I am a happy person with a peaceful heart. So, I don’t like to wake up on a Monday morning feeling depressed with a queasiness in the pit of my stomach.
We have had 233 years to develop this nation into the pinnacle of Western Civilization – politically, intellectually, culturally – and it just ain’t happening.
One decade into a new century and a new millennium, we wake up on a Monday morning to headlines which cry out racism. As my mother used to say, “It’s enough to make a preacher cuss.”
Racism is a part of the history of the world, and racism is very much a part of the history of this country. Most of the Founding Fathers we love to venerate were slaveholders. While they spoke loftily about and fougbt bravely for the equality of man, slavery remained an economic cornerstone of this country until the second half of the 19th Century.
Over the last month, I’ve listened to a random selection of books which, as it turned out, either address racism or reek with it and use the “N” word more times than can be endured. The authors? James Michener, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Margaret Mitchell and William Faulkner. We can no more expunge racism from our history than we can expunge it from our literary heritage. It is there.
We could hope to move beyond it, but we never will as long as it remains a partisan petard.
If it weren’t so damn hypocritical, it would almost be laughable to hear Republicans railing against Sen. Harry Reid’s “racism.” Have they “disremembered” that Sen. Joe Biden said the same things verbatim and was selected by Sen. Barack Obama as his running mate?
Has the GOP “disremembered” its own record? Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, summed up that record in dismissing Republican calls for Reid to step down as senate majority leader: “Actions speak louder than words.”
So, here we are in 2010 still grappling with a social issue which should have died away with continuing enlightenment. Albert Einstein, hardly an intellectual slug, said, “Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed.”
Until we can overcome these forces, this country will never establish itself as a starting place for civilization in the 21st Century.
And, frankly, this new civil war Americans are fighting is neither civil nor solicitous of civility.
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11 comments:
I wish I could cheer you up as far as racism is concerned. But I think our country is in far greater peril - and while race is playing a big role, there's much more happening to us that is so, so frightening.
The Big Lie by Holte Ender:
http://mmalkath.blogspot.com/2010/01/big-lie-is-so-big-it-must-be-true.html
BTW: Good post.
Two quotes by Sir Winston Churchill:
"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."
And:
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
Tiny says a great big AMEN! to this post. AS Jim Hendrix said: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
"The Romans had a proverb that money was like sea water. The more you drink the thirstier you become.”
Here's good advice for all of us "Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man/woman. Seems the DC crowd is not interested in doing any of this. Why? No one can escape reality even when you keep denying it.
Whether people like it or not, the fact remains that we are each cut from the same cosmic cloth. No one can change it. We're all brothers and sisters regardless of the color of our skin!
BJ I understand your feelings but do not share them. I have been listening to this subject all day and have seen a number of blacks on the talk shows saying this statement by Reid was not considered by them to be racist. They also say race relations are better in this country. So, I hope you feel less concerned and for heavens sake don't get all depressed by this, it's a republican scheme to try to oust Reid because they fear him!
This is a post about racism used as a political tool today. It is becoming apparent to me that I did not do a very good job of expressing myself in this post. However, when I read it again, it makes sense to me. Sue, you totally misunderstood my meaning, and I am certain that’s my fault. BJ
Try to cheer up Dear, after all ...my journal is called "Politically Depressed", but I more or less done that out of humor. I feel more like putting my foot in these people's asses than anything else. And this hogwash Steele is pulling over Reid is more sideshow stuff from the GOP, which I wrote plenty about will happen in 2010 out of desperation. Probably the most nauseating thing to me is even getting involved or concerned over these petty bitch fight's between a bunch of crook's, cheat's and millionaire's trying to impress me or get my interest on which millionaire labeled the other as a nigger, a nazi, a peckerwood, or any number of other ridiculous rant's out of this cesspool of incompetent BS-ter's.
BJ it's your expert writing and my dimwitted brain! LOL! I am guilty of not absorbing the words and being to quick to comment. :-)
This is one of those instances where Frodo thinks it much wiser to just wait a bit before jumping in and breaking the ice (normally, he would've said "muddying the water," but given the weather. . .).
When you have no accomplishments and no defense for your inaction, then you find names to call somebody.
Tiny and Bill: good quotes!
Sue: I didn’t want us to disagree, LOL. You are guilty of the same thing I am – trying to read too damn many blogs! LOL! My dear, you are not a dimwit! Thanks for rereading and commenting!
Ranch Chimp: You are right! As is Frodo! I just cannot handle the blatant hypocrisy of a party which has done nothing for minorities suddenly coming to their defense.
Leslie, the link you left about “The Big Lie” also showed how Hitler used racism as a political tool. Couldn’t believe the Mary Matelin comment! –eye roll-
BJ
Every time Tiny turned on TV to try to find out what is going on in the world, all she heard was Reid and Leno. That doesn't tell me one damn thing about issues for the betterment of human kind. The sooner the bunch in DC learn that being human has nothing to do with the color of anyones skin or racism the better.
What a day of wasted air time that benefits not one person on the face of God's green earth.
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