Beyond racism

We live in an age that is beyond simple racism. It is filled with a complex racism with really complicated rules. In the early racism concepts skin color, privilege and oppression were clearcut and self evident. Then through the moral struggles, a new paradigm emerged. Slowly at first, then fast and furious. Now it has settled in well. It iss not easy to discern by the ordinary observer. But it is crystal clear to those of us who have followed the story for decades. The difficulty we have is nobody was listening and now that it's complicated even fewer will listen. So we are having a conversation amongst ourselves. Basically, the enlightened are speaking to the enlightened. Those who are in the dark can only shake their heads. Nothing about racism makes sense. If you believe we live in a post racial society then you are sleeping through a revolution. If you are taking a course in diversity then you are sucked into a false security. If you care to discover what is going on I could recommend a few courses and materials. 

When police attack white people

When the new York police plan a raid in the middle of the night on white people, middle class white people, and banish the press you know we are in the end times. When the police treat nonviolent white protestors, their own children, nephews, nieces, brothers, and sisters, even Iraq and afganistan veterans then you must read the tea leaves to shout loudly, "This is unsustainable." There are just so much violence that family and community can endure on its own. If your government required you to violently shut up your brother for demanding yours and his humanity, how long could you follow those orders? Would you even admit to following the first order.

Racism muddied by the messenger

There is an inherent belief in racism strongly associated with skin color. Whites often bemoan their skin color labeling them as racists unfairly. Blacks on the other hand proudly associate their skin color to the oppressive conditions of slavery and pure unadulterated racism. Those with ruddy colors in between are mostly unacknowledged in this race to simplify racism. However sometimes a white face speaks eloquently against racism and many times a black face speaks eloquently in support of racism by denying its existence. There is also the confusion of reverse racism. If racism is reversed can we reverse reverse racism? These messages are muddied by the color of the messenger not because the ideas are muddied but because people seek simplified answers and simple means of supporting their own positions and their own denials of the validity of others or their ideas.
Racism has been simplified in its definitions yet we as humans cannot grasp firmly on concepts like affirmative action when the proponents and the opponents wear all stripes of human camouflage. We want simple answers and simple solutions while politicians, gatekeepers, and pundits need to use all manner of props to confuse a mass audience.

Racism is evident in it's nuances

Racism has morphed from a blatant pride in superiority and public disregard for inferiority to a nuanced cloudy logistical existence. There is the fact of assertion which is an emphatically stated denial as "I am not racist!" with the full expectation of belief in authority without any requirement of supporting evidence. There is a realization in the minds of the more logical that a simple "Many of my friends are black!" does not cut it as an explanation but could become a cliched trap. Racism has become wrapped in subtle actions and depends on real world statements of disconnection. Old world statements are regularly avoided by the more adroit. No longer do they address pulling up by the bootstraps except for the uninitiated and unnuanced. Rather egalitarian statements that affirm acceptance. "We are all together in this." As long as it is suffering we are together. When it is enjoying the fruits of privilege there is a silence. otherwise affirmations invade such as "Anyone can be a supreme court justice and even a president.". The nuance is to say something positive. Ignore racism. Ignore the effects of racism. Ignore the barriers still in place. Simply counter complaints with positivity. One positive example can overcome a million negative ones. That is the nuanced formula for keeping racism alive. Another way of looking at it is to make the token exception the rule with such positive vigor that it cannot be countered by statistics. If stats raises it's head simply stating "It takes time." will deflate any statistical analysis.
Another nuance is addressing the present and not the past or the future. The chances are presence is a privilege and simply stating "You have done well." with the full realization that one who is critical about racism must have achieved some status to be present, is an argument against any argument. After all the real oppressed and poor will not have a presence at all given the stricture of racism. The few that have made a presence have no right to represent those who have no presence. Also if they are ever present they are either on show or they are the show so their presence is at a distance and silence is as good a response as any. Silence or applause. Neither causes a confrontation of ideas. Neither is an admission of the existence of racism. Of course the racists could do without their silence and their applause but they are less likely identifiable unless they're sitting in congress. Only there are their outburst and lack of applause evident. Even then nuanced responses does break down once in a while but what does it matter? Racists are still firmly in control and can show it through nuances or directly if they please.

Racism and immunity

The US troops are leaving Iraq after spending 9 years and almost a trillion dollars not counting lives lost since that is the least concern during war. Lives are cheap since even the returning troops are not going to have jobs and face foreclosure like everyone else. One of the reasons provided for a saving face withdrawal is lack of receiving immunity. Who else except a racist expects immunity. For centuries whites from Europe colonized the world and implemented laws that provided whites immunity from crimes against nonwhites. Today even with all the speeches of democracy and freedom for Iraq and Afghanistan there is still an expectation that Americans have immunity from criminal prosecution. How there can be any question that any group can be above the law is hard to fathom but the national expectation that immunity is absolutely acceptable must be traced to the legacy of racism that still persists.
Would the US ever provide any group immunity from murder at will? Would the US even consider providing foreign mercenaries total mmunity? The fact that the US cannot see the absolute antipathy of democracy and freedom from such an expectation only shows how deeply engrained racism has become.

Racism in America

Teresa Culpepper of Atlanta called 911 to report her truck stolen and was promptly arrested and jailed for 53 days because she matched the description of a black female named Teresa who was wanted for aggravated assault. Her address, height, weight, or birthdate did not match the wanted Teresa but that did not matter. She could not raise the $12,000 bond and had to wait for the public defender to find the victim who was brought to court to testify that this Teresa is not the one. Black women of America beware. Name each child with a unique first name or have them face this consequence.

Our work is not done

So says President Obama who has done all he could to make the work undone. He accepted the Nobel peace prize with a warmongering speech justifying war since he wanted to tell his constituency he was worthy as a commander in chief although he had already won the election and he was free to be his own commander in chief. He didn't realize he was president since he acts like a constant candidate. He chose to be a clone of a Bush example of a commander in chief. He was elected on a strong antiwar get out of Guantanamo and get out of Iraq and get out of Afghanistan ticket. Rather than turn away from Bush policies he immunized Bush from any legal responsibility for his lies and deceit and promptly picked up on continuing torturous war even escalating it to invade Pakistan and deployed a new policy of assassination by drones regardless of civilian casualties.
No, President Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work is not done in large measure because of you. I doubt that you will pick up the peace vote, the antiwar vote, or the change vote. You may win with the corporate vote and you may buy the election with your war chest. You may continue the American way and continue to oppose everything MLK stood for. Our work will be done in spite of you.