Divided America

I am writing this in response to Chris Clarke from Creek Running North's call to blog against racism.  It is an important subject - and I'm glad Chris called attention to it.

Can we please – please, please, please – start a substantive conversation on race in America?  There are ground rules though – no kicking, screaming, eye-gouging or biting allowed.  All participants have to agree not to put on silly hats or funky bandanas and march around with crosses or guns.  Think I’m being facetious?  OK – try having this discussion without the accompanying folderol.  Someone always has to start the button pushing – and immediately the ears close, the mouths open and for all intents and purposes we might as well be at a Jerry Springer taping. 

Well this shit has to stop.  If it doesn’t, we face the kind of internal civil war that will make any WTO protests begin to resemble water balloon fights.  Everybody is teetering on the verge of getting monumentally pissed – and those crosses and guns might end up being replaced with much scarier weapons.  Not possible, says you?  Where have you been lately?  Spend much time in trees, do you?  Oh, I know – you’re one of our many fellow Americans who trundle on through life as if living in the antebellum south.  Well things, they are a’ changin’ – and you’d better join in the discussion now, my dears; or trust me – you will end up staring at the chaos that surrounds you smothered in confusion, wondering just how in hell we all got to this point. 

Let’s start with the overt behaviors – I am constantly amazed by all the idiots who think because we share a skin tone, we must therefore share the exact same racist thoughts.  As a matter of fact since Katrina, I have heard more bullshit regarding class, culture and race than in the last five years combined.  I remember a time I was trapped on the ‘L’ heading into Chicago from the airport.  This dreadful man just started spewing garbage about how much he hated every African-American person on the train.  Even after I told him to shut the fuck up – he continued – droning on, and on.  The bastard followed me as I moved from seat to seat in an attempt to escape.  God!  No matter what I said, he just kept on talking, as if I really wasn’t there; as if his need to vent superseded everyone else’s civil and human rights.  I finally just got off and caught another train.  By the way – haven’t you noticed that incidents such as this are on the rise?  I have heard unbelievably outrageous comments from neighbors, store clerks - even some asshole standing next to me in line.  I most always say something; tell the person why they’re wrong, or just to go get bent - even though I know any attempt to change such small minds is a total waste.  It reminds me of something Heinlein said – Never try to teach a pig to sing; because it wastes your time and annoys the pig. 

Well those minds had damn well better change - and soon.  We are letting ourselves down as human beings if we allow such ignorance to continue.  We are also letting America down.  Just look at the reactions to Katrina for your answer.  We really need to talk, folks – on a national level – about why the have-nots in this country are almost always someone of color.  About why gender and race are inextricably linked when it comes to equal pay for equal work.  About why young, male African Americans make up such a high percentage of incarcerations in this country.  All important subjects, all barely touched on whenever the issue of race comes up. I could hope to say this constant avoidance amazes me – but unfortunately it does not.  Too many years, too much stupidity for that. It does seem, however, that peoples true feelings are surfacing over this emphasis on color; on whether or not the ethnicity of those poor bastards seen begging for help while knee-deep in contaminated water merits discussion.  Hello!!  The answer is yes, of course it does - they were left to rot, are still being left to rot - and that will always be wrong by any sort of measure. 

Do you all know what the loss will be if our nation drives itself to the brink of class warfare?  For all of us?  God – even the thought of something like that happening has me near folded over with grief.  So, what's the answer?  What has turned seemingly intelligent, compassionate people towards the stereotypical (re: simple)?  Is it fear?  Because I really can’t think of anything else that elicits such overt reactions. And if so – if all this really is about being afraid - of what?  What is so scary about equality for EVERYBODY?  Today is the anniversary of Rosa Parks historic, shattering ride through a segregated town in Alabama.  We honor her courage in our nations Capitol, while kicking to the curb everything she and that ride stood for. So - does ethnicity impact how we see both our country and our lives?  The answer seems to be yes; and that just about breaks my heart. 

Comments

[Sky Walkinstik]

I deeply appreciate what you are trying to do but racism is international issue and an international support group is desperatly needed to expose documented racism cases and find closure for the victims in these cases.

[Shocked Troubadour]

ShockedTroubadour
January 25, 2007 05:31 AM

Article submitted to the Guardian in the UK. No answer was ever received!

Martin,

Thank you for your attempt to explain racism by ‘Class’ standards in the Guardian. If what you say is fact then the UK and other Governments are in very serious trouble as they continue to deliberately try to cover up blatant cases to international racism perpetrated by members in their employ. It is obvious that these same Governments seem to believe in the ‘old’ adage, ‘out of sight is out of mind,’ will bring closure. If this were true you wouldn’t be reading this now.

Like you, I travel a lot internationally and have been an eyewitness to several accounts of some profoundly disgusting acts of racism by government employees and others. ‘Is a persons ancient family name really a justification for racism?’ Or is it just pure ignorance on the part of specific individuals in the employ of these same Governments.

I'm sure that most, if not all, of your readers are unaware of what happens to some of their 'invited guests,’ to the UK, behind their backs? This following example is a true event that can be documented.

I would like to hear your views on this and from anyone else that would care to comment.

What, pray tell, would you call this? 'Mistaken Identity?'

This vivid incident remains permanently etched into my memory, with profound disgust, as if it happened only yesterday.

The individual in question, an elderly American Indian gentleman, had just gotten off the plane after a long flight to Glasgow, Scotland, on the morning of July 17, 1996. As he presented his Passport the Customs agent, 'she said', with obvious contempt, " No one has a name like that!"

The individual was instantly detained and immediately hauled off and locked in a small room somewhere in that airport, to be insulted and treated like some common criminal. He wasn’t even allowed to go to the toilet!

Hours later he was again 'physically and urgently’ rushed out of that same airport with his luggage in tow and 'placed (?)' in 'a waiting taxi' with the individual that had 'invited' him to the UK. They were swiftly driven away from that airport. (It seems that the Press had just gotten wind of this issue and was headed for that airport ..... now, that is interesting.)

No valid explanation was ever given for what had happened or why but the ‘stamped insult’ in your ‘invited guest’s’ Passport said it all. ‘He was forbidden to share the ancient and very rare Musical Instruments and Music he was invited over there to share with your People ... for any reason!’

So much for Cultural Exchange, World Peace, and 'the battle against Racism!'
This ‘invited guest’ to your ‘Nation’ had broken no laws! What justification can the UK offer for the insults and treatment he suffered? Not one apology was offered!

(No issues, involving racism, is too old as long as racism is still alive! I’m in touch with this individual and know that he was attacked again because of his name in Germany in 2002.)

What message do you think he took home to his People?

[Shocked Troubadour]

A Question!

Since when is it the business of any Nation to question a person’s ‘legal’ name by any another Nation and force those individuals to go through their (European) courts to prove that they are also human beings at their own expense?

That is like saying that the UK and Germany has the right to correct the USA by 'implyine' that the United States Government is too ‘stupid’ to handle their own affairs concerning the 'registration' of its own American citizens!

It is of no wonder that Racism is alive and well, it’s profitable!

Germany certainly made a profit from one recent case involving an American citizen and his ‘Legal’ name in a ‘year long’ battle in a German court..

[Shocked Troubadour]

Dear ‘The Fat Lady Sings’:

Thank you for your Email and input.

You are very correct in saying, “Racism isn't particular to America.”

Yes, there is Racism in America but nothing compared to what I have seen and experienced in Canada and Europe. It seems that some governments get their 'Jolly’s off' insulting ‘Cultures,’ that they are totally ignorant of. The sad part of this is that they( those governments) place individuals in trusted positions, which allows them to 'blatantly' play their evil little games. When they are caught, those who put them in these trusted positions, give them a 'little slap' on the hand ('Bad Toad!, Bad Toad!') and cover up the messes to avoid international embarrassment. What happens? You never hear about it and they do it again and again and again, etc.

Have you ever tried to report a ‘gross international racial incident(s), let alone, get any action or even an answer? I’ve tried, on several occasions, for over 25 years and the results have been as useful as ‘Mammary glands on a Duck!’

You might get an answer if you earn six or more figures with an ‘in’ to the media or are a well-known celebrity.

You are very correct in saying, “I think racism is the root cause of poverty and hunger. Both could be eliminated within a single decade,” but you missed one very important word in your ‘statement’ and the word that needs to be included is ‘ignorance’! But then, 'racism' may just be another word for 'ignorance.'

What is even a greater shame and alarming now, ‘in the racism issue,’ is that specific European Nations are now ‘dictating’ how America should run its own Government, with impunity. Although the United States Government has made serious attempts to correct, the issues in question, ‘their official evidence’ falls on deaf ears as ‘not valid’ in the European opinion. So much for international diplomacy!

What do you think of that, have you no pride?

‘America’ is still the Greatest Nation on Earth!’

[splitdocDOTcom]

Also,

check out Split: A Divided America

DVD available here:
http://www.bside.com/films/splitadividedamerica