Summon the Courage to Dispatch an Idiot

Why do  some  white people think that  all white people belong to a secret society of racists?

You are standing by the bar at a wedding reception.

An acquaintance comes up to you.

You've only discussed business matters with him in the past.

He's a little liquored up.

He launches into a dissertation about the  decay of the inner city.

His diatribe is sprinkled with  the "N" word and other various invectives.

The guy is an obvious idiot but what  troubles me is that  the  only thing that we seem to have in common is our being white.

What that means is that this Neanderthal believes that all white people see the world through his boss-hog plantation mentality prism.

He's not the only one.

There is a certain personality trait among many caucasians that  I'll refer to as the presumption that  all non-minorities are united by a disdain for people of color.

 That  thinking faded away with the  Eugenic philosphy intended to purify the favored race, Nazi style, right?

Wrong.

What really scares me is that these closet klansmen are parenting innocent children absorbing these antisocial attitudes.

And these folks are all over.

I   am sick of talking to people who have made the move from Cleveland   or Euclid to some far flung corner of Lake or Geauga County because their neighborhood was "getting bad."

This is  a euphemism for African Americans  moving into the  area.

Would the speaker say these words to a black person?

No.

So why is it OK  to address me in this way?

Do I give out  the kind  of  vibe that makes one feel safe to   spew such garbage around me?

I hope not.

Then why?

Because   these morons   know that it is safe to express  these opinions to almost any other white person around.

Are they right?

Lots of us are guilty as charged.

We go to church on Sunday and embrace concepts of diversity.

God loves us all equally, regardless of race, right?

So why do we put up with this crap?

   

Most of  my readers know  precisely what I am talking about.

We listen and nod like we agree or at least consent to the nasty drivel.

Lots of us don't agree but why make a scene?

 The drunk goes back to his table at the wedding thinking you agree with what he just uttered  in his stupor.

   

The   conspiracy of silence  in the face of  these racist words has to stop.

If we don't stop it,  the purveyors of this modern day Jim Crow talk will continue to think we approve.

In your life, at the bar, or wherever you encounter this type of speech, do just one thing.

Look the modern racist  in the eye and tell him this.

Go to hell.

I'm going to try.

Here comes that drunk again.

Let's do it together.

Go to hell.

Here's to the happy couple.