Monday, November 19, 2012
So I am a racist. Because I am "white." Not because of any attitude towards people of other skin tones or ethnic background. Solely because of my northern European ancestry.
Backing up for a moment. An acquaintance, a former blogger, who was a friend on Facebook posted a photograph of two men lynching a University of Arizona mascot. The knot work of the noose was very detailed. These young men are in a crowd and have smiles on their faces. They too are apparently "white."
During our recent Presidential election, there were several instances in which people hung effigies of Obama or empty chairs from nooses. Everyone agreed these were in poor taste and probably racist. The United States has a long history of lynching ethnic minorities. I left a comment expressing my opinion of the photograph, using the word "disgusting." I note that if you examine photographs of the University of Arizona football team, you will notice that many are African American. I wondered how them team members would feel seeing the lynched effigy.
He really didn't like this. I learned then that I was a racist oppressor. He said, "Yes, we brown people object to your culturally imperialist notion that everything needs to be interperted through the lens of the Civil War and black-white relations. Stop oppressing me." Some other stuff was said, all of which was nasty. Some of which was revised when he realized that it was so nasty.
Well you know what, that's when I unfriended him. Despite what he thinks, I am not a racist. I judge people based upon their actions and words, not on whatever tone their skin is or where in the word their ancestors came from. Telling me I am racist because of my skin color, who is the racist? I don't need Facebook "friends" like that.
Backing up for a moment. An acquaintance, a former blogger, who was a friend on Facebook posted a photograph of two men lynching a University of Arizona mascot. The knot work of the noose was very detailed. These young men are in a crowd and have smiles on their faces. They too are apparently "white."
During our recent Presidential election, there were several instances in which people hung effigies of Obama or empty chairs from nooses. Everyone agreed these were in poor taste and probably racist. The United States has a long history of lynching ethnic minorities. I left a comment expressing my opinion of the photograph, using the word "disgusting." I note that if you examine photographs of the University of Arizona football team, you will notice that many are African American. I wondered how them team members would feel seeing the lynched effigy.
He really didn't like this. I learned then that I was a racist oppressor. He said, "Yes, we brown people object to your culturally imperialist notion that everything needs to be interperted through the lens of the Civil War and black-white relations. Stop oppressing me." Some other stuff was said, all of which was nasty. Some of which was revised when he realized that it was so nasty.
Well you know what, that's when I unfriended him. Despite what he thinks, I am not a racist. I judge people based upon their actions and words, not on whatever tone their skin is or where in the word their ancestors came from. Telling me I am racist because of my skin color, who is the racist? I don't need Facebook "friends" like that.
