Race as a tool of politics
For years now I have heard how America is post-racial. We can all recall the multiple commercials and video clips hailing the Obama Presidency as the fruition of the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King. And during all this there have been more than a few noting that it’s woll being pulled over the eyes of the public.
How post-racial is America? Just in the recent days we have seen the growing scandal of members of Congress alleging that racial slurs were used against them as they voted in the unwanted Health Care Reform. A scandal because to-date there is no evidence that such words were said, though it is possible.
In recent months members of Congress, including the most powerful leaders, have stated that mere disagreement or questioning of Obama Administration policies are tantamount to racism. Those were the words of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Carter, and many other elected officials.
Just last week anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan could not answer simply yes or no to the simple question “Are you a racist?”, asked by this writer.
Does this sound post-racial?
Worse yet, can you see how the “post-racial” atmosphere is being warped. It is being used as a tool to censure thought. To eliminate political commentary. To segregate opposition, and belittle political ideals. America is just as racial as ever, and morphing into something even darker.
Race is a weapon these days, in so much as to speak out is to be called a racist. Oppose the proposals of Democrats and/or President Obama and you must be doing so solely for racist provocation. Which includes African Americans and people of color as much as Whites. Because any person of color that is not a Democrat, or Liberal, must therefore be racist against their own skin. Even moreso if they dare share any principles or adopt the affiliation to the Tea Party.
The most dangerous aspect of this has to be what the result is when real issues of racism are diminished. So much so that often real issues are passed by without notice.
The major media didn’t blink when it came time to avoid the Megan Williams case. The sports world casually glossed over the NASCAR lawsuit. To this day there is no connection made to the evidence that police across the nation are more willing and prone to use violence and extereme force on people of color compared to Whites – as the Oscar Grant, Robbie Tolan, and dozens of other cases prove. Even in institutions of higher learning, such as Binghamton University in New York State, there are real questions of racism, as alleged by Men’s Basketball coach Kevin Broadus. Which says nothing of the gloss-over of the at best racially insensitive remarks of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Consider this, the major news media and Congress are still up in arms trying to prove that Democrats were called the N-word at the Health Care vote. This has been weeks, with no evidence to prove or disprove the allegation. But just days ago a member of the SEIU publicly stated how the union should use race to manipulate workers for political gain.
And today news has been released that in Mississippi segregation has been actively ongoing at Walthall County School District since 1970.
40 years of segregation. Unions using race to manipulate it’s members. Is anyone willing to defend these actions as not being true racism?
The evidence that America is not post-racial is huge. But how seriously will America look at the real issues when so much energy and time is being wasted on obviously political and useless claims. At what point will our nation stop with the soundbites engineered to distract, and focus on serious issues? How can we expect anything to improve substantially when we are hiding from reality?
Racism is not merely a Democrat or Republican issue. It is not the rally cry of the Tea Party, political thrird parties, or individuals with a vendetta or hopes of monetary gain. Racism is a reality that harms real Americans every day. It is in the disparity of loans given out and the rates applied when given. It exists in the proportion of executive jobs, and the ceiling of advancement for professionals. It lives in the disproportion of entertainers in our media, and the people that create every aspect of that media. It thrives in the manner in which events are told and the subtle falsehoods it promotes.
Using race as a tool of politics is not beneficial to anyone in America. Ignoring the real issues that is race relations today prevents the nation from moving forward. Because if school districts in Mississippi can go 40 years with segregation, you can be assured there are other problems just as divisive and insidious in the nation as well.
