to criticize George W. Bush's
every move?
NO, it was political, ideological or because you see things differently.
-Is it racist for people to criticize President Obama's
every move?
NO, it was political, ideological or because you see things differently.
-Is it racist to criticize Ambassador Rice for her statements in the wake of the Benghazi debacle?
NO, it was political, ideological or because you see things differently.
-Do the terms "food stamps," "welfare,"
"poor" and "uneducated" secretly mean "black" or
"minority"?
NO. And if you assume that they do, then YOU are the
racist.
-Do the terms "rich," "wealthy,"
"articulate," or " "self-reliant" mean
"white"?
NO.
And if you assume that they do, then YOU are the racist.
-Is it OK to actively seek out racism in all things every
day in an effort to make people feel guilty for no reason or simply make your
own opinions seems relevant?
NO, and this my friend's is one of the biggest
racial issues in America today, yet it gets no discussion time on ANY news show
I've seen.
Racism
is not extinct. It is certainly still present in America today. However, this
is not the 1800s or the 1960s. Racism is not a government sponsored oppression.
It is not a daily, bloody, deadly battle the way it was in days past. As a
society, it took us far too long to realize the immorality of slavery and
discrimination. It took us far too long to come to begin judging all people by
the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Yes, I said
"begin". Admittedly, we are not where we should be where race and
discrimination is concerned, but the reasons for this ugly truth are not those
that many would have us believe. From my standpoint, I can see two types of
racism that exist in contemporary America: intolerant/discriminatory racism,
and constructed/invented racism. One exists in small groups, the other is
actually quite rampant, and the motivations behind the two are quite different.
One is perpetuated by individuals, and sometimes groups (like the KKK and other
supremacist groups) out of ignorance, fear, hate and intolerance. The other is
generated by those who rely on it to survive in an increasingly less
race-obsessed world (the Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons of the world).
Some people
are inherently intolerant for no reason at all, at least none that makes any
sense to people with brains. Some people are molded into intolerance. Some
people in the world, and yes, here in America, simply hate. They hate out of
fear or ignorance or even curiosity about the unknown. These people are toxic
to the world. They refuse to realize how dumb they really are and they will
never come to grips with the fact that we are all people, all human beings.
They are never going to magically come to the good side and stop hating people
based on arbitrary physical characteristics. These people are either born with
the inclination to hate, or more commonly, they are groomed into hatred by
parents, friends or other influential individuals. This type of racism is vile,
stupid, un-American and unfortunately in most cases it's terminal (much like
stupidity). The good news is, with each generation being taught to treat others
as equals, and to reject blind, arbitrary hatred and discrimination, those
kinds of wastes of space are being squeezed out over time. If we continue to
champion equality and expose the ignorance of this type of racism, it will one
day become fully extinct in America, just as slavery has. We should never
choose to "accept" this racism, but we should not pretend that it can
be remedied by commercials and after school programs, at least not over night.
People are going to be stupid and hateful, the key is to treat is as the
EXCEPTION to the norm, and to make these types of racists feel like outcasts
every chance we get.
The
second type of racism we see in our society is both more frequent, and much
more dangerous. Every day, we are confronted with examples of people using
racism as a crutch. Now, I'm not referring to using it as a foot in the door or
a way out of trouble, though if we pretend this does not happen we are
delusional. Using race (or gender, religion etc.) as a means of forcing others
to do as you want or be labeled a bigot, is reprehensible and vile. But as I
said, when I refer to the "crutch" of racism, I'm actually talking
about people who look for, perpetuate and even invent instances of racism, in
order to incite outrage among the people, and to make themselves seem relevant.
Look at people like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and even MSNBC's Chris
Matthews. How often do you see these guys on television raving about race,
race, race. Everything is of, about and because of race. Hell, Chris Matthews
has taken it upon himself to create a new dictionary that defines all racist
words and phrases (spoiler alert: it's just Webster's dictionary with every
definition beginning "When Republicans use this word it is racist
because...). It's one thing to draw attention to and demagogue instances of
racism. I'm all for that (and that door should swing both ways when whites are
discriminated against for being white). However, when people invent racism to
perpetuate an agenda or just their own career, it's deplorable. Take for
instance, the new theme of calling Republicans, or anyone for that matter,
racists for simply using terms like "food stamps" or
"welfare". I've spent some time thinking this over, and for the life
of me I can't figure out why it's racist to use the GIVEN NAME for social
programs, so all I have to go on is what people have said. One argument I've
heard is that when people say there are 15 million more people on food stamps
under Obama, what they really mean is that millions of black people are on food stamps and that makes them lazy and
worthless, and therefore pointing out the increase in Americans on food stamps
is racist. I hate to be Captain Obvious here, but is it really so hard for
these people to understand that the food stamp program is a social program that
is meant to temporarily help struggling families make ends meet, and that we
now have 15 million more people utilizing this under our current president? It's
not racist, it's simply a fact. And in all fairness, if your hear "food stamps"
and assume "black people," then I hate to break it to you pal, but
YOU are the racist. The same goes for "welfare." It is in no way
racist to point to an increase in the number of Americans on welfare as a
failure on the part of a president. It is in no way racist to point out that it
is better for Americans to be independent and self reliant than to be on
welfare. For anyone to hear "welfare" and somehow come to the conclusion that welfare is an acceptable
way of life, AND that it's racist to draw attention to the growing number of
people using it, is simply asinine. We were meant to be free, independent, self
reliant people. Asserting that too many people are utilizing food stamps and
welfare is not racist. I'll even go so far as to say, asserting that abusing
these programs is indicative of laziness and dependency is not racist. What IS
racist is saying things like "black people are lazy,"
"minorities are lazy." or "only blacks and minorities get
welfare and food stamps." You cannot assume that anyone advocating for
more self reliant people and fewer dependent on the government is racist. You
cannot assume that anyone who supports freedom and independence from government
hand outs is perpetuating racism. However, people who seek out racism to the point
that they can find it in, quite literally, ANYTHING ANYONE SAYS is indicative
of either a true racist that wants revenge of some kind against others, or an
individual that wishes to be seen as a defender of the offended, and the
protector of the abused. Either way, it's bad for Americans when people look to
manifest racism where it actually is not occurring. And by the way, it's indicative
of general ignorance when someone claims that talking about welfare and food
stamps is racist, because there are more white non-Hispanics on food stamps
than any other race, and whites and blacks are within 1% of each other in the
welfare category (Blacks are about 39% and Whites about 38%). Yet more evidence
that the real race baiters are the people falsely attacking others for using
so-called "code words."
Look, if
you look hard enough and apply the right spin, you can find racism in anything.
Just as you can find sexuality or political bias if you look hard enough. My
wife has accused me on more than one occasion of thinking way too far into
movies and coming up with farfetched examples of Liberal messages hidden in
them (hey, it's Hollywood, and it's there if you look for it and add a little
spin). It's no different in the hunt for racism. We have to stop this
never-ending search for false racism and focus on stomping out the actual
racism that occurs in this country. We have to stop falling back on racism when
serious debates arise. We have to stop crying wolf on racism when people are
rightfully criticized for failing to do their jobs, or for doing their jobs
poorly. We have to stop the hypocrisy. One minute it's perfectly acceptable to
criticize every move the president and any member of his administration makes,
i.e. the Bush years. Then suddenly because we have an African American
president, it's considered racist to question or criticize ANYTHING he or
members of his administration do. We have got to stop assuming that race is the
issue and start addressing real issues that have been raised, like debt,
unemployment, taxes and spending. The more we prod people's anger, the more we
perpetuate hate and encourage division. We have got to stop looking for things
to be divisive about, and start finding things to unify this nation. If we keep
insisting that taxing the rich will solve our problems, we are not doing anyone
any favors. If we keep pretending that Social Security and Medicare are fine,
we are not doing anyone any favors. If we keep sending the message that it's OK
to be on welfare or food stamps, then we are not doing anyone any favors.
Somehow, we've gotten to the point that it's become acceptable, and even stylish,
to accept government assistance. What the hell happened? It absolutely should
be looked at as an undesirable, temporary last resort, and not a go to safety
net. It's like asking a relative for money (as in a large sum, not ten or
twenty bucks). We should feel ashamed to have to ask for money. That shame is one
of the things that motivates us to avoid that type of situation. If there is no
downside to such things, then why the hell would we avoid it? If no one feels
the need to avoid asking for money, then why would they feel the need to dig in
and find a way to do things on their own. THAT ladies and gentlemen is the
problem with entitlements. It's not a race issue, it's an issue of principles
and values. We've stopped teaching people to admire independence and standing
on one's own feet. We now teach that everyone gets a trophy, and effort is
irrelevant. We teach that there is NOTHING wrong with having to ask for help.
That's our problem folks. We have convinced ourselves that it is better to ask
for help than to get off our butts and make things happen for ourselves. That
is the great tragedy of our time.
Now, I
am not advocating for going out and belittling people or treating people like
dirt for taking government assistance. I'm not talking about ridicule from
without. I'm talking about ridicule from within. We should be able to look at
ourselves and see that we need to be self reliant- to better ourselves and our
country. It should be an inner battle that we wage within our own minds and
spirits. We should want to be self reliant people, and we should expect the
most of ourselves. We should want to stay as far away from government aid as
possible, and we should pass judgment only on ourselves for having to accept
it. That introspection is a great and powerful force for change. That
introspection is what gets us off our butts and back into the game. Never, ever
let someone else put you down for the circumstances and choices you have made.
Always, always be your own strictest critic, pushing yourself to be better tomorrow
than you are today. This distinction is rarely if ever drawn in the
dependency/entitlement debate. Embarrassment and ridicule from within yourself
is a motivator, while the same sentiments from others is often
counterproductive (although in many cases constructive criticism can go a long
way).
My point
here is that advocating self reliance and individual responsibility is not only
a good thing, it's what we were founded on. Americans don't need the government
to make their way in life. We can do it on our own. That has always been our
feelings, and it should remain so. However, if we keep letting people believe
that entitlements (by the way, entitlements is one of Chris Matthews'
"racist" words, even though it is used by both parties, and all
races) are great and everyone should enjoy them, we will lose or innate
"Americanness," and it will be damn near impossible to get it back.
So, pointing out that more and more people are utilizing welfare and food
stamps than four years ago is not racist. Racism is a red herring to draw
attention away from a FACT, and a crippling fact at that. Racism is by no means
gone, but it will never be gone if we continue to look for it and use it to
create fights amongst ourselves where non should exist. If we spent half as
much time and effort trying to reform entitlements, make them sustainable and
encourage people to succeed on their own as we do charging racism for even
uttering the word "entitlements," this country would be in much
better shape.
Stay Conservative, and Keep Looking to the Future
No comments:
Post a Comment