Racism In America

SEE HERE and HERE and then MICHELLE MALKIN made a contribution.

When it comes to racism, the vast majority of it today is coming from blacks on whites. Indeed, the white population has bent over backwards to help the black population with the result that the name calling has increased and the unforeseen consequences that giving people something for nothing actually creates disincentives. So in many ways the black population is worse off to day then they were when racism was more of a problem. Claiming victimhood is a psychologically debilitating condition.

I remember flying on a cross country flight and I just happened to be sitting next to a very attractive young lady. I tried to strike up a conversation and she said "You don't want to talk to me." I was shocked by that and asked "Why not? It's a long flight it might be nice to chat." or something like that. She responded with "Look at me, can't you see?" I said "See what?" "I'm Hispanic," she said. Well I'd always lived pretty much in the North East and I said, "So what? I'm German and Irish." This let me in for a long tirade about Mexican-american and Hispanic discrimination. We didn't talk too much after that since she was convinced I was lying that I must really be bigoted or something. She was a prisoner of her own identity.

I don't know how that happens really, but it obviously does. I suspect it is more likely when the person can be categorized, labeled and boxed by sight, because then the person has a way of explaining every unkind act that they experience. But it's not true and if you let that happen to you then you compromise your life. I have a few of those characteristics that people are sometimes prejudiced against. I'm Catholic and I'm a Conservative and both of those have sometimes caused me some grief, but they are part of my identity and I'm not ashamed of who I am or what I think. Those that put people in boxes have a problem. But in some ways it is even sadder when you put yourself in the box and throw the key away.