My name is Dave and I'm a racist

Hello!

I wrote a comment on a post on Phil Windley's blog earlier today which I ended saying perhaps we should all just disclaim up front that we're racists, and then go ahead and say what we have to say about race.

It should save a lot of time, and get a lot of formerly private and hush-hush stuff out in the open.

Ironically, it's possible because we got, through Rev Wright's at-first shocking sermons out and in the discussion. So much for black people not being racists. He could attend our nation's 12-step meeting and introduce himself as I did.

Hello, my name is Jeremiah Wright and I'm a racist.

Hello Jeremiah!

In his speech on Tuesday morning, Obama said the same thing.

It's like what Jerry said about his life.

It's even worse than it appears.

Fact, if you've lived in the United States as long as I have, 52 years, you have opinions about race, and to some that makes you a racist. The problem -- only our closest friends and family know our opinions about race. There may be blacks who first heard that there is white resentment from Geraldine Ferraro, or from Barack Obama. But it's no secret to me.

We may eventually get rid of racism, but it isn't going to happen by keeping it hidden.

On Tuesday before Obama's speech I saw a panel on race, on CNN, moderated by a black newsman, with two blacks as panelists. No whites. That's the old style pre-Obama panel on race. The new modern way is to balance it, and let whites speak about race too. Let us make generalizations about blacks and whites the way blacks always have. For a change, let the blacks listen, and appreciate that we have opinions too, show us that you get that we're not silly, naive, trivial.

In all my years, I've only heard two images of whites from blacks. 1. The man. We control everything. We're privileged. The oppressor. We coordinate to keep blacks out, to keep blacks down. 2. The silly do-good liberal. We look for approval. We want to be hip. But we're naive and shallow. There is no third view of whites in black folklore. And you wonder why we never connect.

Right now I'm not trying to be your friend. I never was your oppressor. I do believe in the fierce urgency of now, so what I want is to work together to get us some good government. I certainly don't mind, if along the way, the lot of black people improves. In fact I like that. And it doesn't make me silly or naive. I argue, and I think Obama agrees, that makes me an American, which I most certainly am.

Once we feel heard, then we might be better able to listen to what you have to say. Just a thought.

One more thing before I sit down. By disclaiming my racism, you can't get me by calling me a racist. Just admitting that one simple and obvious fact makes it possible for the air to start to clear on this formerly taboo subject.

I'll sit down now, having said my piece, for now.

Comments

[jgfox]

Great article ... very thoughtful.... and risky.

One point ....

If you ever studied our migration patterns out of Africa about 30,000 years ago, you know that the Y-DNA analysis shows we are all related to one male who survived the transition. And, of course, a small group of females.

Using the Y-DNA standard of 30 years for a breeding generation, we are all related only 2,000 generations ago. A blip in geological time.

We are all, all, DNA cousins.

So long as we don't think our other "DNA Cousins" are better or inferior we can argue about the other factors in which we differ ¦ sometimes called "culture" or "ethnicity", and sometimes "race".

Check out the National Geographic Genographic project which shows the migration patterns at:

https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/

It will change your concept of "race".


Princeton Junction

[milo9]

My kids are white. When I hear the Rev. Wright's hateful rants against white people I can't help but want to serve that hate back measure for measure. It's not fear it's anger. We could all benefit from a twelve step program.

Dave, these passages were very astute and nicely written:

" In all my years, I've only heard two images of whites from blacks. 1. The man. We control everything. We're privileged. The oppressor. We coordinate to keep blacks out, to keep blacks down. 2. The silly do-good liberal. We look for approval. We want to be hip. But we're naive and shallow. There is no third view of whites in black folklore. And you wonder why we never connect.

Right now I'm not trying to be your friend. I never was your oppressor. I do believe in the fierce urgency of now, so what I want is to work together to get us some good government. I certainly don't mind, if along the way, the lot of black people improves. In fact I like that. And it doesn't make me silly or naive. I argue, and I think Obama agrees, that makes me an American, which I most certainly am. "

I wish more people could read them.

[grendl]

In all your years you've only heard two images black people have of white people, the man, and silly do good liberals.

I take it you never had any black friends growing up. My best friends in college were black, and I was white. Still am in fact. They never viewed me as the "man", or someone who was hanging out with them to up my liberal street cred. Usually you have to interact with individuals on a one to one basis, to realize just how similar we all are.

I grew up in a town incidentally with one black family, so before college my experience with black people was relegated to a single incident, my friendship with a black cockney boy named Carlton I'd met on a family trip to London when I was fourteen. He wanted to learn American baseball, and I wanted to know why they would play cricket in better when American baseball was so much better. Race was never an issue.

Stereotypes are perpetuated by ignorance. And laziness. It's easy to pigeonhole people when they come with an assigned set of stereotypical guidelines. Racial profiling I believe its called.There are blacks who will never see whites as anything more than oppressors, who kidnapped their ancestors, and put them to work in the cotton fields of this nation, and have continually tried to keep them second class citizens. There are blacks who see white people lobbying for them as some sort of self serving endeavor, an attempt to cleanse their conscience, or up their own liberal street cred.

And then there are those who know white people personally, and realize we're not all that different, despite the whole privilege thing.

Right now, you say you're trying to be their friend, and not their oppressor, that sounds a bit condescending as hell. White man friend to black man, come in peace. They're people too, and understand when they're being patronized.

You want to be a friend to all black people? Why? You don't want to be a friend to all white people do you, the lunatics, and serial killers and racists out there. Make one black friend in your life, that's all you need to do to see he or she is no different from you. Other than the whole privilege thing of course.

[eridees]

I get it. I had to read your post twice to make sure. But I as an AA, I truly get it. Thanks for the post. That was the point of Obama's speech. Its purpose was to raise us to a level of self consciousness that is severely lacking in our country. Today you raised your voice and confirmed to me that we are not hopeless at all. Maybe this is the first path into talking about race without being tone deaf.

[k6007]

Why can't we just stop it? I NEVER thought I'd see this kind of vitriol in the democratic party, in the year of our Lord, 2008!!!
Whites AND Blacks built this Country. Whites AND Blacks have defended this country, every datburn step of the friggin way. Why is this fact not enough for BOTH sides to realize that we need each other?

[TIME]

Going by the 12 step program, now that you have admitted that you are racist, the next step is..............

Can we separate personal racism and institutional racism?

If a black man is President, can we now claim institutional racism against whites. After all, his social programs tend to benefit the colored people, more than white people.

[AreYouSerious]

Anyone who tries to pretend they don't have any preconceived notions or stereotypes about another race is a liar. We all do it, and some stereotypes are true, about all races. Its stupid, everyone needs to lighten up about it and laugh about some of the crap.

I don' t think you are a "racist" I think you are just like every other American, and probably every other HUMAN BEING

[GnitenGoodLk]

I'm a racist too!! I seem to have this affinity for the human race - I'd like them to advance instead of the necons destroying anymore of them and pitting one group against the other. But that's just me.

[RedBirdy]

Wow. That's all I got.

[TJinSoCal]

Racism is colorblind.
If you're a human being, the potential for being racist is part of the package. The instinct to avoid those who are different and seek out those perceived as similar is inborn. The key is recognizing those instincts and ignoring the lizard brain and making the effort to be logical and fair-minded.
Being a racist isn't a problem. Allowing racism to affect your decision-making, however, is.
Stereotypes are for lazy thinkers.

[frustratedinohio]

Hi, I'm a racist too.

Now can we drop it and get on with fixing our problems? Maybe the time to discuss race and be idealistic about "CHANGE" should come after the last soldier comes home and we get out of the hole Bush dug for this economy.

[mommadona]

"Once we feel heard, then we might be better able to listen to what you have to say. Just a thought."

Number one: Who's "we"? Fellow racists?

Number two: Who are you talking to (or down to....that's the perception)?.

Number three: Guess what. Normal people don't like racists. Really.

Thanks for pointing out the fact that you are indeed a racist.

When I see you coming down the street, I'll know exactly which side of the street to walk on.

[chx]

I guess you missed the point of what he was saying. Too bad...

[mommadona]

Yeah, I guess I did.

I read the whole thing through twice.

Yep.

And I still came to my conclusion.

Normal people don't like racists. Really.

[blueraven]

And you're perfectly clean of every possible prejudice and assumption about every race on earth, including your own?


Pull the other one. It's got bells on it.

[Wilson33]

I love your Grateful Dead reference, right on!