�
2002-04-27 - 9:16 a.m.
It's sad that Americans haven't confronted the race issue in any serious way since the Civil Rights Movement.
It seems to me that race is not something you can deal with with idealism. Every country on the planet has racial, and ethnic strife. To the point of genocide in some countries. We can�t ignore that.
It looks like racism is instinctual, and we should confront that as a society. Whatever strides forward we made with the Civil Rights Movement can�t be enduring if we deny basic humanity; if we deny the fact that all people are racist to various degrees inherently, or if we can�t prove otherwise.
Spike Lee said that a black man cannot be racist. Well, Spike Lee is full of shit. I�ve seen black racism in action, and it�s every bit as ugly as the worst white supremacist. This is not a black/white thing. Go to Chinatown and look around. Pay attention. Go to Little Village, or Little Viet Nam. Every group�s got a �thing�.
If this society refuses to acknowledge racism, and take steps to deal with it, then we�re probably doomed. Oh the country�s not gonna collapse into anarchy, at least I hope not. But we�ll be doomed to wasting resources dealing with the kind of civil problems brought about by petty ethnic differences. Hate crimes and the like.
If we can�t fight racism entirely with idealism, then we need to fight it with pragmatism. We need to take steps within society to limit the exacerbation of people�s inherent racist tendencies.
Of course we deal with that by celebrating multiculturalism. But we need to make sure that �multiculturalism� doesn�t become shorthand for afro-centrism. Just like a city neighborhood that�s 60% black and the rest white isn�t a �diverse� neighborhood, multiculturalism isn�t just about black people. We need to teach our children about other cultures, even other Caucasian cultures. I�m sure the Welsh are just as alien to Americans as the Maori.
We also deal with it by taking people to task for their actions. Behavior that is outside the general society�s accepted norms should be condemned if it�s harmful to people or disturbs the peace. Tolerance should have limits. If a person comes from a culture which has traditions that are not acceptable in our society, then they should either modify those traditions to be acceptable within the limits of this society, or refrain from engaging in them. If that�s unacceptable to them, they can stay in their home countries. That may seem a harsh stance, but the United States has more freedom than most countries in the world. We�re pretty tolerant here, and if what a person wants to do is outside of what is acceptable in our society, there�s a good possibility that it�s pretty extreme.
Keep in mind that when I say acceptable by society, I don�t mean little old ladies in Norcross, Georgia who�re fine upstanding members of St. Whitey�s Southern Baptist Church and the local Ladies Book-burning Auxiliary. By acceptable in society I mean using the social tools of this country, things like the Supreme Court and the American Civil Liberties Union, to name a couple, to determine what�s acceptable.
If we�re going to have a multicultural society, then people need to respect one another. Whatever happened to courtesy? I don�t care if you have a bone through your nose, unless you�re rude to me first, I�m going to at least try not to be offensive to you when I encounter you on the street. And it needs to go both ways. I don�t care if you�re dressed as outlandishly as having a loincloth and a bunch of tattoos, if you�re polite, then you�re acceptable to me.
White Americans need to stop feeling white guilt. American society has come a long way since 1964. Black Americans in particular, and all racial groups in the United States have made great progress towards racial equity. It�s not perfect. But we have made huge advances. I believe these issues are still a problem, surely, and should still be addressed, but I don�t believe we should be held hostage. Too many white Americans, myself included, stand by while black Americans engage in bad behavior. We feel paralyzed by the fear of being branded a racist for calling black people out for their socially unacceptable, and sometimes criminal behavior. And black Americans capitalize on this fear, and use it to intimidate white Americans. This is unacceptable. And just as no black, white, or person of any other ethnicity should stand by if a black person is the victim of a legitimate racial attack, the same should be true for bad behavior.
And the black community in the United States had better come to grips with these issues. Black Americans need to castigate people in their communities for bad behavior. This needs to be addressed. Black Americans need to stop using racism as an excuse for every bad thing that happens to them. Bad things happen to white people too. The black community had better change their tune, because lots of Americans, white, and non-whites, are turning against them. People who used to be supportive of the black community, or at least bore them no ill will, have changed their minds in response to current trends. People who were formerly disinterested are now becoming antagonistic. That's not good for anyone in our society.
***************
�
So, how do you like them apples?