You Might be a Racist

As a white woman (haole) living in Hawaii during the Vietnam War I was embedded in a delightful multicultural blend. With a few rather insignificant exceptions, I was never aware back then of “diversity” as much as I am now every time I go to my local Wal-Mart. There was no in-your-face different-ness that made me want to apologize to everyone I met whose skin color or eye shape wasn’t like mine. For six years we lived among Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, and yes, a few Blacks and I feel richer for the experience. I adopted the dress, the cuisine, the customs, the music, and much of the language. When we returned to the mainland I suffered greatly at the loss of a huge slice of my life.

Not so now. I live outside a very small community which consists of some white people, but mostly Mexican who work at the various chicken processing plants which dot the countryside in the Missouri Ozarks. I don’t know any of them. They keep to themselves and live their lives pretty much they way they were accustomed to but with all the benefits of living in the United States. They don’t speak English so we don’t have conversations. They don’t appear to want to blend with the local folks so we don’t bother them.

For most of my life I have considered myself racially tolerant. But even that doesn’t describe it. The term implies an awareness that demands a stand. I’ve had no stand. I’ve simply lived with people and they with me. I could cite countless examples but I won’t. To do so would only make it sound like I’m saying, “See how tolerant I am?” Nor will I use the term “colorblind” because that is just plain stupid. Black is black. White is white. But a couple of incidents come to mind. Recent incidents, and that’s what makes them all the more significant.

Last year, just before the election, we were talking at work about the candidates and some of the issues. One fresh-faced (white) kid, who would be voting for the first time, asked me if I was going to vote for Obama. I said no, that I was voting for John McCain. He replied, “Oh, you must be a racist.”

In a blog post some time ago I was giving my opinion of Colin Powell and what a disappointment he has turned out to be to us conservatives. I received a comment from a “lady” telling me that it must be terrible to be such a racist a**hole. Hmmm. Hadn’t thought about race as I was illustrating Powell’s walk to the left. Perhaps my use of the word “entitlement” struck a nerve. There is a growing list of words, phrases and definitions that have been left as bloody sacrifices on the altar of political correctness during the last few decades.

Several years ago I was employed as a nurse at a detox facility in a large Midwestern city. Most of the staff assistants with whom I worked were recovering alcoholics or addicts and many of them were black. Things often became tense given the nature of the work and the unpredictability of the clientele. At no time did we as nurses feel threatened by the patrons who passed through our doors. The staff with whom we worked was always diligent in adhering to their job descriptions and keeping us safe. Through the daily challenges there was no color. There was size; some of my assistants were well over six feet and I was always thankful for that. There was also a camaraderie that can only arise from a common purpose.

When I transferred to the hospital with which the detox was affiliated, the work became more rehab oriented and now we had clients who were at least dried out, if not completely motivated. During the time I spent there the third floor was being renovated and readied for a very special patron: the Black professional. The (white) staff on the second floor had no knowledge of what transpired upstairs with the exception of the occasional rumor that floated down. Exquisite decor, top-of-the-line furnishings, color-coordinated paints, a separate entrance. Whose money? Who knows? An administrator was hired from Chicago or St. Louis or God knows where and she arrived a week or two before the grand opening. She came by and introduced herself and later her assistant told us that if we had to come up there for any reason we were to call first and someone would meet us. The (white) staff from downstairs was not to hobnob with the (black) staff from upstairs.

Racism? Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines racism as: “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” If you really want to get involved here’s a link to Wikipedia, with all its prejudices and false information.

A concerned neighbor called the police one day when she saw two men apparently trying to break in to a nearby house. When the police (one black, one white) arrived one of the men (black) claimed it was his home but could or would not produce proof that this was true. He then became so abusive and belligerent that the officer (white) had no choice but to arrest him. In the firestorm that followed the arresting officer was called racist, bigoted, stupid (thanks to our open-minded president) and every other epithet that the poor downtrodden African Americans like to apply. Never mind that the (white) officer in question was simply doing what he was trained to do.

Racism? Against whom?

Now there’s a state highway patrol officer in Tennessee who hit the wrong key on his computer and sent an email to everyone on the address list. Here is approximately what was in the text of the email. Keep in mind Officer Gobbell did not compose it. I’m having trouble finding anything in it that is not true.

“Proud to be White

Michael Richards makes his point..............

Michael Richards better known as Kramer from TVs Seinfeld does make a good point.

This was his defense speech in court after making racial comments in his comedy act. He makes some very interesting points...

Someone finally said it. How many are actually paying attention to this? There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.

And then there are just Americans. You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction. You call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,' 'Whitey,' 'Caveman'... and that's OK.

But when I call you, ******, Kike, Towel head, Sand-******, Camel Jockey, Beaner, ****, or Chink ... You call me a racist.

You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you... so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?

You have the United [Negro] College Fund. You have Martin Luther King Day.

You have Black History Month. You have Cesar Chavez Day.

You have Yom Hashoah. You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.

You have the NAACP. You have BET... If we had WET (White Entertainment Television), we'd be racists. If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.

If we had White History Month, we'd be racists.

If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives, we'd be racists.

We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.

Wonder who pays for that??

A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.

If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships... You know we'd be racists.

There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US. Yet if there were 'White colleges', that would be a racist college.

In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.

I am proud... But you call me a racist.

Why is it that only whites can be racists??

There is nothing improper about this e-mail. Let's see which of you are proud enough to send it on. I sadly don't think many will. That's why we have LOST most of OUR RIGHTS in this country.

We won't stand up for ourselves!

BE PROUD TO BE WHITE!

It's not a crime YET... but getting very close!”

It became a crime when Officer Gobbell pressed the wrong key on his computer. Now he’s been labeled, stereotyped, given a vacation without pay and thrown under the bus by left-wing hysterics, who have not bothered thinking through his “crime.” But we can’t give liberals credit for thinking, can we?

And finally, please read this article, which I lifted from Drudge this morning:

The comments are especially telling. Tell me that Jesse Jackson is not racist and then tell me why.

Racism comes in many colors. It’s just a fact. But when it comes from a black, or Hispanic, or Asian, it’s justified and called something else. If I say I’m not going to vote for someone because I’m conservative and he’s around the bend liberal, I’m racist. It doesn’t make sense to me. But why should I expect sense from a culture that is so driven by a history of hatred that there’s no room for reason? But sometimes I wonder about the (white) Jews who were enslaved for so long by the (black) Egyptians. I guess it’s the old double standard rearing its ugly head.

By the way, back to the hospital and its Black Professional treatment unit: they opened with all the horns, bells and whistles, and after several months and one (1) client, the entire hospital closed its doors on Christmas Eve.

Love

Granny