Fear.
“He scares me because of how smart and smooth he is.” He, being the president.
Fear.
Elderly citizens screaming against government run health care while still demanding protection for Medicare.
Fear.
The accusation that the president is a racist.
Similar accusations that now Justice Sotomayor is a racist.
The Birthers.
Not linking them. Find their agenda if you must.
I’m not here to lecture, at least not right this second. I am here to ask a question. I know it’s easier and everything but, I need someone to explain to me please why it is that people choose fear over facts, lies over logic, profit over public good. It honestly confuses me.
Everyone knows that there are still racial issues in the United States, right? No one is unclear on this. The nation was predicated on racial inequity. It’s enshrined in the Constitution. And yes, times have changed, but not that much. Racism is still a major issue in America, mixed race president or not and the stuff I linked, that’s all based on and attempts to encourage fear of the “other.”
(This part is the lecture) So, people who allow their fear to make their decisions for them, people who fear the president because he is too smart.
(Oh look another parenthetical aside. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? Seriously. He’s too smart? You are just ridiculous. What? You want a stupid President? We had one of those just recently and see where that got us.)
You people who believe that the president is racist because he acknowledges that there are still serious problems of race in this country, you who stampeded to point the finger at Justice Sotomayor because she very logically pointed out that experience informs point of view, you who leap in front of the accusation of racist behavior and then play the victim, you in the tinfoil hat, yeah, you who insist that the president was born in Kenya despite all logic and evidence. Stop it. Stop it right the hell now. You’re pissing of Ms. Potamus.
This is a time for serious people to have serious discussions and you are clearly not capable of having a serious discussion. Saying something racist and having your racist statement pointed out to you is not an opportunity for you to play the victim. It is an opportunity for you to grow the fuck up and examine your behavior.
While I’m on the subject and I’ll need you to lean close for this one. Come here. Are you listening? Good. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS REVERSE RACISM! Never use that term again. It’s moronic. The antonym of racist is accepting, impartial, non-racist. The reverse of racism is respect. The use of the term “reverse racist” makes it impossible for anyone to take you seriously and frankly insults my intelligence.
Oh, and all the people in America who are not white? You, you who are nodding and feeling smug, don’t think I don’t see you sitting there. When someone says something racist, and that someone may or may not be White because let’s not pretend that White people have cornered the market on ignorant fuckery, that is not the time to play the victim either or to score social points or to play the victim in a larger sense yourself. That’s what we call a teaching moment, a moment for you to help your fellow citizen, your fellow man get over their fear, not a moment for you to win.
Or you could just watch this.
And then work through your fear because this is a serious time and we need to have serious conversations. Your fear hiders those efforts.
2 comments:
That video is awesome! He's so lyrical about it...oh ya, and full of common sense too! And people buy into the fear because it's easy. We live in a place where we have everything handed to us. The fear is handed to us, so we take it. The truth has to be worked for; too many lazy people don't want to take the time. I'm so happy you're blogging!
One of the other easy things aboout fear is that it can be an end point. You can huddle in your fear and you never have to think beyond it. Fear says X person or group is bad and that's it, They're bad and they're bad forever and your thinking is done. It takes work to overcome that and many people are just too lazy to put in that work.
Post a Comment