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« Letter to WMAL, Re: Michael Graham | Main | The Constitution of the Iraqi Conglomerate »

August 24, 2005

Discrimination

I’d like to consider myself a card-carrying non-racist. I believe that racism is a bad thing to hold onto in this world, and if everyone were able to drop all the boundaries that we have all put up, our society as we know it could improve drastically. The whole “Why can’t we all get along?” plea really isn’t a bad one if you were to ask me. I am a white male, the so-called “majority” in this world. I am married to a Hispanic woman, part of the so-called “minority” group, and she agrees with my beliefs on this. And I believe that we could all get along if we really tried. I know it’s far-fetched but hey, it could happen.

Part of the problem is we won’t let ourselves drop all the boundaries. In fact, we are putting more up every day, and the media is the one who lets it all out for everyone to see. Different groups of people get upset over the little things, instead of the much bigger issues.

Take the incident with Rush Limbaugh on ESPN two years ago. Rush was stating his opinion about how Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed. It was as if he committed a major felony. He was forced out of his job, blasted by many other sports writers and commentators, and was left out hanging by his shorts trying to make sense of it all. Would all of this happened if Rush was a black man himself giving the same opinion? I doubt it.

What doesn’t make sense to me is how it is okay for all the discrimination against the whites. Most people don’t see it, or they choose to accept it as if it is no big deal. Every year on TV we can see such things as the “Latin Music Awards,” or the “Black Achievement Awards.” I have no problem with this. But if there were such a thing as a “White Actor Awards” show people would be up in arms.

What got me thinking about all of this is the current advertising campaign by Red Stripe Beer. I personally find it very humorous and they did a great job with it. But if you look closely, it is very discriminating. A black man is making fun of or insulting a white man. In one of these commercials he claims, “Helping our white friends dance for over seventy years.” It is funny I admit, and probably there is some truth in it. There are others, and you can see all of them on their website. But if it was reversed and a commercial showed a white man doing these same sorts of things with a black man, the whole world would come crashing down. Jesse Jackson would be flown in, Al Sharpton would be making speeches, and they wouldn’t stop until the company was shut down for flagrant racism.

I wish I were wrong about all of this. I wish that none of this would even be thought of. Until we as a society can let our social boundaries down and just “get along” it will continue for as long as I’m alive. If it is okay to ridicule one group but not another, how will we ever make it better?

G-Dawg Posted by G-Dawg on August 24, 2005 at 05:10 PM

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Comments

It's about power, G-Dawg. Minority groups feel that white people have the power, and a quick glance at the pigment levels in Congress will show you why. That definitely creates resentment. To then be made fun of by white people is emasculating, I have been told. To make fun of white people is empowering.

What I think is especially telling, though, is that minority groups have no problem ripping on each other. And it is not usually taken any better than when white people do it to them. This isn't about white people vs minorities, it's about power. Nobody likes to be pigeonholed and mocked as a group, and we are encouraged not to put up with it, and to stand up for ourselves, unless we look like most of Congress, in which case we had it coming to us.

And there is no reason to believe that the situation will be better when white people are a minority or are not in power.

Nice article here if you are interested.
http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/lawreview/VRomero.pdf

Posted by: Wulf at August 24, 2005 6:39 PM

I lost all my respect for Tom Jackson after that Rush Limbaugh/ESPN incident. I was embarrassed for him, and his spineless, groveling apology over "missing" Rush's "racist" remarks. It was quite the contrast, seeing this ex-football player so thin-skinned and on the verge of tears over such a minor and perceived verbal offense.

Posted by: rammage at August 24, 2005 6:41 PM

Nice though, however i dont think it is possible to achieve. Lets face it we are tribal animals and our race is our most notable way of distinguishing ourselfs. Racism is an extension of all types of perfered treatment that we give to our own kind, and they act of trying to catergorise different groups. We do this all the time on the smaller level, and so do animals. However try to look on the bright side; anyone who throws you into a rigidly defined group based on your race is proably not worth dealing with anyhow.

Posted by: isiah of Buffalo at August 25, 2005 7:16 AM

I agree that people shouldn't make fun of each other's race, but at the same time, people should learn to put up with it. Also, it all depends on what people are saying about you. The dancing thing is not really offensive, and if you told a joke about a black man being good at basketball, he probably wouldn't mind too much. However, if someone told you that you only got a job because you are a man, you'd be pissed off. That's also a good reason why positive discrimination is such a bad idea. If you have a job, you want to think it's because you're the best person, and you want your colleagues to think that too. You don't want people to think you only got it because you are black and you certainly don't want to believe that yourself!

Posted by: hotrockhopper at August 25, 2005 8:15 PM

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