Right now, I could be writing this from anywhere in the
country, inside or outside, in a restaurant, or loitering, hanging out on a
boardwalk, and no one would blink. In fact, I’m usually ignored to the point
that you’d think I’m invisible (couple of stories there). I never thought much
of it aside from the humor… Not until the last week.
I was raised color blind. I am thankful to my father for
that. In the military, shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers, starting in
Vietnam, it was about your fellow man for him, not about the color of their
skin. For me, I was raised on military bases, which were always a melting pot.
No one told me someone was this or that. To go 80’s on it, “people are people,
so why should it be? You and I should get along so awfully…”
As I got older, I entered the workforce while I lived on a
military base, still a melting pot, working around men and women, but I never gave
much thought to color, nor gender – just the work. Good work was good work, bad
work was bad work. That stuck with me when I moved into Corporate America and
the world moved into being more PC and we really had to mind our P’s and Q’s.
But, I was looking at people as people, not male or female, their cultural
background, or whatever. I just cared if they could do the job, compose an email
at above a 4th grade reading level, and follow processes.
I’m not saying this to toot my own horn…
What I missed somewhere along the way is that there is a
difference between color blindness and color indifference.
In the early 00’s, there was a crackdown on, let’s call it,
indecent usage of the internet. Before that time, I let it be known, “don’t send
that $%#@ to me,” when it was circulating. When guys would say things about
women on the clock when I was younger, I wouldn’t say anything. It would make
me uncomfortable, but I would just walk away, shrug it off, or mumble nonsense.
I didn’t stop it.
I’ve realized now that I’ve done the same thing with racial intolerance.
People have said things to me… “around” me over the years. Despite doing MY
best to treat everyone equally, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual
preference, gender assignment, or physical ability… By not saying something
when people say things that, in my heart of hearts, I know to be wrong, I’ve helped
to perpetuate intolerance on multiple levels. Don’t get me wrong, some people
knew what they said made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t do enough. I know that
now.
I have to do better… We have to do better.
To the “where I’m writing this” example… I could be writing
this from anywhere, while an African American man could get harassed by a
police officer in La Mesa, CA for sitting, doing nothing, waiting for a friend.
While I’m “invisible”, others are profiled and targeted for no reason. Is that
right?
If I had asked the same lady in the Ramble in Central Park to
leash her dog – I’m a geek comic writer / editor just like Christian Cooper – would
she have called the cops on me and said I was threatening her? No.
I can’t even imagine with what happened in Minnesota… It’s
too horrible. That SHOULD NOT have happened. I have had an experience with a
counterfeit $20 bill, but it was such a NON-ISSUE when I was younger. It was
given to me as change over twenty years ago and I didn’t catch it, it was noticed
when I tried to use it somewhere else. Oops, and it was handed back to me. I believe
I ripped it up when I got home. It happened so long ago that the details are fuzzy
except the broad strokes – that’s just how little of an impact it made on my life.
It was an inconvenience in that I was pissed that I was out $20. I lost $20,
while George Floyd lost his life.
Over. Twenty. Dollars.
The racial tension that has built up for decades has only
gotten worse in the last five years due to our current political climate, but
this shouldn’t be about that. The last five years HAVE shown us, however, live
on television – from protests waving Nazi flags to politicians quoting hateful
rhetoric – the dirty little secret in America is out in the open… Racism is
alive and well.
I think all of our eyes are VERY open today to that fact.
There’s a piece of graffiti that I’m reminded of that
someone posted – “Make racists afraid again.”
While I think we all know what, over the last five years,
has “uncorked” the rhetoric, it has intensified over the last three. People
have come to think it’s okay to say what you want and do what you want to the point
that it’s okay to walk into a state’s capitol, armed with AR-15’s and wearing
tactical gear, yelling to open up America… As long as you’re white.
It’s okay to loiter, to wander, and get close to chaos… as
long as you’re white.
The last week has taught me the true meaning, FINALLY, of
white privilege. And, by God, I’m sorry it has taken me this long.
Peaceful protesters were not treated well in recent days by
the police – tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bags, and arrests.
White reporters left alone while an African American
reporter was arrested. Same general positioning, different response.
Is there some sort of inequity here?
I see that it’s not okay to sit idly by – if you’re in a
group and someone says something or does something that is not acceptable, you
HAVE to call them out on it. You don’t have to judge them on the past, but if
they do something, say something and give them the opportunity to move forward.
The next time something happens that you’re not comfortable
with – something said or something done – let them know it’s not okay.
LET’S START TODAY. NOW.
This goes from tossing around derogatory names for different
ethnicities to treating people differently or “less than” for any damned reason.
Again, we’re in the middle of a reality check here… I’m shifting
my way of thinking. I’m just asking my friends, my family, everyone… please…
take the time to think about it and see if you can take this journey with me.
We are all one people, but we do not experience the world
the same way.
We can treat each other equally AND celebrate our differences.
When we look to people, and this includes those in power, we
need to hold them by the same standards – We can’t allow our leaders to judge
others based on race, gender, physical ability, sexual preference, sexual
orientation, or identification – they are part of us, but they are not the sum
total of what comprises US.
WE the people, not We the people*.
*only if you agree with me.
To everyone:
Extend a hand.
Start to heal.
Make some changes.
