A celebrated white man gets fired because of his brainless racial comments towards African American college students, and there are actually people out there who perceive this issue as an overreaction of the African American community! There are actually people out there who say: “…you know what? Black people use the N word all the time among each other, why white people cannot do the same? What’s the big deal?” Well, it is a big deal. In this country it is, and should be a big deal and yes, people, especially well-known people, should get fired when they cross the limits of human dignity.
I am white. I live in New York City and there are some days in my routine when I am witnessing actions of racism. Not one day. There are plenty examples… it is a true disappointment that people do not recognize this. It is a true disappointment that they do nothing to change it. On the other hand, you cannot adapt a problem if you fail to admit it exists.
I admit it. Yes, it is true that black people get paid less than white people today. Yes, it is true that black children do not get the education that white children get today. Yes, it is true that we call them with the N word all the time behind their back. Do you know why? Because this is what whites know well how to do: when we are in complete ignorance about something in life, we start to make assumptions. Our success as a race is based on this peculiar property. Therefore, we assume things about the African Americans. This is how we are programmed to think about them. We look at them and all we can see is lethargic, unintelligent, non-motivated people who assume that white people owe them. We look at them and all we can see is irresponsible individuals who like to play the role of the everlasting victim and get a free ride in life.
This is the truth of the subject. No matter how enthusiastic some of us are in our considerate discussions of the problem of racism over dinner, the problem is here. Some choose to ignore it: they are the ones who choose to assume. I do not. I choose not to assume, and to integrate. I choose to integrate and to understand.
I choose to understand that we invaded their countries and transported them in alien territories where we used them as our slaves. We isolated them in these terrains, always in the South, and we prohibited them to move towards us, towards the North. We hung them from threes and burn them to death every time we felt like. When they escaped from their southern enclaves, we invented the idea of the large-scale housing project: it was a great idea to cut them from the job market and from the real interaction with the rest of the city. Indeed what a superb idea to cut them off, to separate them once again, from us.
I choose to understand that all things in life need their time.