The definition of racism found in the
dictionary consists of three parts:
1. A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various
human racial groups determine the cultural or individual achievement, usually
involving the idea that ones own race is superior and has the right to dominate
others or that a particular group is inferior to others.
2. A policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such
a doctrine; discrimination.
3. Hatred or intolerance of another race or races.
The first definition is the key to
understanding racism. It is a belief,
not a fact. Some of us believe in the
Trinitarian God, in Angels, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. That is a belief of faith. Racism on the other hand is a belief that is
taught out of hatred. We are all made in
the image of God, so the Bible says. But
even for those who do not believe in a loving God, the science of biology and
DNA should be enough proof for anyone of intelligence that the all members of
the human race are made up of the same building blocks. And just like building blocks, we wear a
façade on the outside of our bodies that can be painted any color; in the case
of human beings, the color is caused by melanin in our skin. Cut us open and we all look the same.
Racism is taught and believed by some of the
same folks who teach the Earth is flat, vaccines are evil, climate change is
made up, rocks falling in the ocean account for the rise in sea level, and cigarettes
do not cause cancer. At one time, the
Earth was considered the center of the universe and good, intelligent men were
persecuted for saying so. Not so long
ago doctors laughed at the notion of germs, and sanitary conditions in
operating rooms did not exist. Ignorance
is hard to conquer if the ignorant do not want to change.
In our country, we brought slaves from Africa
and indentured servants from Europe.
Neither was treated well. Slaves
who escaped were severely punished, as were the people who helped them. Even educating a slave was illegal. Evil has existed for as long as mankind has
been on this planet. Evil and Love
coexist as darkness and light. We
pretend that evil can be vanquished like some disease, and it is a disease. However, it is not that easy.
Evil mutates!
Like a virus that adapts to changing environments, so too evil
adapts. If people are not discriminated
based on the skin color we humans will find some other facet to discriminate
against: intelligence, wealth, sexual identify, gender, class, lineage, you
name it and we will discriminate. I was
picked on in school for being a red head, a minor annoyance and not comparable
to institutional racism, yet discrimination it was, especially for a severe
introvert who only wanted to be left alone.
I once watched an episode of Oprah where she divided the audience
between eye colors, awarded one color with a prize, and discriminated against
the other. A simple and effective exercise
and yet it has stuck with me for years.
We poor white folks feel discrimination when we are picked last for a
basketball game, or don’t win the local Miss Teen pageant. What about the black man, who whistles at a
white woman, and then is lynched for his audacity. Lynching was the way the white folks carried
out their perverse form of justice and they still called themselves
Christian. I have news for them though,
Jesus in Luke 13:27 says "But he will reply, 'I
don't know you or where you come from.
Away from me, all you evildoers!'
I have witnessed discrimination my entire
life. In a previous post, I talked about
the poor Mexican boy who was thrust into my fourth grade class and I comforted
him as he cried. I did not encounter
black children until I went to middle school, and honestly, I was scared of
them (I was taught to be scared). All
except Willy, a black kid in my section (advanced) and he was in all my
classes. My favorite teachers were black
and I still remember them with fondness.
In fact, the only teachers I didn’t like in my entire school years were
two white men, one was a sadistic jerk, and the other tried to destroy the
dreams of a young teen.
When I joined the Navy, I saw more
discrimination and at the same time, I saw opportunities for those ignored by
the so-called normal society. I once
heard a white man from Arizona brag about taking potshots at Indians, and I
instantly despised the fool. I served
with a Puerto Rican who had a chip the size of Rhode Island on his shoulder ( I
now know why), a Born-Again Christian that the entire division picked on, and I
did not wholly sympathize until I grew older and hopefully wiser.
For those that say racism is outdated, I
might compare you to an Ostrich, your head buried in the sand, and your worldview
seen through your sphincter. Last
Christmas, I attended a dinner at one of our local high-class restaurants. One of my coworkers, who is African-American,
was repeatedly ignored and skipped over by the wait staff until his wife
interceded on his behalf. I talked with
some of my coworkers later and they hadn’t noticed. I realized that most of us are blind to our
white-privilege. This wasn’t forty or
fifty years ago, it is happening today.
Look at our government, how many people of color served with the
Republican side of Congress last year? How many people of color serve on the
president’s staff? Believe me, the
Republican party of today is not the party of Lincoln, they have mutated.
Our country is being torn apart and our own
government is complicit. Look at our
president interfering in the National Football League. Look at him destroying anything Obama did and
bragging about it, just because Obama was black. Evil persists and it seems to be
winning. Our people have become so
stupid they ignore the facts that the Russians fuel and fan the flames of
discrimination in this country, with the full knowledge and consent of the
evildoers in this country.
There is hope! We may destroy those that preach peace and
love; Martin Luther King and Gandhi come to mind as two who sacrificed their
lives. I listened to Bishop Curry preach
at Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding and his message was one of love and
reconciliation. Will we listen the
message, or will we listen to the fear-mongers, the haters, and the
dividers? What will win, Love or
hate? At this point, I am not sure. Jesus said the ruler of this world was
defeated. I am beginning to think Jesus
won the battle, but the war is far from over and evil is still fighting
back. We must do our part to ensure Love
and Goodness win; we must fight evil with all our strength for the sake of our children
and future decedents. Love is the only way.
Please educate yourself on our past and our present state. Whenever someone tries to divide us then you should question their motives. Follow the links below to some sermons, speeches, and history. Wikipedia may not always be a reliable source but the reference links at the bottom of the pages are usually reliable.
Please educate yourself on our past and our present state. Whenever someone tries to divide us then you should question their motives. Follow the links below to some sermons, speeches, and history. Wikipedia may not always be a reliable source but the reference links at the bottom of the pages are usually reliable.
