I have been called a lot of names lately online and off. The most frequent label applied to me and other conservatives is “racist.”
I don’t consider myself racist, but only the most blatant separatists would consider themselves bigots. Thus, I take this charge seriously and it is worthwhile to do some self-inspection. I wish there was a simple test. Answer these questions and we will tell you whether you suffer from the mental disorder of racial hatred. There is not. Similar to the person who says “some of my best friends are black”, the response of most tea party movements to the charge of racism has been to parade a few minorities to refute the claims. I believe this does little to address the issue either way.
First, let me say that many people simply use the term racist because it has power in our society. This diminishes the struggle that those who have faced true discrimination in our society have had. Some of the more salient issues facing our society that most frequently bring up the race debate are:
Ø School Vouchers
Ø Foreign Debt Relief
Ø Welfare Reform
Ø Housing and Mortgage Reform
Words are extremely important and understanding what a term means is key to determining whether that word applies or not. Most people in our society do not understand what racism is and isn’t. They apply a “I know it when I see it” test. Merriam-Webster provides the following definition for racism:
Main Entry: rac·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈrā-ˌsi-zəm also -ˌshi-\
Function: noun
Date: 1933
1 : 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
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism
The argument that I am racist is two-fold. First, people argue that I have become politically active primarily because a mixed race President was elected. That would be what I will call racism 1, based upon the above definition. I will deal with that argument later because I think it is the easier to deal with.
Racism 2 is a little more elusive. I would invite you to search disparate impact on findlaw.com to read more. A full discussion is well beyond the scope of this article and, in fact, volumes have been written. Suffice it to say that the term racist is now used to describe people who promote policies which may have a perceived negative impact on a particular race or ethnic group.
The difficulty for me arises in determining what impact is negative. Is an impact negative if it proves to be a detriment in the short term but a benefit in the long run? School voucher programs demonstrate this clearly. There is no question that inner-city schools that are under performing will receive less funding if school voucher programs are put in place. Without citing statistics, we can assume for purposes of this discussion that these schools frequently have a higher percentage of minority students, teachers and administrators. The question is whether the negative impact will be short-term or long-term. Whether society will be better served if some schools are forced to admit failure while allowing students to choose other schools. Reasonable people can differ as to the relative merits of such a program. Many invoke the racism label in the fight to maintain the status quo. It is clear to me though that reasonable people can come down on each side of this argument without regard to the race of those affected. Is race an issue for some people in this argument? Of course. Maybe I am overly optimistic in believing that most people would like to see a society that treats all of our children with equal respect and equal protection of the laws. A society that educates all of its children in a safe and productive environment and where each student can achieve to the best of his or her ability.
As for racism 1, there is no way to refute the claim because those who make it do not know me. They do not know what is in my heart and they do not take the time to analyze my words to determine if they evidence a racial bias. They do not want to. They simply want to refute any argument with the simplest possible explanation. This intellectual laziness is very dangerous in our society today and it is my hope that people of all races, faiths and political persuasions will join together to denounce it.
I welcome your thoughts and comments. As always, the opinions expressed here are solely those of the author. No implication of agreement is to be implied by any person or organization publishing these comments.
I thank you for taking the time to read one man’s simple thoughts for the day.
