Monday, May 11, 2009

Not Qualified For Racism

Okay...
Assuming that these kids are not;
All star athletes,
Academic All Americans,
Or (legal) entrepreneurs.

Are they qualified for victimization by racists?
Will they be denied access to better schools because of their race?
Will they be denied jobs because of their race?
Will they be denied a home in a posh neighborhood because of their race?
Will they receive poor service in a restaurant, or be passed by cabbies, or looked down on by country club admission boards because of their race?

I have a cousin who gets fired from every job she's had because of the "racist whites" and "Uncle Tom Blacks' who are in power.
This girl is not respected by either parent(*), her grandparents, siblings, relatives or friends.
This girl is always late or always has some sort of emergency.
This girl is always rude, abrasive and unable to take criticism.
This girl has been kicked out of the Air Force and fired from every job she's had.
But still - in her mind, it's because of racism.

Many people scream racism (or any "ism") when in reality, they don't qualify for it.
Red-lining Black people who are trying to buy a home and steering them to higher interest loans is racism.
Black people being too poor to buy a home is not.
Not getting a job because of one's race is racism.
Not getting a job because you are unable to meet the minimum standards is not.
Being arrested for a crime is not racism.
Being profiled and treated differently is racism.

Most people aren't victims of real racism in their day to day lives.
Most people aren't around people with the power to effect their lives.
Most people who cry "Racism" are those who are not qualified to participate in the act in the first place.


* I really have nothing to say to her parents regarding her. Her upbringing and moral compass were set by them.
They planted a flower - and now they're mad because it isn't a fruit baring tree.

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