Racism

The other night at the Euro Cafe, the topic came up of Odum and the SVR flap that pushed his employer to ask that he refrain from blogging, or whatever, and I mentioned that I hadn't even been following the SVR/racism posts because when I see the word "racism," I tend to tune it out. That topic kind of sets me off, so I don't like to get into it.

In thinking about it after, I was a little surprised that no one asked me why, but then again, I don't think like a non-conservative.

JD asked me last night in a comment on his blog FBC, "So... I have to ask... what's your issue with racism (in that you tune it out)? That stuck in my head that night. You're not one of those cons that doesn't think it exists, are you?"

To answer JD's question, no. I am not "one of those cons that doesn't think it exists."

I know racism exists, as does sexism, classism, education-level-ism, political-ideology-ism, religious-beliefs-ism, sexual-orientation-ism, and country-of-origin-ism; and any-other-way-we-can-judge-others-ism is alive and well, too.

See, as human beings, we tend to compartmentalize the information that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. That compartmentalization is largely based on judgments, which are based on our past experiences and preconceived notions.

When we encounter an unknown, be it an object, situation, or person, we make judgments about that object, situation, or person based on the information available in our minds of similar objects, situations, and people. To do otherwise (ie to not base our judgments on past experiences) would take a conscious effort on our part.

Does that make sense?

So, yes, we judge. We judge based on what we know. Many times those judgments are unfair. Often, though, those judgments are not malicious.

The appropriate thing to do when one is confronted with these incorrect judgments, is to face them head on, point them out in a non-accusatory way, and show the person making the judgments that they were incorrect in judging you (or whoever they are judging).

Does hate-based, malicious racism still exist? I'm sure it does. However, every single time I have ever read or heard that someone was accusing someone else of racism, it was not a case of actual racism, in the sense that the person being accused actually holds "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race."(Source)

Instead, racism is often being used as a way to slander a person (almost always a conservative) in an attempt to side-step the actual issue being discussed. It's a way to win an argument that one is losing, or an argument that one fears one might eventually lose.

The result is that racial tensions thrive, the false stereotype that a certain subset of American politics (read: conservatives) is inherently racist will continue to exist, and, worst of all, instead of examining the real causes of inequality in America, racism will continue to be the scapegoat of choice, virtually guaranteeing that real solutions will continue to elude us.

Crying racism is a deplorable tactic that only serves to damage race relations in this country even more than they already are.

I once hoped that by the time my sons were adults, racial tensions would be but a memory in this country, but I'm sad to say it never will be as long as the term racism is still so effective at silencing political opposition.

Perhaps American Culture is not so Debased After All

Just when I start to wonder if there is any redemption for our popular culture, I see a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

The turning point is hard to pinpoint. But after 30 years of growing popularity, rap music is now struggling with an alarming sales decline and growing criticism from within about the culture's negative effect on society.

Could it be that we are finally coming to our collective senses and beginning to realize that songs that glorify drug dealing and street violence, and demean and over-sexualize women, are actually not so great for our psyche?

Rap insider Chuck Creekmur, who runs the leading Web site Allhiphop.com, says he got a message from a friend recently "asking me to hook her up with some Red Hot Chili Peppers because she said she's through with rap. A lot of people are sick of rap ... the negativity is just over the top now."

Now? Well, better late than never with that realization, I suppose.

Though music sales are down overall, rap sales slid a whopping 21 percent from 2005 to 2006, and for the first time in 12 years no rap album was among the top 10 sellers of the year. A recent study by the Black Youth Project showed a majority of youth think rap has too many violent images. In a poll of black Americans by The Associated Press and AOL-Black Voices last year, 50 percent of respondents said hip-hop was a negative force in American society.

You can read the whole article here.

Speaking of hip-hop, I had a bizarre experience this afternoon. I was downloading a new ringtone for my cell phone and I clicked over to the Christian/Gospel category and saw a song by R. Kelly. It turns out he had a gospel album in 2004. Who'd've thunk it?

(Yes, I know that R. Kelly is technically R&B, not hip-hop.)

Since you're no doubt dying to know, I ended up downloading the song "Run," by Kutless. (You can see the video on You Tube or read the lyrics, if you're interested.)