COLORBLIND

Some people have commented to me that they haven’t seen me post anything about the ‘recent race issues’ that seem to be plaguing our country. They are wondering why I am silent on the subject. Most don’t like my answer. I detest the hypocrisy that I am seeing from all sides.

Does anyone really think that racism is worse today than it was in the past? If you do, I suggest that you walk down any city street and count the number of interracial couples. As little as fifty years ago, black and white marriage would still have been considered an oddity. Do I think that some, and I will emphasize some, police officers and even full departments profile African-Americans? Absolutely, and I think it’s not only shameful, but they should be prosecuted for violating the fourth amendment. No American should be afraid that they are going to be pulled over and have problems with the police based solely on the color of their skin.

I have to tell you though, that percentage-wise, more African-Americans are racially biased than Caucasians. Preconceived notions about white people as a general class abound in the African-American community. And, I don’t understand any of it completely. Let me give you a little personal history lesson.

When I was in High School, I transferred from a school that was (heavily) predominantly Mexican-American to one that was racially split between African-Americans and Caucasians. My first day, I was cautioned by my school councilor that there were certain hallways I should avoid because of the lack of pigmentation in my skin (I made it sound nicer than he put it.) I laughed at him and told him I would take the ones closest to my class, period. I was attacked, once. I was never bothered again because ‘they thought I was crazy.’ One of my best friends in that school, Greg, was black.

The school had actually been rocked by riots the year before I attended, so naturally they were on edge. At one point, there was supposed to be a ‘big fight’ between the blacks and the whites. I was between classes, waiting for one to start when my white friends came running in and told me about the fight, asking me to join them. My comment was, “Why? What are you fighting for?” They had no answer and took off. No more than a minute later, Greg came running in and told me about the fight and asked me to join him. I started laughing, he looked confused, I held up my hands and turned them over, “Have you noticed?” Greg said, “Nobody thinks of you as white.” Think about that for one minute. Why would he say that?  The answer is simple, and it’s true for more Americans than people realize. When it comes to race, I’m colorblind.

I don’t care if you are black, white, red, brown, or yellow. Skin pigmentation means nothing to me except you have either better or lesser protection against the sun. Anyone that has been a foster parent for any length of time knows this. I dare say that my wife and I raised more African-American kids than most black parents ever will. I didn’t treat them any different than my own. BECAUSE THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. If you believe that we did it out of some sort of misplaced guilt, think again. I’ve never owned a slave. To the best of my knowledge, none of my ancestors owned slaves, though some WERE slaves. I can’t be a reflection of YOUR guilt over something that I had nothing to do with.

Racism exists. But the number of people who are really racist today in America is fleetingly small. And, it exists on all sides of the rainbow. I have seen several shows advertised recently with titles like “Where do we go from here” and “An honest conversation.” Then, I look at who is on those ‘panels’, who is talking. From what I saw, they certainly weren’t racially mixed and there was NO Conservative viewpoint permitted. What, exactly, do you expect to solve that way? I see special television programs, special church services, etc. all focused on the black and white relationship. While there’s nothing wrong with any of that in-and-of-itself, my question is, why wait until it becomes some kind of burning social issue?

I have neighbors whose skin color is different than mine, I like to think we’re all friends. I know that if they needed my help, they’d have it. I have lived and worked in countries where the population had a different skin color than me. I have very close friends in all of them. The concept of white, or for that matter, black superiority is as ridiculous as believing the moon is made of green cheese. Sitting around, wringing our hands, or going out and burning down neighborhoods, or even writing posts, won’t change the few closed minds that believe there is a difference. So, how do we make sure that there is equal treatment for everyone?

First, you can’t. Not as long as some people believe that they deserve special treatment. This applies mainly to our politicians, so we need to strip them of all their ‘perks.’ ONE.HUNDRED.PERCENT.OF.THEM. Do that, let them feel what the ‘common’ person feels, and you might see some change.

Second, from a grassroots level, we should hold the police accountable. That should have been done all along anyway. Accountability doesn’t mean we persecute them. It means we have some independent group that reviews the stops and arrests records of each department to see if they are out of proportion for a segment of our population. If they are, we take action by either replacing or retraining the people in charge and then on the street.

Third, every cop in the country needs to be retrained in restraint techniques. I’m an old(er) man, but I can put a person that outweighs me by a hundred pounds on the ground and keep him there without much effort and without injuring them. No matter how much they fight me.

Fourth, we need to arrest, try, and convict anyone who destroys public and private property. Rioters don’t really care about social causes (with the exception of people like ANTIFA,) that’s just the excuse. They care about getting something for nothing.

Fifth, ANTIFA needs to be designated as a terrorist group and treated as such. So does EVERY white supremacist group (KKK, NAZI party, etc.) and the Black Panthers. I’ll bet that the last one pisses some people off. But, I have seen elections where the presence of the BP was there to intimidate people into either not voting or voting for a specific person or group.

I don’t expect anyone to agree with everything or may anything I’ve said here. It doesn’t matter. This is the way I see it. If you want to change, learn to be colorblind.

KM