“Racist”. “Hate-speech”. “Offensive words.” “Offensive behaviour”.
I am listening to the news and a story about a fraternity's racist video or something of the sort. Seems college kids were making comments about another race – they were generalizing, stereotyping, and using what some call ‘offensive’ language.
As if on-cue, the ‘marchers’ and ‘protesters’ start. Their chants – their aggressive response to these ‘racist’ kids of the frat who was recorded.
Here’s what was on the vid: Kids on a bus chanting “There’ll never be a nigger in SAE. You can hang them from a tree but they’ll never sign with me, there’ll never be a nigger in SAE!”
Of course we have ‘outrage’. Of course we have calls for, in essence, to ‘burn this MF’er down!’. We have high-horse riders on twitter begging for ‘something to be done!’.
Here’s the scariest part of all of this: Ready for it?
If THIS type of behaviour – although idiotic, stupid, whatever – is enough to incite protests and saber rattling and ‘outrage’, I question the resolve of our society. I question the weakness – to actually get ‘outraged’ by people I don’t know chanting something stupid not directed towards anyone specific, in a non-threatening way, without knowing if anyone of color was on the bus participating – of our population. People outraged at SPEECH are NOT tough enough to defend freedom nor liberty. People so-upset at the mere WORDS of others have NO chance in holding a society together.
Here’s the proper response: “Those kids are idiots. Move on”
That video does NOT mean ‘our society has farther to go in race-relations’ . That video is NOT evidence of racists; for I believe saying something racist does not make somebody a racist any more than saying something in japanese makes somebody japanese.
As a man with likely-african roots, I’m bewildered at the flip-flop in violence against another race since ‘our nation began’ and about the 1960s. Back in the day, white folk killed, tortured, and harassed folks of color sometimes with impunity. Today, (probably) European-american, or…hrm…lighter-pigment skin-colour kids on a bus do a chant and that’s ‘evidence of racism’ while folks of sharing part of my ancestry burn buildings, assault people, KILL people, and destroy innocent bystanders and that is LARGELY accepted by the likes of our (partially) black president and his counsel. The rampant destruction of a city is the result of White-on-Black racism. It’s not their fault. They SHOULD riot because cops arrest more black folk than white folk (no mention of the black folk doing the crime in the fist place).
Its understandable to our societal "leaders" because today's youth-of-colour have innate fear, frustration and pain from their ANCESTRIAL struggles (literally – people have said shit like that). Warning! Crazy-talk ahead. But talk that is TRUE (as displayed) in the minds of our weakest-but-loudest segment of society:
Group of kids with largely European-American heritage on a bus chanting black-centric racist words: Proof of white privledge, racism, and all things bad.
Group of people with largely african heritage Burning the streets and buildings, rioting, looting, and assaulting others: ALSO Proof of white privilege, racism, and all things bad.
What the HELL is wrong with us, as a people? If somebody wants to be a racist, but is not otherwise infringing upon the rights, freedoms of others? Who gives a shit.
Liberty SHOULD be enough to quell the ‘outrage’. But it will not. Liberty will take a back seat to people looking to be special-enough as to be offended. It’s not only within race-relations – it’s with illnesses, tragedy, and victory.
Go to a funeral – especially that of a young person – and you’ll likely hear how close the person speaking was to the deceased. You’ll hear how SAD the person speaking is. You’ll hear how the person speaking has LOST SO MUCH! Maybe the person speaking should instead focus on the deceased – NOT themselves. We hear it on forums, and in bars: “Well…my BUDDY was in A’stan! He got hurt!” Another jumps in “Well MY body lost his leg!” Then a third “Well MY BUDDY lost ALL his limbs!” With victory – “Oh yeah? Well MY COUSIN knows a guy who was friends with a woman whose sister’s best friend’s former roommate knew Tom Brady!”
Human nature rises up and demands association-for-attention in ALL situations. We yearn to be special-enough as to be associated with tragedy or victory. It’s a case of “LOOK AT ME!! I am OFFENDED!! Some stupid white kids were chanting on a bus! But that HURTS ME! Acknowledge me!! Validate ME!!”
Unfortunately, the response to this video is WORSE than the video. Happens all the time.
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