Occasionally but not often, I as a full blooded member of the bland, white bread variety, will encounter someone who assumes I will tolerate the occasional racist remarks, undertones and comments. Somehow people think being white makes it palatable, or at least the odds will be in their favor.As gutless as it may seem, for the most part I will either feign objection or let it go completely. People are people, nobody changes, and my making a big stink won't change them anyway (shame on me). Besides, I feel like a spy getting privileged information, and an unbiased look into the world of the truly hateful and ignorant (mostly ignorant).
This week I received an e-mail explaining how Iowans weathered the flooding without hoopla or need of help, while the good people of New Orleans demanded housing, money and charity. This included calls for Sean Penn and Spike lee to go directly up to Iowa to help, or straight down to hell to....well die I suppose. It was a classic white versus black message, or so I thought.
I also heard a disgraceful adjective for people of the Jewish faith from someone who had absolutely no idea I had married a Jewish woman, and have chosen to raise our child Jewish as well. His point being that Jews always demand a lower price than gentiles, and will fight you to the death for it. This came completely out of the blue from someone I thought incapable of it.
What is truly mind boggling is that one of these people (at least) claims to be religious, and the other one is actually a member of a minority group. Ironic to say the least.
Just as the Rockwell depicts (I grew up in the exact small town he lived in for a time), it takes all kinds in the world, and I have had enough. Enough us versus they, right versus left, Americans versus all Muslims, colors versus colors.
This week I received an e-mail explaining how Iowans weathered the flooding without hoopla or need of help, while the good people of New Orleans demanded housing, money and charity. This included calls for Sean Penn and Spike lee to go directly up to Iowa to help, or straight down to hell to....well die I suppose. It was a classic white versus black message, or so I thought.
I also heard a disgraceful adjective for people of the Jewish faith from someone who had absolutely no idea I had married a Jewish woman, and have chosen to raise our child Jewish as well. His point being that Jews always demand a lower price than gentiles, and will fight you to the death for it. This came completely out of the blue from someone I thought incapable of it.
What is truly mind boggling is that one of these people (at least) claims to be religious, and the other one is actually a member of a minority group. Ironic to say the least.
Just as the Rockwell depicts (I grew up in the exact small town he lived in for a time), it takes all kinds in the world, and I have had enough. Enough us versus they, right versus left, Americans versus all Muslims, colors versus colors.
I have had enough. Just stop. It isn't funny. It never was.
And to all those I gutlessly failed to defend,
all I can say is I will do better.
I know I can be better. How about you?
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