Time To Grow Up

A pointed response to Raina Kelley's Newsweek article

Dear Ms. Kelley...there is no monster under your bed and no goblin in your closet. The latter contains nothing but clothing and shoes, the former only a few stray dust bunnies.

Your article begins with the soft-serve equivocation "some", as in, "Let me say this clearly so there are no misunderstandings: some of the protests against President Obama are howls of rage at the fact that we have an African-American head of state." With such a cowardly swipe at the voices of dissent, cleverly hidden behind an anemic attempt at disguising your own accusatory tone, you set the stage for confrontation, something you claim is beyond the fortitude of "most" whites. I am here to dispel your naive notion.

Your article may be considered well written and your argument lucid, but that would only be true if not for the fact that the expiration date on your points has long passed. Your product is now considered a detriment to the mental health of its consumers. And your lamentation that there are no takers for the debate is flat wrong.

We are exhausted at having our invitations continually tossed on the trash heap and then being accused of exclusion. We are offended at having our hands slapped away every time we reach out, only to be subsequently labelled as racists. And, to be brutally honest, we are completely confounded by the cottage industry created by charlatans whose sustenance depends on perpetuating the same sort of plaintive victimhood described in your article.

What would Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson do with themselves if their crusade should end? What would happen to the boisterous minority of "black victims" if their standard excuse for failure evaporated. No, there is a reason why racism won't completely die, and that reason is simply because its victims keep resuscitating it which in turn rankles the sensibilities of normal whites who are sick and tired of hearing it. We're not afraid of the discussion; we're simply fed up with it.

We're also disgusted by the selective outrage. No one in the black community even raised a whimper when liberals portrayed Condi Rice in filthy, stereotypical cartoons. There was no dissent when, in 2002 Harry Belafonte said about a four-star general:

"There's an old saying in the days of slavery. There are those slaves who lived on the plantation, and there were those slaves who lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master. Colin Powell was permitted to come into the house of the master."

While it is undeniable that there are still white dolts who cannot accept a black person at their table, they are an incredibly small minority. The white people who protest the loudest these days are those who have become sickened by the abject refusal of the equally small minority of blacks to accept that they are indeed welcome. Normal blacks and whites who co-congregate at pubs or backyard barbecues across America look at each other in bewildered wonderment if a nearby television broadcasts a "report" with the same tone as yours.

With all of that said, let's examine your case that whites who are opposed to Obama's insane policies are closet racists who use "code words" when voicing their discontent. What then of the multitudes of blacks who feel the same way about him? Are they motivated by the fact that Obama is half white? Are their words code for Obama's not being "black enough"? These are questions that you should consider.

In the meantime, no amount of ridiculous accusation will silence us, both black and white, who cannot fathom the destruction being perpetrated by this president. Your claim that we're afraid of the topic is moldy and, therefore, ineffective. Once we were held down for fear of offending someone, but no more. Our silence did nothing to placate those who will not be placated, so it's time to speak up. You have the right to be offended, but not to cease the perceived offense.

Consider this right progress.

Sphere: Related Content