Written by Deputy Editor Brian Ganges
Racism, discrimination, and hatred are very touchy subjects for
many people around the world. All of us have been affected by and/or have
experienced some form of the three (directly or indirectly) at some point in
our lives. The concept of racism (or any form of hatred) has never made sense
to me, because even during my childhood, I always liked or disliked a person
based upon how he/she interacted with me, not based upon his/her skin color or
ethnic characteristics. I know that we all have different mindsets and we view
things differently, and as a society, we aren’t perfect; but we are better off
today, than we were yesterday, and we can be even better tomorrow.
What
is Racism?
By definition, racism is the belief
that one’s race is superior (in any way) to another race. So based upon that
definition, one can dislike someone and/or disagree with someone and NOT be a
racist. One can dislike a person and/or his/her views and not necessarily feel
any superiority over that person or a group of people; and even if a racial
slur is used (by definition) that does not necessarily constitute racism.
Remember, racism entails a sense of superiority of one race over another. In
addition, one could argue that the use of a racial slur or some other insult is
ignorant, insensitive or hurtful, and I would agree; the person who hurls the
insult could be a racist, but his/her ignorance and saying hurtful things are
not necessarily racism.
But to further clarify what racism is
(in its simplest form)…it is a collectivist mindset with which a person is
judged based upon the external characteristics of the racial group, rather than
judging the merits and the character of individuals. It’s kind of like judging
a drink based upon the container in which it was bottled, rather than the
contents/quality of the drink. The unfortunate reality is that overt and covert
racism are still real factors in the 21st century, but we must continue to be
better than the low levels where some in our society wish to drag us. I believe
that by illustrating what is and what isn’t racism, I hope to build a case to
expose the misconceptions of racism, so that we can get a better grasp of what
we are truly facing as a society, and act upon viable solutions to combat the
ignorance.
The
Race Card and the Media
I have found that it is very difficult
to have an intelligent discussion with people who are racists, biased, bigots,
prejudiced, etc. Generally, these people have pre-packaged/programmed thoughts,
and they can’t turn off the filters in their minds long enough to hear reason
and truth. It is a small number of people in the media, politics, and in our
society whom I consider to be the “race brokers.” These (white and black)
people thrive on stirring up racial matters and injecting race into an equation,
even if it doesn’t fit. Their audiences tend to be more of a passive crowd who
are usually less interested in facts, but they are always ready to hear of the
next injustice, so that the racial case can be made once again.
When the “race card” is carelessly
tossed around, we water down the clarion call to combat real racism and hatred.
I liken it to one of Aesop’s fables, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” It’s the tale of a shepherd boy who
repeatedly tricked his neighbors into thinking a wolf was attacking his flock.
When a wolf actually did appear one day, the neighbors didn’t believe the boy's
cries for help, and the flock was destroyed. The moral of the story illustrated
how liars cannot be trusted; even when they tell the truth, no one believes
them. This is what happens when the “race card” is played ad nauseam; we become
numb to it, so when the real threats of racism show up, there is no real
motivation to resist it. If we are objective and use the definition of racism
as one’s feeling of racial superiority over another race, then we will quickly
learn that a lot of the claims of racism are not accurate.
For example, on the 2012 Presidential
campaign trail, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were labeled as racists for
various comments that they made regarding food stamps, President Obama, African
Americans, and employment.
Rick Santorum stated: “I don't want to make black people's
lives better by giving them somebody else's money.”
Newt Gingrich called President Obama:
“the best
food stamp president in American history.” He
also claimed:
“more people have been put on food stamps by
Barack Obama than any president in American history.” So if a white man calls a black President “the best food stamp president in
American history,” the media and
the black community get unhinged and claim racism. A black civil rights leader
(Jesse Jackson) defends the black President for being labeled as a “food stamp
President” and Jesse Jackson responds, “It is an honor to be a food stamp President.” Immediately, the claims of racism disappear
and the media and the black community accept what Jesse Jackson says. All of a
sudden to be labeled as “a food stamp President” is seen as a badge of honor,
not racism, because Jesse Jackson said so. This is how the argument gets lost
and people instantly lose credibility like the boy who cried wolf.
Newt Gingrich also stated: “I'm prepared, if the NAACP invites me,
I'll go to their convention to talk about why the African-American community
should demand pay checks and not be satisfied with food stamps.”
Later, during the South Carolina
debate with Juan Williams (political analyst for Fox News Channel), Gingrich
answered, “What
I tried to say [is that] New York City pays their janitors an absurd amount of
money because of the unions. You could hire 30-some kids to work in the school
for the price of one janitor and those 30 kids would be a lot less likely to
drop out, they would actually have money in their pocket, they would learn to
show up for work, they could do light janitorial duty, they could work in the
cafeteria, they could work in the front office, and they could work in the
library. They’d be getting money, which is a good thing if you’re poor. Only
the elites despise earning money… One last thing, I believe every American of
every background has been endowed by their Creator with the right to pursue
happiness, and if that makes liberals unhappy, I’m going to continue to find
ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn to get a better job and
learn some day to own the job.”
An argument could possibly be made
that some of these remarks might have been insensitive or the presentation of
some of the points were inaccurate; but to make some sort of nexus between
these (in context) comments and racism is a stretch to say the least. These are
not examples of racism because none of these statements has even the slightest
inference that whites are superior to blacks: the actual definition of racism.
Again, this is partly the reason why the race debate is a joke, because we have
casually thrown the “racism” claim around to the point that people are tired of
addressing misinformed opportunists.
As I am writing today, Mitt Romney and
the Republicans are criticizing Vice-President Joe Biden for comments he made
in Virginia this week. The full context of the quote is: “The last time we liberated the economy
under their (Republican via George W. Bush) proposals, the last eight years,
put the middle class in chains.”
There were many African Americans in the audience, and the assumption was made
that Biden’s comments of “division and attack and hatred” where directed at
black people. Again, for the sake of argument, if Biden did direct those
comments towards black people, that still does not demonstrate hatred or
racism. One could argue that it might have been an insensitive statement, or a
poor choice of words. But once again, the race issue is being played to the
point that it seems as though people are looking for racism and division. It’s
sad, because the old racial division wounds never heal, and the people who
continually get sucked into these debates don’t realize that the media is
controlling them with racially charged buzzwords in order to produce an
emotional response.
White
Guilt, White Privilege, and the Fear of Racism
One thing that really bothers me about
discussing racial topics is that the “woe-is-me” white guilt bunch continually
beats themselves up over the sins of the previous generations. The white guilt
people are Democrats and Republicans who are always apologizing, patronizing minorities
in the name of cleansing their conscience, and doing anything they can to
further the “cause” of equality and making things better for minorities. In
addition, the black folks who understand the white guilt trip use the
opportunity to pile on the situation by philosophically beating white people up
with the “white privilege” rhetoric. It is pathetic to say the least, because
these white guilt people are being used and abused, and they don’t even realize
it. The controllers of the racism game are masters of deception and they play
on the ignorance of the participants, i.e., the white guilt bunch, the white
privilege bunch, and the race brokers. I have seen many white people become
afraid to engage in an intellectual discussion because either they were wrongly
accused of being a racist, or they were afraid that the “racist” label would be
cast freely upon them without justification. I can’t begin to tell you how many
white people have approached me to convince me that they aren’t racist. These
white people always play defense, and their voice is always neutralized via the
“race card” and white guilt. Race brokers 1, white guilt 0.
Racism is also a very marketable
business. Division is very profitable, and instability allows certain people to
make a lot of money and/or advance a particular agenda. Think about it in terms
of the stock market: Do investors make more money when prices are stable or
when there is volatility in the market? I equate price stability to all races
of people living together in harmony; it’s good for the people. However, more
market volatility means more profits, because money is made when prices rise
and fall. If more division and racial tension that can be stirred up, that
equates to more protests, more TV viewers and advertisers, more fear, more
uncertainty, more civil rights/hate crime legislation, etc. That is analogous
to price instability, and the media and their handlers love it. I know that
this sounds crazy or conspiratorial to the average person, but some people will always find a way to
make a profit at the expense of others, rather than at the benefit of others.
The
Southern Strategy
One of the most popular examples of
the cry of racism in American history is the “Southern Strategy” of Richard
Nixon and the Republican Party beginning in the 1960’s. Most people who
casually observe the Southern voting patterns in the 1960’s will see that a
once dominant Democratic stronghold shifted towards the Republicans. By the
1980’s, the South was a solidly Republican region for presidential races. The
claim is that since Nixon and the Republican Party won the Southern, white
racist vote, by default the Republicans are racists. Further, the claim is that
Nixon used “dog whistle” politics and political code words to call in the votes
in 1968. This claim continued on with the “welfare queen” comment during
Reagan’s 1976 Presidential campaign, and the 1988 Bush (41) Willie Horton ad.
Neither of the latter two incidents fit the definition of racism. Again,
insensitive, exaggerated, insulting, misleading, or even scare tactics might be
a reason to debate the matter; but not racism, because neither incident
insinuated or stated that whites were superior to blacks.
Another theory that is believed by
many is that the Republicans and the Democrats switched Parties decades ago.
But a deeper historical look into the infamous Southern Democrat “voting shift”
to the Republican Party during the 1960’s to the 1980’s, paints a much
different picture, than the claims of racism suggest.
What happened? Traditionally, the
South was one of the poorest regions in the U.S. As industrialism and
manufacturing increased and prospered, the South’s anti-union stance, lower
taxes, lower wage labor and cheaper land costs became very attractive to many
northern businesses and members of the Republican Party. As businesses moved to
the South to take advantage of these benefits, wages increased and lifestyles
improved for many Southerners. In politics, the best campaign tool is
economics. If people feel as though they are (financially) better off today
then they were yesterday, you have a better chance of winning their support. As
a result of being better off, these white Southern racist Democrats eventually
started to switch over to the Republican Party for the economic benefit, not
because Nixon and the Republicans were racists. Besides, in 1968 (when the
“shift” began) the racist Southern voters overwhelmingly supported their racist
Democratic candidate George Wallace, not Richard Nixon or Hubert Humphrey. So
the claim that dog whistle politics was used is inaccurate.
They
are Trained to be Racists/Dividers; I’m Trained to Combat it
Some of you might be asking yourself,
“Why are you defending these white hatemongers?” I’m not defending anyone. I
just want us to properly label things as they are so that we can locate the
real issue and provide some real solutions. Or some of you might be asking,
“Are you one of those naïve black folks who believes that we live in a
post-racial America?” Absolutely not! But I do know what the true definition of
racism is, and I am doing my part to combat it.
Unto the pure all things are pure: but
unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind
and conscience is defiled. Titus
1:15
In other words, to whatever you give
your attention is what you will see. Think about it. An accountant is trained
to read, to understand and to decipher income statements and balance sheets. By
a force of habit, I bet many accountants routinely analyze random numerical
values and do number crunching when it isn’t even required. They can become a
victim of their own training. Construction workers will walk through a brand
new mall with family and friends, and critique the architecture rather than the
products for sale. Why? Accountants, construction workers and others are
trained to see things that the average person isn’t. They can see a bad
financial deal, a crooked doorjamb, or an out of square wall, or some other
thing that is obviously out of place to them, but not necessarily to the
average person. Likewise, people who spend a lot of time cultivating a
collectivist mindset and focusing on the past (rather than growing from those
experiences and moving forward) can find racism in a bottle of ketchup and a
pile of pencil shavings. I have asked myself many times in various situations,
“How did he/she conclude that these statements were racist?” It’s all about
training and/or intellectual honesty. Those who are trained to see goodness and
truth, they will find goodness and truth all around them. Others might say that
is naïve, but I call it a good way to combat ignorance, and to keep your
composure in the midst of weak-minded people.
Why be reactive? Why not be proactive
and control your own destiny and your emotions. How would you react if someone
called you a “nigger,” “a white cracker devil,” “a spic,” “a kraut,” “a nip,”
“a mick,” “a ruskie,” “a kike,” or whichever racial slur was created to be
offensive to your race? Would you be ready to fight? Would you retaliate with a
racial slur of your own in order to offend that person? Well, you have to
remember that racism is not an intellectual or a reasonable position to have.
So, if you are dealing with a racist, you are dealing with an unreasonable
person, and you don’t want to get into a mindless war of words with an
unreasonable person. Think of it as trying to convince a two year old that Elmo
isn’t real. Yes, Elmo is on TV, and yes Elmo said he was your friend, but he
isn’t real. Why engage someone in an unreasonable argument if you can’t win the
argument?
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to
be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:11
I am dead to racism. I am not a
“nigger” and I liken that word to be a sharp knife that stabs me. I can’t feel the
stab because as far as that word is concerned, I am dead. If I am dead, I can’t
react. I know my name and I know who I am in Christ Jesus. The use of that word
will only alert me to the level of maturity, education and/or the spiritual
condition of the person using the word. If I chose to retaliate, I am no better
than him/her and I have already lost that battle. I want everyone to remember
that, because it’s
how we react to racism (in part) that helps us to defeat racism.
I wrote this article in order to
remind people that real racism needs to be identified and eradicated. There is
also the game of racism, where certain people encourage division, and they
benefit as a result of our ignorance. Civil Rights were and still are a serious
issue. People fought and died for the very rights that we enjoy today, and we
have to continue to fight in that same spirit and with the same tenacity to
expose the dividers and to support the defenders of everyone’s God-given rights
of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The only way to identify error (the
dividers) is with the truth, whether it is a spiritual truth, the definition of
racism, a mathematical truth, etc. You have already been armed with the true definition
of racism. So the next time someone is or you are called a racist, you can
superimpose the true definition into the conversation and conclude whether or
not the accuser is fighting to stamp out racism and hatred, or if he/she is
promoting another agenda. Don’t let these people make you play defense, and
divide us. All of our blood is red and it all came from God. So if God doesn’t
play racial favorites, then we shouldn’t either. If you let these people divide
us through (a combination of) their calculated agenda and our ignorance, then
they will destroy us one by one. If they destroy a person, that will destroy
families. Destroyed families will destroy neighborhoods. Destroyed
neighborhoods will destroy communities. Destroyed communities will destroy
cities. Destroyed cities will destroy counties. Destroyed counties will destroy
states. Destroyed states will destroy regions. Lastly, destroyed regions will
destroy the nation. But the destruction or the rebuilding starts with
individuals. Will you be a part of the destructive force of racism and
division, or will you be a rebuilder of people in order to rebuild the nation?
Will you educate yourself and speak up to inform others? Will you stand up
against racism, and promote unity and humanity? Can you see the divisive
attempts to tear us apart? Will you be a part of the solution? Let’s END RACISM!
PEACE!
