Funny
thing…if a white person says something derogatory about a person of color or performs
an action to the detriment of a person of color, that white person will be
considered a racist or a bigot. However, if a person of color says something
derogatory about a white person, whether in comedy or as an act of defiance,
that person of color will be considered to be acting out in response to many
years of oppression and racial mistreatment. The sad reality is that racism is
racism, whether as an action or as a reaction.
Racism
is defined as the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics
or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as
inferior or superior to another race or races. One of the things that I have
taught my children is that if they want to be respected, then they have to show
respect. While it is true that there will be instances where decisions will be
made based on race, religion, gender or some other classification, more often
than not, people will get out of life whatever they put into it. If a person
behaves in a racist manner, they will be considered a racist, even if they are
simply, in their minds, reacting to racism that they themselves had to endure.
This
piece is not designed to do anything more than say that racism is wrong, while
some will see this as anti-black, anti-white, anti-comedy or anti-something
else that can create controversy and conversation. The truth is that as a black
man, I have been mistreated racially by white people, but I always looked at
those instanced as exceptions as opposed to as the standards. The bible tells
us that God wants us to treat others the way that we would want to be treated
and that we should leave acts of revenge to God, and this is what I teach my
children. Behaving is a racist manner in response to being racially mistreated makes
us no better than those who we claim to have oppressed us.
Follow me on Twitter @ericejenkins65
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