A Question of Racism
Let’s take a short quiz. I will give you a series of scenarios and you will tell me if A) the person in question is a racist; B) the person in question is not a racist; or C) insufficient information.
1) A friend of yours tells you that he isn’t attracted to black women.
2) A little girl names her black doll “Niggey”.
3) A person uses the word “Nigger”.
4) A person sells “black memorabilia” on the Internet.
5) A person uses the phrase “some of my best friends are black.”
6) Someone begins a sentence, “I’m not a racist, but….”
7) In reviewing applicants for a job, an employer has a white person and a black person who are equally qualified. He hires the white person.
8) A white guy wears a dashiki.
Give yourself 0 points every time you answered A, 3 points every time you answered B, and 5 points for every time you answered C.
Now for the answers. If you scored less than 40, YOU FLUNKED. If you answered anything but “C” to any of these questions, YOU FAILED. You have been influenced by the current racially hyper-sensitive atmosphere in our country, and are suffering from induced guilt.
Let me explain.
1) A friend of yours tells you that he isn’t attracted to black women. This person could very well be a racist. They could also be telling you that they aren’t attracted to a certain physical type, in the same way that some people aren’t attracted to thin women, fat women, blondes, or brunettes. There isn’t enough information here.
2) A little girl names her black doll “Niggey”. Once again we don’t have enough information to say whether this person is a racist. It could mean that this person was JUST A LITTLE GIRL. Let’s use some common sense here.
3) A person uses the word “Nigger”. This is where the hypersensitivity of our country comes into play. If I use the word in the sentence “So-and-so called someone a nigger,” that usage in and of itself isn’t racist. If someone calls a person a nigger, then you might have a case; but even in that situation we don’t know. They could have just been angry and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Maybe they are joking around with a person they are friends with, a person they know won’t be offended, a person who might come back with a charged term of their own. Was Chevy Chase a racist when he used the word in a sketch on Saturday Night Live with Richard Pryor? Not enough information.
4) A person sells “black memorabilia” on the Internet. A little more problematic, but we still don’t have enough information. I think this so-called “black memorabilia” should just be destroyed. They are products of racism. The person selling them on Ebay in the 00’s isn’t necessarily a racist. Tasteless- definitely. Racist- we don’t know.
5) A person uses the phrase “some of my best friends are black.” Not enough information. Maybe some of my best friends are black. In our current climate, however, you can’t use this phrase without being forced to wear the scarlet “R”.
6) Someone begins a sentence, “I’m not a racist, but….” Not enough information. For some people this is the classic sign that a person is about to utter a racist statement. I believe that people feel the need to use this phrase when they know that someone out there is bound to misunderstand them. See question #5. In a land where we see racism under every rock, people are going to feel defensive. Do you blame them? Once you are branded a racist, there is no forgiveness.
7) In reviewing applicants for a job, an employer has a white person and a black person who are equally qualified. He hires the white person. Not enough information. Did he flip a coin? Did he throw darts at the applications? We don’t know how the decision was arrived at. You may think that in these situations the black person should get the nod in order to rectify past injustices; I would tend to lean that way, but not doing this does not mean that a person is a racist.
8) A white guy wears a dashiki. This isn’t racism- this is a white guy being stupid. Not enough information.
Thank you for playing. As a parting gift, Vanna will be handing out healthy doses of liberal guilt at the door.
1) A friend of yours tells you that he isn’t attracted to black women.
2) A little girl names her black doll “Niggey”.
3) A person uses the word “Nigger”.
4) A person sells “black memorabilia” on the Internet.
5) A person uses the phrase “some of my best friends are black.”
6) Someone begins a sentence, “I’m not a racist, but….”
7) In reviewing applicants for a job, an employer has a white person and a black person who are equally qualified. He hires the white person.
8) A white guy wears a dashiki.
Give yourself 0 points every time you answered A, 3 points every time you answered B, and 5 points for every time you answered C.
Now for the answers. If you scored less than 40, YOU FLUNKED. If you answered anything but “C” to any of these questions, YOU FAILED. You have been influenced by the current racially hyper-sensitive atmosphere in our country, and are suffering from induced guilt.
Let me explain.
1) A friend of yours tells you that he isn’t attracted to black women. This person could very well be a racist. They could also be telling you that they aren’t attracted to a certain physical type, in the same way that some people aren’t attracted to thin women, fat women, blondes, or brunettes. There isn’t enough information here.
2) A little girl names her black doll “Niggey”. Once again we don’t have enough information to say whether this person is a racist. It could mean that this person was JUST A LITTLE GIRL. Let’s use some common sense here.
3) A person uses the word “Nigger”. This is where the hypersensitivity of our country comes into play. If I use the word in the sentence “So-and-so called someone a nigger,” that usage in and of itself isn’t racist. If someone calls a person a nigger, then you might have a case; but even in that situation we don’t know. They could have just been angry and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Maybe they are joking around with a person they are friends with, a person they know won’t be offended, a person who might come back with a charged term of their own. Was Chevy Chase a racist when he used the word in a sketch on Saturday Night Live with Richard Pryor? Not enough information.
4) A person sells “black memorabilia” on the Internet. A little more problematic, but we still don’t have enough information. I think this so-called “black memorabilia” should just be destroyed. They are products of racism. The person selling them on Ebay in the 00’s isn’t necessarily a racist. Tasteless- definitely. Racist- we don’t know.
5) A person uses the phrase “some of my best friends are black.” Not enough information. Maybe some of my best friends are black. In our current climate, however, you can’t use this phrase without being forced to wear the scarlet “R”.
6) Someone begins a sentence, “I’m not a racist, but….” Not enough information. For some people this is the classic sign that a person is about to utter a racist statement. I believe that people feel the need to use this phrase when they know that someone out there is bound to misunderstand them. See question #5. In a land where we see racism under every rock, people are going to feel defensive. Do you blame them? Once you are branded a racist, there is no forgiveness.
7) In reviewing applicants for a job, an employer has a white person and a black person who are equally qualified. He hires the white person. Not enough information. Did he flip a coin? Did he throw darts at the applications? We don’t know how the decision was arrived at. You may think that in these situations the black person should get the nod in order to rectify past injustices; I would tend to lean that way, but not doing this does not mean that a person is a racist.
8) A white guy wears a dashiki. This isn’t racism- this is a white guy being stupid. Not enough information.
Thank you for playing. As a parting gift, Vanna will be handing out healthy doses of liberal guilt at the door.
posted by The Man at 7:51 AM
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