Racism

Racism

Racism is not a word we should throw around loosely, like jackass, or loser. By throwing it around, we not only diminish the word, but (more importantly) the action … not just when we are debating politics, but in the rest of life. Racism cannot be used as an accusation simply because of disagreements. Racism is defined by history not just the dictionary. Racism brought on U.S slavery, German death camps, and South African apartheid. Racism, to my mind, is a hatred of other races and believing that your race is superior to all others.

Racism fuels the Neo-Nazi and The New Black Panther movements. Remember that the German Nazi Fascism of WWII was a socialist populist progressive movement and the New Black Panther movement supports the Democrat liberal progressive movement of today. Danger lurks with them, not with Americans that don’t agree with the ever expanding growth of our government that this Progressive/Liberal President and Congress are undertaking.

Anyone that believes racism is fueling the protest happening in our country is irresponsible and has chosen to ignore the progress our country has made relating to race. The opposition and protest are not simply about health care, but an ever increasing expansion of government control and power over our population (not to mention a crippling national debt).

My family and much of my extended family and relatives are living proof of the progress we’ve made in the U.S. My wife and I are not of the same race, our children are considered mixed race, and we are the new face of America. I have many cousins whose families would be considered of mixed race and their kids have had kids of mixed race. In our home we do our best to be race neutral - we explain that God makes us all different on the outside but we are all His and we are all the same on the inside … that is how I believe we should look upon each other.

I’ve had to pay more attention at home because my daughter is very perceptive. I used to like to tell racial jokes and poke fun of the different races, but now I’m careful. I don’t want them learning or picking up bad habits from me just as I picked up bad habits from grown ups when I was a kid. I can’t blame my parents because my Mother was a saint and I don’t remember my Dad using a lot of racial jokes. Most of the jokes I picked up are the result of listening to Richard Pryor or on construction sites … but jokes aren’t the problem - actions are.

Discrimination is the issue. We haven’t really addressed that, but I would not limit it to racial discrimination. People are discriminated in a variety of ways - there’s ethnic, religious, and gender discrimination as well as educational, occupational, and class discrimination. People are discriminated against for how they look, smell, and behave or if they are fat, skinny, or ugly. People are discriminated for anything, from the home they live in to the neighbor hood they come from and even for what they drive.

Acceptance is tough - it is what we have to work on. However, not on politics and social issues - we have a right and a duty to stand on principles that matter to us even if they vary strongly from someone else - even if that means we are at odds with the first non-white President of the United States. That doesn’t make you a racist, it shows we have the freedom and liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of these United States to protest our government and them in elected office.

There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.

Eddie