I grew up in central Florida in the 50s and 60s, and God love 'em, my parents were racists. They hated JFK, MLK, and LBJ. They adored Lucinda, our black housekeeper for nearly two decades. Daddy called crying when she died.
The article that motivated me to write this out-of-purview post is below. It coupled with the outlandish, offensive, bigoted statement about Mexicans by "The Donald" --a national embarrassment and Republican presidential candidate, makes it impossible for me to stay quiet. Besides, I've been there, done that.
It didn't take a college education or a graduate degree for me to recognize how wrong my parents were. It took a 1963 bus ride. My moment of insight is on my website:
A Vote for Lucinda --if you're interested.
Some of you may be thinking I should just stick to my little animal stories, but the belief that we have the God-given right to lord our superiority over even the smallest, most defenseless of other species is what I write about. It stems from exactly the same mind(less) set as racism. It's called speciesism--the belief that the human race is superior to other species, and that exploitation of animals for the advantage of humans is justified. Encarta ® World English Dictionary ©
I think following article is important to consider. I hope you feel the same. And to my readers in Europe, Asia, South America, and especially in Mexico, we won't actually elect The Donald, or Ted Cruz. I'm almost positive.
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Anti-intellectualism Is Killing America | Psychology Today
"In considering the senseless loss of nine lives in Charleston, of
course racism jumps out as the main issue. But isn’t ignorance at the
root of racism? And it’s true that the bloodshed is a reflection
of America's violent, gun-crazed culture, but it is only our aversion to
reason as a society that has allowed violence to define the culture.
Rational public policy, including policies that allow reasonable
restraints on gun access, simply isn't possible without an informed,
engaged, and rationally thinking public."
For the entire article...
At thd root of all racism is …wait for it RACISM. To generalize that racists are just stupid or ignorant or uneducated is wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I've always felt that "they're just ignorant" completely lets racists off the hook. There are plenty of examples of how not to be racist walking around. You don't need an education to observe, to consider, and to adopt. Are racists too stupid to consider? Maybe. But protecting your advantage or scapegoating an insecurity seems to me to play a considerable role. As does culture. Let's not ignore that. And therein lies hope, because we might not be able to change individuals, but we can affect culture.
ReplyDelete