Today’s skin tone problems

Racism. Six letters that have held this country back for years and continue to have some power over us.

Let me start off by saying that I am not a racist, nor am I a minority activist. I simply see people as people. My mind does not differentiate between black and white just as your mind does not think someone with a tan is any different from someone who is paler than bed sheets.

That is not to say that I understand or know what it is like to be another race than mine, but I do respect and treat them all equally. Because of my personal view, I fail to see how a person can be so narrow-minded to think that because someone has a different skin tone they are dissimilar.

Wake up people, we all have different skin tones. No one in this world is the same. Sure we all have the basic body parts and some of us even share opinions or beliefs, but each person is so unique that judging someone because they are different than you is ignorant and pointless.

I do understand that sometimes racist thoughts or stereotypes are not entirely your own fault; society, our environment, even TV shows like South Park all shape the way we view and feel about certain people and groups. I mean how many times in one episode does Eric Cartman make fun of Kyle and the Jews? A lot, and each time has some sort of impact on your personality and beliefs

I do not, however, feel that people have an excuse or a right to stay ignorant and racist. With the amount of technology, as well as the rapid globalization of today’s society, there are more than enough sources of information that can dispel any prejudice or false stereotype.

Times are slowly changing though, as evidenced by a black man running for president. No doubt that a black man becoming president would be a historical event, but this election cycle has disappointed me, as well as society, by passing up the chance for a good discourse on race.

Sure, Senator Obama gave a great speech in March about racism and the racial tension in the U.S., but the next closest discussion about racism was the controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his anti-American remarks.

And that was not pretty or productive for either side. Wright rekindled the feelings of tension between the races, effectively making Obama’s job of forging a path between the races, as well as the two major political parties, much more difficult.

Now, the reason race and racism has not been brought up is easy-the media is afraid to lose their audience members. It is not a secret that race discussions can get heated and in the heat people tend to say controversial things, which can cause a drop in readers or viewers

I believe that the media has dropped the ball for a good discussion over how the races interact and the affect on society. For that they should be held accountable, or at least chastised. The big news sources have sold the American public out; they would rather sell more papers, or have more viewers, than have the hard discussions that need to be addressed.

Some people feel that race should not be discussed because it will just cause more racism and conflict. That’s like saying talking about rain will make a hurricane.

If we just sweep racism and ignorant stereotypes under the rug, then our world as we know it will not be able to function effectively and will be in a racial stalemate.

With the election rapidly approaching, there is little time for drawn out discussion, but any amount of conversation is better than none. So, I challenge the media, society and everyone to talk about race and the racial conflicts and feelings plaguing our country.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 19 2008. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry