Wednesday, July 10, 2002
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Wednesday, July 10, 2002 |
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Racism today: By BILLY MURPHY A reality check Pardon me, but this column is not funny. (Intentionally so, as I do realize some, maybe lots, of my columns wind up not being funny.) After spending my life hearing everybody else's opinions on racism and such, now it's my turn. Racism as depicted in every form and feature in the super media (TV, print magazines, large city newspapers) is incorrect. Race relations are not "bad" in this country. When it comes to race relations, we need to do better. When it comes to race relations, we must and can improve. Yet, by comparison, our current racial climate in the United States wins hands down over every other situation, whether by time or geography. I will explain that a little later. First, the depiction of racism in our country is most times inaccurate, all times exaggerated and many times, just plain fabricated; all for effect, all for money. We have to remember 21st century super news is not about information, it's about commerce; selling advertising space, getting good ratings, doing anything to have people tune in or read. Thus, only the extreme, the hyperbolic situations, will ever be publicized. You only hear about rottweilers if they maul a child, and you only hear about interracial interactions if there is a persecutor and a victim. That is simply the nature of reporting today, sadly so. But, that's not the norm. That's not the majority. With that said, and before I am accused of being either naive, ignorant, or both, here is my point. Compared to any other time in our nation's history, racism is at an all-time low. And compared to any other place in the world, racism within our borders is the least severe. We can be better and we will, but it's not as bad as we're being "told." Most people, when arguing (and inciting) concerning racism, point to our nation's history as proof of prejudice. When in fact, racism from our past should really be used to show how much we have improved. We have come a long way. We are not good yet, we can do more. But we used to be very, very bad and we have gotten better. Using our past history as a gauge of today's racism is like trying to make a man wear his sixth grade school clothes and when they don't fit, telling him he is fat. People have grown a lot over the past decades. Look how people used to treat Muhammad Ali; look what Mike Tyson gets away with now. Mixed race couples used to enter a room to the sound of silence and gasps. Now they are only noticed by extreme ignorants (the same people who make the news). Also, when we look around the world, our conflicts between the races is slight by comparison. In so many other places the violence is horrific. The bitterness is displayed through knives and guns and bombs. Yet, in our country if a lawsuit is filed against Coca Cola, they blast the headlines like Lincoln has just declared war between the states. The super news, like nature, abhors a vacuum. In Israel they stand next to bloodstained sheets, wrapping their fallen children, while we engage in yearlong debates on the "N" word. I am sorry, I just don't see it. Everywhere I go, whatever race I see, smiles are met with smiles, courtesy is met with courtesy. I see hundreds, thousands, interact every day and I am proud of the way people are better than they were 20 years ago, 40 years ago. You don't see Tom Brokaw talking about that. I know I will be called a racist for even broaching this subject, that I am in denial, that I am just pretending racism doesn't exist to soothe my bad conscience. Well, I am sorry, I don't have a bad conscience. I am not going to feel guilty about a sad time in a sad part of our history that I never was involved in creating, nor perpetuating. It's time to live in the now. And now times are pretty good. We will always need to improve in the treatment of our fellow citizens. We do need to continually improve. But quit telling me it is so bad just to make a buck. [Contact Billy Murphy via e-mail: billy@ebilly.net.]
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