Racism in America...

I just don't understand racism. Why these feelings of resentment against a general population of our country is perpetually propagated. And how, in it's most extreme forms, can manifest into physical actions where innocent people loose their dignity, property and/or even their lives because of the color of their skin.

But I know where it comes from. It seeps into almost every Americans lives into one form or another whether it's crossing the street to stay away from a crowd of African Americans or maybe staying out of particular stores because you don't speak Spanish. They come from assumptions we all make because very few of us have taken the time to actually find out the answer to the question - we wallow in our ignorance and let fear drive our thoughts and actions.

I have found myself in some of those situations - where I am the minority and walking into a Mercado in Oceanside, CA where I felt I was the one being watched. I could read it on the faces of the customers and employees that I was in the wrong spot and I honestly felt uncomfortable. Maybe it was a taste of what millions of minorities go through at least a few times in their lives.

I am waiting for the day when my little innocent daughter will speak out loudly - probably in a very, very public place - and ask why that man/woman is different in the way that they look. I have already worked on my response - in that that person's family comes from a different part of the world - but he/she is still a person just like the rest of us.

I truly do believe that - that we are all equal and deserve equal treatment. The practice of it is much harder. I say that because there is the fear of the unknown. Not that I believe a Hispanic man or an African American woman is that much of a mystery - but that I am almost tripping over myself to show that I am not the stereotypical white male and I'm actually more worried about what they would think of me. And maybe, just maybe - it really doesn't matter.

Generalizations in any form are ridiculous. I have generalized religious groups like the conservative Christians - but that doesn't make the individual guilty of the group thinking. And, by most accounts, it's a very small minority of that group that ends up with the airtime and by default is the spokesperson for all. It's not fair - but it also doesn't whisk away the overall group's practiced policies (which is more to my previous points).

But generalizations of race are silly. What would it matter one bit to the quality of their character? Whether that person comes form the minority group or the super majority. It's irrational thinking that is abused for power reasons. But I can't think of one race of people who practice a homogeneous policy that I can disagree with.

I also wish that we didn't spend our time segmenting our populations by political correctness. Why does an African American or a Mexican American or a "fill-in-the-blank" American have to even differentiate themselves. Aren't we all just plain 'ol Americans? To say you're only identified with that one sub group really puts you into a box - why does it really matter? If a woman has red hair - do we all just assume she's Irish (I guess if it's really her hair color)? Maybe she's actually English or Scottish. I guess in the end her ancestry is really her own business and she doesn't need to be lumped into the sub group Red-Headed Americans. It's pretty obvious she's not Asian or African.

I think people will make a leap to think that racism in America is on the way out if Barack Obama is elected president. I think there will be a segment of Americans who will pat themselves on the back and think that we've actually made it. It's still far from the truth - Ted Koppel on Talk of the Nation (NPR) stated that today - that we can show that we've made strides as a nation, but we've got a long way to go. Especially when there are plenty of other groups of people who are victims because of their skin color. I can only imagine what a Middle Eastern American who is a practicing Muslim goes through nowadays.

Maybe I'm too much of an idealist and I would love for people to make friends and intermingle based on their shared interests and the quality of their character. But I am white and it's easy to preach that when I'm not the one getting dumped on.

I would like to hear from all of you on what you think of racism. Are you a recipient or even an instigator?