Sometimes I wonder

Watched this clip the other day as it was getting passed around Facebook. (Excuse the size. Blogger is tripping. Just Google "white chick insults asians" for a better video.)

As you can see, this busty blond is complaining about Asians at UCLA using their cell phones in the library. She also complains about excessive visits from their relatives, about how much those relatives help them with general housework, about their accents and use of a foreign language, about their presence on campus and about their general lack of manners. Basically, she complains about their existence.

As I watched this young woman spew hatred and bigotry, I found myself getting angry. I'm not Asian, but all I had to do was substitute my "black" for Asian and change up some of the stereotypes, and the woman could have been talking to me.

As she mentioned "real Americans" and people lacking gratitude and social grace, I wanted to reach through the computer and shake her. As she attempted to justify her remarks by ragging on "political correctness" I could almost feel my blood pressure spiking. She is a walking, talking caricature and the worst thing about her is that she is not alone.

People think she has a valid point.

Sometimes I wonder...

Is it that hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes? Is it that difficult to understand that blanket statements involving race are dangerous, particularly when they are derogatory? What's so hard about realizing that it is offensive and insulting to question whether full-fledged citizens are real "Americans"? It's not cool to seclude yourself in a bubble of ignorance. It's just not cool.

This young woman is so convinced of her right to spew ignorance that she actually posted it on the Internet for the world to see. She believes so strongly in her ability to identify authentic Americans, that she had no fear of her classmates and future employers learning her opinions.

And why should she fear? In this country, her thoughts mirror the mindsets of far too many mindless, small-minded drones. She's right in the mainstream. The woman is potentially facing sanctions from UCLA, but I'm sure she'll gain more supporters from being targeted than she would have if she'd been left alone.

That's what's so sad. Ignorance can be a terrible thing, and it's only worse when its shared.

Sigh.



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Monkey See

Real quick.

How can conservatives get all up in arms about an NPR executive calling the Tea Party racist and saying that NPR would likely be better off without public funding when those comments were gleaned through nefarious means? First, we know both comments are true, but even the truth is not the issue here.

Don't conservatives get mighty pissy when people glean incriminating information about them through underhanded means? Wasn't that the main complaint of the governor of Wisconsin and all his buddies?

Don't Tea Party members complain that the liberal media edits videos and interviews to make them look like ridiculous bigots? Shouldn't they be upset that someone is doing that same thing to someone else in their name?

Nope.

Nobody, on the left or right, seems capable of saying "You know, I think I'm going to actually follow the Golden Rule and stop attempting to justify the means through the end." Instead, everybody uses the bad behavior of their opponents to justify whatever horrible behavior they in turn commit. And then the all pretend they don't see the hypocrisy.

Monkey see, monkey do indeed.




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Wholesome Is What Wholesome Does... Sometimes

It seems a "wholesome" white child has killed his parents and wounded his siblings in Colorado.

That is terrible news.

Yet, as I read the story I noticed three things. First, despite an act more unwholesome than McDonald's new oatmeal, the boy was still identified as an all-around great guy by everyone. Second, despite being a cold-blooded murderer, the District Attorney does not know if he's going to prosecute the child as an adult. Third, it's good to be white.

Here's why I say that. Wholesome black children do not shoot their parents. Why? Because wholesome black children don't exist. And, even if by some miracle they did exist, which everyone knows is impossible, they would no longer be wholesome if they had the audacity to shoot their parents. Besides, black kids don't have "parents", they have a "parent". Usually a mother on welfare. Everyone knows this, right?

Right.

It is good to be white because any black child who has the audacity to kill another human being automatically gets tried as an adult. Those are the rules of life, just like the sun rising in the East and setting in the West. There is no debate about whether they can handle adult prison, instead the concern is making sure this depraved human being is prevented from ever becoming a danger to, well, white folks. After all, if the child was willing to kill family, Lord knows what the child might do to pure white folks.

The horror.

Was that too harsh? Did those comments overstep the boundaries of acceptable speech? Am I unnecessarily interjecting race into this family's private hell? Maybe.

And maybe not.

It is a shame that this young man committed such a terrible act, but it's more shameful that we handle horrible acts so differently based on the color of the perpetrators. Remember that 14-year old Florida boy forced to stay in adult prison for years after he accidentally killed a 9-year old girl while wrestling? Was he not "wholesome" enough to be spared such a cruel punishment that scarred him for life?

Rants about media coverage are the ultimate long hanging fruit, but they still cannot be avoided. As I read testimonials from the boys family and friends it struck me how the story was clearly written to maximize feelings of disbelief and not disgust. It amazed me that the District Attorney promised to consider the community's wishes when deciding how to handle the case. How often are little black murderers afforded the same consideration?

Never.






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Laws Were Made

My brother once told me that the "law" is a collection of rules designed to keep power in the hands of those who already possess it.

My brother is a lawyer.

If somebody sworn to uphold the law has such a dreary view of it, that should be a sign to the rest of us. Few people believe that this country's justice system is flawless, but most people still don't understand the extent of its flaws. Moreover, while people claim to support "law and order" they are often willing to cast aside laws whenever those laws constrict the freedoms they feel they should possess. Sometimes this is based on higher ideals, but often it's just based on comfort.

I often find it interesting to examine how laws, both major and minor, bind us and tear us apart. Most of us understand our responsibilities as law-abiding citizens, but all of us break the law on a near daily basis whether it be through minor offenses against traffic and civil ordinances, or more serious acts involving violence, theft or fraud. If you were to poll most Americans I would imagine you would find dire feelings about the state of lawlessness in our society, yet I would bet most people would rate themselves and their family and friends as quite law-abiding.

For example, folks in Texas often feel their state embodies "law and order" in this union, yet months ago those same people, including the state's governor, were openly discussing the seditious possibility of seceding from the United States.

Police officers typically have a derogatory take on lawbreakers and the lenience extended to them by courts and "liberals." Yet, nearly everyday I receive information or actually see officers breaking the law on their own, and these failings are quickly covered up and excused. It would seem that criminals aren't those who break the law, but people who haven't earned the right to break the law.

There is the rub. Many Americans feel that some rights are for all, and some rights are only extended those people who have "earned" them. The only problem is that it seems like "earning" certain rights simply boils down to being born the right color. For some folks, no matter what they've done or suffered they will never earn the right to openly flout the laws of this country. And certain other folks are born with that right and can never lose it.

It's a curious thing when you think about it.



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