Explosive Expressions

Ok, let's get the first part out of the way. Here's the cartoon:

Ok, now that you've seen it, what's your first reaction? Well, mine was twofold. My immediate reaction was that the cartoonist (Site is actually down at the time of this writing) was using the recent chimp attack combined with the typical "monkeys run the government" schtick. About a microsecond later, the "Oh shit" flag went up and I realized that it could be seen in a racist light by comparing Obama to a monkey.

I believe my first reaction is the correct interpretation, only because I can't figure a way to fit the shooting into my second reaction. Still, I have to question what the editors at the New York Post were thinking. Well, ok, there's the "official" word from the Post, but come on..

And, of course, Al Sharpton has to jump up and down and start screaming. But, as much as I don't like the guy, I almost agree with the ruckus. His statement was as follows:

"The cartoon in today's New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee that "Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill."

"Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?"

To be honest, I think Sharpton actually spoke justly this time around. I hope he doesn't try to make an issue out of it and lets it just die on its own, though. We shall see.

Regardless, this incident brings to light the fact that race issues are not, in fact, gone. Just because we have a black president now does not mean that racism has vanished. So do your part and try to get to know someone before judging them on their skin color, ethnicity, religion, etc. Seriously, there are some incredible people out there that are not at all like you.

As most everyone knows, the former Secretary of the State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Barack Obama for president. This is a pretty significant event for a number of reasons. Powell is a well-known retired Army General who played a key role in both the first and current Iraq war. He is known for preferring diplomacy to outright war, earning him the title of "The Reluctant Warrior." He is well respected by members of both political parties, and was even rumored to be a possible opponent to Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential election. To say that Powell is an influential figure is an understatement, at best.

On October 19, Powell officially endorsed Obama. He explained his reasoning which seems to boil down to a few items:

• Obama is reaching out to everyone, not a targeted group



• He thinks Obama is a "Transformational Figure"
  



• He is troubled by the way McCain's campaign is trying to insinuate that Obama is Muslim or a terrorist, instead of talking about the issues
  

He said a few things that really resonated with me, marking him, at least in my book, as a true patriot. Specifically he said the following about the insinuation that Obama is a Muslim :

"But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America."

That's an incredible statement. Seriously, who cares if he's Muslim, Christian, or Atheist. At the end of the day, do you feel he can lead the country, and do you agree with the agenda he has set forth. If you do, then his race, religion, or whatever is secondary. I'm not sure who said it, but I heard a quote on the news today. It went something like this. Noone is asking you to like Obama. Noone is asking you to be his friend. We're asking you to look at what he wants to do for the country and vote based on that. If you believe in what he believes in, then you should vote for him.

Others want to continue muddying the water. Let's take a well-known political mouthpiece, Rush Limbaugh. Rush had this to say:

"Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race," Limbaugh wrote in an e-mail. "OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I'll let you know what I come up with."

What an asinine thing to say. Of course, he defends his statements:

"So what if it's race?" Limbaugh said on his radio show. "Why is it so hard to admit that it's race…What's so problematic about admitting it?"

The problem is, I'm not so sure it is about race. Sure, Powell is black and so is Obama. But, umm... I'm white and so is Limbaugh. I wouldn't vote for Limbaugh just because he's white, would you? Oh, right.. we're the majority... Yeah, so I guess that doesn't hold water. Regardless, I think it's stupid to immediately assume that the endorsement is because of skin color. We're talking about a well-respected Republican breaking ranks and endorsing a Democrat. This doesn't happen every day, you know.

Oh, and as for Powell? Well, he had already mentioned the race thing anyway:

"I can't deny that it will be a historic event for an African-American to become president."

That's a far cry from claiming his endorsement is race-based, though. But who cares if it is race? I don't believe anyone is hiding the fact that Obama isn't exactly white. But, jumping up and down and screaming about his race isn't going to help anything. In fact, I think the way he's been handling everything is incredible. Instead of making this about race, and playing on the race card constantly, he has ignored that completely and made his campaign about the issues. In the end, it's the issues that count. And, as can be seen by the steady self-destruction of the McCain campaign, people want to hear about the issues.

Seriously, I don't care about Mr Ayers and his ties to domestic violence in the 60's and 70's. Although, for the record, I completely agree with his 2001 statements. The situation was different back then, and to regret his acts would be to disavow what he was trying to accomplish.

I don't care if Obama was Muslim, or even if he still is. And I'd probably understand if he was hiding that fact, given the current anti-Muslim climate in America. Though, of course, that wouldn't help his campaign much. But so what. This is government we're talking about, not a church.

So let's try and pull this country together and make decisions like grownups, not like petty little children who have nothing better to do than pick on people.

Ah, life.  Life is interesting, and ironic at times.  Why just the other day I posted this long rant about racism, and then I was treated to a very interesting episode of Without a Trace over the weekend…  After some searching, I’ve discovered that “White Balance” is the title of the episode.

In short, this episode deals with the disappearance of a white girl and a black boy.  Both children go missing around the same time, but the cases are dealt with differently.  The agent in charge is pressured to put all of his resources into finding the girl, while the boy’s case is left with a single agent.  After putting forth a rather uninspired fight, he essentially rolls over and shifts resources to the girls case.  Reporters interview the mother of the girl and her picture and details of the case are broadcast to the general public.  In the meantime, the mother of the boy is promised interviews, but the reporter is supposedly called to another location and cancels the interview.  In the end, both kids are found, one dead and one alive.  The show ends, however, without informing the viewer which has survived.

This show made me realize that my earlier rant only dealt with one form of racism, that of verbal racism.  I touched slightly on persecution, but didn’t really delve into it.  Hey, racism is a pretty tricky topic, so sue me.

Anyway, racism as described in this show does exist, and it sucks.  Seriously.  It’s similar to the battle between the rich and the poor.  The rich tend to get their way, while the poor suffer.  In the arena of race, the whites are akin to the rich, and the blacks to the poor.  No, I’m not saying one race is better than another, just pointing out the current perception.

This type of racism happens all too often, yet you don’t hear a lot about it.  That’s pretty sad because it has a more profound affect than someone shouting “nigger” or some other racist slur.  Persecution based on color, religion, or whatever is a big problem, and some people don’t realize they’re doing it.  Seriously!  How about an example.  Ever walk into an area that is predominantly some other race?  Feel comfortable?  No?  Gee, why not?  It has to do a lot with the way you’re brought up and what you are exposed to.  That’s a tough thing to overcome, and most people can never overcome it.

Hell, I still feel uncomfortable when faced with certain people, purely based on their color, dress, or whatever.  I find myself acting in odd ways, such as moving away from them, being more aware of myself and what’s going on, etc.  Why?  In many of the situations, it has to do with what they call racial profiling.  Quite simply, there is a perception, somewhat based in fact, that certain people are more apt to engage in violent or illegal activities.  So, I tend to keep an eye on my belongings, keep myself aware of exits, who’s around, etc.  It’s a defense mechanism, and it’s mostly automatic.  Think about it.  Since 9/11, have you been more aware of foreigners, especially Arabs?  I’ll bet you have, even without realizing it.

I’m not sure there’s a good way to deal with this form of racism, though.  I could go on about how everyone needs to stand up for their rights, and maybe even the rights of others, but not everyone wants to get involved.  For instance, my personal opinion is that were I faced with the same situation the agent in charge was in Without a Trace, I would have made a different decision.  I' would like to believe that I would have refused to follow those orders, even at the risk of my job.  But, of course, not being in that situation, I’m not sure how I would have responded.  I do know that I have stood up for others before, though, and it did cost me my job at one point.  I’d do it again, though, because it was the right thing to do.

So, racism…  yeah, it sucks.  If it’s someone shouting slurs at you, get over it.  They’ll stop when they realize it’s not bothering you.  If it’s this other form…  Well, I’m not sure what I can advise other than to keep fighting.  But seriously, use your head.  Don’t whine and cry over the little stuff, move on.  Choose your battles and make sure they’ll count.  No one cares that you weren’t waited on first at the local restaurant, but they might care if you’re being ignored by the police or the hospital.  Yes, it sucks, but if you make a big deal of the little stuff, no one will be listening when something big happens.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t say something, but let’s not call the 5 o’clock news over it.

Full Disclosure Alert : I'm white.

A buddy of mine passed along this link, remarking on how he had been expecting this for some time. Racism. Unreal. Go read the article, I'll wait...

So? What'd you think? Yeah.. Racism is getting a little ridiculous now. Black Hole. It's an astrolonomical term, most likely coined because .. oh, I don't know.. It was a hole in the sky and it was black? You know, black. The color? Absence of light? Let's take a look at the definition of a black hole :

"A black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon." - Wikipedia

Ok, so it's basically this phenomenon where stuff goes in and nothing comes out. Ok, cool. So, if I were to, say, refer to a collections office as a black hole, especially when the topic of conversation has something to do with paperwork vanishing, what would you think I was talking about? Can you honestly think I was being racist? What the hell do you think I meant? A hole full of blacks? A black asshole? What?

Then there's this quote from the article which just has me shocked:

"I think people should always be careful. You know, I'm okay if I'm 'bartering' with you. ... But if I try to 'Jew you down,' Oooooh. Is that racist? I thought it meant the same thing? No, maybe it doesn't."

Hrm.. Bartering.. Ok, trading stuff. Now.. Jew you down. Wow.. yeah, that's definitely referring to the Jewish culture. Why? Well, there's this notion that the Jewish are frugal. So, if you were to Jew someone down, you would be trying to get the lowest price for something. However, this does refer directly to an ethnicity, with the intention of referring to it, rather than being a common word such as black.

But let's take this a tad farther. Racism is getting a bit out of hand. It's like I hear something new every day about it. But, you know what? It's always the same people, from the same races/ethnicities that are crying. I'm pretty sure I can count, on one hand, the number of times I've heard about racism against non-blacks. Seriously. Does it happen? Probably. But, either they're not vocal enough, or they just get over it. Yes, I realize that blacks have this long history of slavery and persecution, but that's in the past. Sure, there are racists in the world, from every ethnicity, but they aren't nearly as violent as they were long ago. And, to be honest, as much as the black culture cries about racism, they don't exactly do a lot to improve their image. Sure, it's all us white-folk keeping them down. That's why you never see well-to-do chinese, latino, or japanese folk... Oh wait... Well, then they must be in on it too, right?

Seriously, get over it. Look, you're black. Fine. I get it. Guess what? I'm white. Can't do anything about it. Personally, I couldn't care less if you were green or purple. I've had plenty of non-white friends, and I still do. But seriously, I'm tired of hearing you cry about it. Guess what. I've been persecuted against too! Seriously! Applied for a job and didn't get it. Why? Because they had to "fill their quota" at the time. was more than qualified for the job, and would have had it, but the law said the needed to hire minorities. Well shit, that sucks. So, I'm out of a good job, even though I'm more qualified. So what did I do? Complained a little, but in the end, I applied elsewhere. I got on with life.

You know, I realize that back when slavery was legal, white's owned a shit-ton of black slaves, but guess what? Yeah, black's owned slaves too. So don't give me any of the high and mighty bullshit. My great grandparents came to the states AFTER slavery. And I've never owned a slave of any color.

You know what I believe? Racism is an excuse. Yeah, an excuse to drift through life and give up every time something doesn't go your way. Oh, I did poorly in class this year, damn racist teachers. Oh, I didn't get that job, damn racist company. Oh, I should get something for free because you disagree with me, or you offended me. Christ, people, get over it already! Yeah, it hurts. But then you realize that you can just move on and let it go, and life gets better. Stop wallowing in self pity and start respecting yourself. Be happy to be black, latino, chinese, whatever. Be happy with who you are. If you're not, figure out why you're not and fix it. You know, 50 or 100 years ago, I would agree with you. But now? No way. Stop crying and get on with life, dammit.