I'm racist...who knew?
"If everything is racist, then nothing is" - Anonymous
Pardon the headline, but I need subscribers! Admittingly an imperfect person, I cannot say I have never harbored a racist thought or acted in a racist way. I didn’t know exactly how racist I was; however, I am reminded every single day.
Being a big fan of satellite radio in those early days, I would often venture around the dial, oftentimes just curious as to what was out there - so many different music genres, sports, news, politics, and two Howard Stern stations. One day in 2016, I tuned into a program called “Make It Plain” with Mark Thompson - seemed benign enough, since I am a simple person. The topic that day was racism, and I’m not sure the angle, but I listened to all the arguments. Next time I tuned it, racism. And every time after that, to the point that I came up with a theory - within 60 seconds of tuning in, racism would come up. I was too lazy to research the host, but in my mind’s eye, he was Uncle Leo, and all the callers were Jerry Seinfeld.
My uncle Leo, I had lunch with him the other day, he's one of these guys that anything goes wrong in life, he blames it on anti-Semitism. You know what I mean, the spaghetti's not al dente? Cook's an anti-Semite. Loses a bet on a horse. Secretariat? Anti-Semitic. Doesn't get a good seat at the temple. Rabbi? Anti-Semite
I do apologize for making light of such a serious issue as racism, but things are truly getting out of control. But how in the world did we get here?
Attempt to shut down conversation
If my memory serves me correctly, it all started in the political arena, as a means of shutting down any opposition to, quite frankly, anything. Remember the attacks on Mitt Romney for his “binder of women”? In an attempt to be more inclusive of women, while also focusing on merit, Mitt Romney was labeled a sexist. However, the image of a sexist paled in comparison to the image of a racist - this will certainly shut them all down. But it didn’t!
We need conversation
It became very apparent to both sides of the issue that, in order to survive, both sides had to continue the “conversation”. But how do you exactly get past being called a racist? I’m sure this was poll tested, but the next step for the accused was to simply say that they deny the premise of the charge, which shifted the onus to the accuser. Not to be outdone, the accusers attempted logic, “attempted” being the operative word. The arguments quickly focused on the age-old “false dilemma” or “false dichotomy” - you’re either with us or against us. Enter Black Lives Matter, Defund the Police - you choose your movement, but be careful which side you choose, as the “false dilemma” only gives two options. It goes like this - if you aren’t in favor of BLM, you MUST be a racist. Is it a coincidence that another name for this fallacy is the “black-or-white” fallacy. Hmmm?
Yikes, we need some examples
The pushback against this tactic proved to be successful enough that the accusers now had to up their game. They needed some 25 cent words to bolster their position. They chose systemic, I mean systematic racism, and being an admitted grammar nerd, this one pissed me off on so many levels. What is it, systemic or systematic? After several months, they settled on the correct word - systemic. Now they needed examples of systemic racism, and to my great disgust, the examples wouldn’t stop. Let me see, there’s political racism, financial racism, environmental racism, criminal justice racism, health care racism, housing racism, education racism, and on an on.
Just as I thought we, as a society, were about to jump the shark, we couldn’t even do that. As it turns out, Sharks may be racist. According to Steven Spielberg, the Sharks in the original West Side Story were a gang of racist Puerto Rican boys, and this just couldn’t be. Poetic license and all, Mr. Spielberg decided that the Jets were the racists, afraid of the immigrants - probably because they were people of color. Go ahead Fonzie, jump away.
"If everything is racist, then nothing is" - Anonymous
When I first heard that statement, I tilted my head to the left, which seems to be a knee-jerk reaction when my left brain takes over. Everything equals nothing - sounds interesting - but there has to be a mathematical explanation, involving a, b, and c. Perhaps it just means that if everything is labeled as racism, there is no room for reason or rational thought, as we don’t understand the concept of not being racist?
Regardless of the explanation, be it mathematical, anecdotal, or simply an enigma, it demonstrates that we are way past due for solutions. And even though the “systemic racism” crowd may be wrong, if there is any shred of racism, it needs to be eradicated. But how, when, and by whom?
I got it - let’s declare war on racism. Why not? All the previous attempts to legislate morality have worked out so well. Well, maybe not the last couple, but that shouldn’t hinder us. Or maybe it should? Because you can’t legislate morality. The distinction between right and wrong or good versus evil needs to be addressed within the context of our own experiences. And enough already with trying to buy our way out of it. No matter how much money you throw at this, whether if be “woke” corporations throwing countless millions to Black Lives Matter or the NFL starting anti-racism initiatives, all you end up with are mansions (Come on...it's more like a fixer upper!) built ostensibly to further the cause.
Please forgive me for the cynicism, but I have seen this movie before. Spoiler alert - the very people needing the most help end up needing even more help - and the cycle continues. Until we embrace the very essence of problem solving, we will merely continue to spin our wheels. Real problem solving includes the identification of obstacles to success and an honest examination of said obstacles. And, in my not so humble opinion, this is the crux of the matter. No one wants to do this work, for it will undoubtedly get messy, forcing us to examine some hard truths.
I do not have all the answers, believe me, but perhaps we should start looking in other areas for solutions.
Breakdown of traditional family unit
The numbers clearly show that there has been a deterioration of the traditional family unit, but scant discussion of the effect on our young folks. As a boomer, I understand that times change, but I couldn’t imagine growing up without a father. For crying out loud, when it came to discipline, my father was omnipresent. I grew up on one of those blocks that had probably 20 houses on each side of the street, and if I were to act a fool at any one of those houses, there was some sort of agreement in place that stated that the neighbor could set me straight. The fact that I know this means I tested the pact on many occasions.
Maybe the reason we don’t talk about such things is that we would have to admit failure, and Heaven forbid, we can’t do that. Perhaps the welfare system, albeit well intentioned, did not produce the desired result? Asking for a friend.
Socioeconomic issues are color blind
Why does the discussion around wealth inequality and poverty only focus on one group? The poverty stats in the US are depressingly high (This needs to be fixed) and reach across all ethnicities, age groups, genders, regions, etc. Living in a capitalistic society, the free market doesn’t care about race - it’s all about creating value, taking risk, and ultimately making money. I will spare you the racial breakdown of the millionaires in the various professional sports leagues. Suffice it to say, a major pillar of any solution must involve helping more people participate in the free market, and that starts with the education system. Plenty more on this in future articles.
What about the exceptions?
Perhaps the most egregious aspect of the search for a solution set is the denial of the outliers to the racism narrative. How did a certain set of black people rise above the “systemic” racism in our society? Shouldn’t these superhuman individuals be studied and studied and studied in an effort to pinpoint the traits and characteristics necessary to create more super humans? Both Denzel Washington and Morgan Freemen have been unequivocal in the belief that anyone in the country can make it - but their voices are silenced. Oftentimes, they are silenced by black journalists, people with similar success stories to tell. I just don’t get it. Why didn’t every speech from President Obama include some anecdote about his ability to become the ruler of the free world? Is it just me, or does it appear that the very people shouting the loudest are hurting the very people they purport to help.
Here’s hoping that some real conversations take place, leading to some real solutions.
Editor’s note:
The headline for this article was incorrect - the title should be “I’m Racist..so what NOW?” Future posts will be corrected.
Jeff I try I really try but I am hit with insanity every where I turn! Last night while flipping through my overpriced unnecessary cable I was bombarded with BLACK ENTERTAINMENT ONLY BLACK NETWORK & a plethora of products advertised that one might think you had to be black to consume said products. Then I realized if avoided on principle all these products I would have dirty clothes, no vehicle to drive in, un-Godly medical conditions I could not attend to and NOT A DAMN MAJOR RETAIL OUTLET TO SHOP IN!
But then while going to my once favorite channel for nostalgic movies I came across a documentary. I do like documentaries. The topic Aids in America circa 1984. It was interesting in that I lived through those days but do not recall these massive demonstrations and protests. Good old Faucci was in it as useless then as he is now. The point of the movie was well made not enough was being done to find a cure and just say no to the sexual habits within that community wasn't the answer. What I found fascinating is the planning process of the group ACT UP openly said we will do whatever it takes to make our voices heard! Storm hospitals churches etc. we are about to die anyway what do we have to lose. The January 6th insanity was a lot less planned, a lot more spontaneous and not as wide spread as the violent protests that the committee called for. And in my opinion both groups ACT UP and JAN 6th had grievances that they wanted the government and the world to hear. Maybe I am somewhat oversimplifying but both wanted more investigation more diligence and an effort made to get to the root of the problem. Don't forget the summer of RIOT LOOT STEAL KILL that was sanctioned by the left and in many cases financially supported as well. What gives the Jan 6th commission this holier than God approach that is and has been part of the American system since it's inception?
A standing ovation of one person is not necessarily heard as far away as LA, but Jake hear it well! So well written so well said. There are so many eloquent African American voices who ask the same questions as all us "racist white supremacists." Like Officer Tatum who asks why doesn't BLM stand up and scream each and every weekend in Chicago where black youth are mowed down by fellow blacks? Where is Sharpton and Jackson etc when there is a drive by and a 1 year old like Tyron Patton is killed in KC. No BLM out there screaming no Sharpton. It only matters when it's a white cop. So should we become as emotionally detached of these innocent black children that are being killed as the black leaders within the communities where this is rampant? The problem is in the community. Where are the dads? Stop blaming me for your dirty laundry. I have NO ISSUES with individuals of any race or creed who are law abiding, hard working, productive members of society. But I do have an issue that what happened in the US and all around the world some 300 years ago is somehow my fault. I can say we never owned a slave, we never mistreated a slave and being brought up in NY we never had segregated counters or water fountains. And thank God for History because people like me were taught about these unjust practices knew they were wrong. We were witness to over time and through legislation stopping these injustices from happening. When Obama became president I was not happy, but I had one hope, now we can put all this racial nonsense behind us! If you can become the president of the USA don't tell me you are being discriminated against! Instead he gave us the second continental divide, black vs white! I get the frustration that blacks experience when they are stopped. Unfortunately statistics indicate that blacks are more likely than whites to commit the crime they are being stopped for. There are vast studies on crime statistics and people who match a certain profile seem to find themselves suffering from the actions of others within their race. When Fat Old White Men start bombing buildings or committing drive-by shootings, go ahead and profile me. Will I like it? NO. Might I mouth off? PROBABLY but will I comply and not get myself shot OH HELL YEAH! Jake your articles make me run off in sixty eight directions but so much builds up and festers as I listen to the news each day. Is it just me or is it that the left, the democratic party & just stupid people continue to do the same things over and over and expect different results? Until people start cleaning up their own homes and fix the problems that are systemic within their community nothing will get better. Off the racism for one second but a news commentator this AM said is it me or am I missing something. When you hear about these shootings in America especially by disturbed young men, why is it you never see on the news a picture of a mom and dad standing in front of a normal house saying that they just don't understand it, he was a good child, normal in every way, went to church on Sunday, participated in family events played sports etc...there never is that functional household with mom and dad there to show their support! So like poverty knows no race so is it true for crime and hatred. But with education, discipline, and a moral family structure the chances of breaking the chains of poverty, crime and hatred stand a better chance.