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.

Safety first, racism second

As presidential candidate says, "No that is not discrimination but that is keeping America safe."
Today almost anything goes in the case of national security. According to Ben Franklin those who give up their rights for the sake of security deserve neither.

Racism is based on dehumanization

Racism is based on dehumanization. For racism to be considered as a system of power and control there must be first a system of dehumanization in place. As long as dehumanization persists so too will racism. Dehumanization is not a natural condition. It is a learned behavior. It is also a socially learned behavior. To learn to dehumanize takes a village. One person can disrespect another. One can even hate another. But for dehumanization to take place one must so publicly humiliate another that the other becomes ostracized. Then the whole society is involved. But more is required. The society must take over ownership of this dehumanizing treatment and make it acceptable as a social norm. This is the root of racism. When a society becomes so corrupted that it's core principles turn from good values to bad. When evil is justified and becomes normal. When hating and hurting other humans become acceptable then racism takes root. And it has.

Racism requires a suspension of conscience

Racism requires a suspension of conscience. One cannot be racist with a clear conscience. One must accept racism as a principle of good behavior. Whether the principle is based on paternal instincts. Corrupted instincts. But comforting still the same. Justification does that. It comforts in the middle of corruption. When children are abused they retreat to a zone instinctually that allows some distance in order to be functional. The conscience must be soothed because only a consciousness of a need to change can generate actions to change behavior. Just as the torturer must soothe his conscience through some means of justification whether it is blaming the enemy for their own condition or accepting orders as a duty or even accepting any of the Dick Cheney justifications a human must find a soothing of conscience in order to operate in a consciously inhumane manner.

Columbus day an openly racist day

Columbus day is a clear example of open and unabashed racism. The native Americans are completely ignored when Columbus is celebrated as having discovered America when he never even landed on the mainland USA. For years and even centuries native Americans have asserted this falsehood but regardless of all the teachings the powerful elites propagate and maintain this lie regardless of logic and factual truth because they have the power to impose their will and there is no shame in exercising that power. Also the people are comfortable to continue the ritual of deceit individually and collectively for the sake of maintaining racisms power over people who are regarded as invisible, worthless, and without humanity. No better illustration of racism exists than these continued celebrations of oppression by a powerful racist elite such as Columbus day and thanksgiving.

Racism clues in the broader society

There are all kinds of clues about racism in the broader society and also clues about society in understanding racism. Even though there may be powerful groups aligned against each other the racism paradigm plays out in plain sight. Take the democrats and republicans. Their powerplays are like a racism dance. But since the one has a president and the other a presidential hopeful who are black it may be a sensitive example. Rather look at the conflict between wall street and the freedom square protesters. They are in a racist dance that may not seem obvious to observers. We like to see clearcut racism like that between smiley and west for poverty and the rest of society for greed. What constitutes a racism paradigm in modern society and in plain sight?
First there are differentials in power and in philosophy. Then there is a squeeze on access to public media and a crackdown of policy and law enforcement. There are two other powerful agents. Brainwashing of the masses to support something wrong and even bad for them using cliches without logic. The other ingredient is to soothe society that they should ignore injustice since that is in their best interest even as the wolves are howling at the shredded curtains and the plague is spreading door to door.

Racism in politics

Racism has reared it's head again in Texas governor Rick perry's camp. The first thing I notice is that the news commentators talk about the n word. Is it racist to say the word? Is it racist to say n word? Or rather is there an assumption that saying it one way is racist and saying it another way is not racist. The discussion is led by whites and they speak about it willingly and repeatedly so there must be a comfort with that particular framing. One commentator does see that even challenging racist language and racist connections is seen as aggrieved assault which itself is wrong. So people who are hurt by racist slogans and signs should shut and and accept it or face racism charges for even thinking that those who have or who had these signs are racist. Of course white people who are racist are not racist but black people who complain about it must be racist for playing the race card. Why does these convolutions still persist? Because racists control the debate. How can we have a debate or discussion if the leaders and leading participants are in racism denial. Christie said some nice slogans that this kind of thing did not belong in the distant past and not in the present either. Yea you think? It was not in the distant past and it is in the current present time. Nice wordage may satisfy racist audiences but it's just code words that the current way we do business is just fine.

Racism and corporations

Racism is easy for corporations. In America corporations are given personhood and they have gained that from their political contributions and the clout they purchase from the congress and the courts. With the benefits they receive from the human being status the do not have any human being responsibilities. So they are unique persons with benefits and no responsibilities. That is a perfect picture for racism to have benefits but no responsibilities. They can set in place policies that are legal but not moral. They can discriminate as long as they do so legally. So they can deny a person a job as long as it is not because of one of a number of reasons. All they have to do to be legal is make a claim on an unlisted reason. They can also fire without cause so as long as they do not relate it to a unqualified reason it is legal. Once a class of citizens put two and two together and actually bring a case that makes sense then their political and justice contributions or bribes kick in and decisions are handed down such as a recent one that determined that women are not a class because they are too big a class. So in effect for women to show discrimination by Walmart they cannot claim it is against women per se but maybe a smaller section of women. So Walmart may feel free to discriminate against blacks so long as they discriminate against a lot of them and not just a few. For corporations as big as Walmart that should not be a problem.

Why racism persists

Racism is flourishing. It is persistent. There are many reasons for it's insidious pervasiveness. A few of the causes of it's longevity and constant sustenance are it's so rewarding, it's so easy, and it feels so natural. Racism provides privilege and nobody gives away privilege today. It's so easy to accept privilege and it's almost impossible to give up or give away today. It's natural because racists shaped the natural order of society so it's no wonder that it's the normal today.
I say today because it was not always this way and it probably won't be in the future but today the norm of society is greed and individualism over sharing and community. These are social conditions shaped and created by racists to assert and maintain racism, privilege, political power, economic power, and oppression.
When social conditions turn toward sharing and community then racism will be easily identifiable but under current social conditions a racist can simply say "I am not racist. You are overreacting. If I offended somebody I am sorry. Let's move on."
And move on is what society does all along the race track or rather all along the racism track built by slavery for modern privilege. Don't inconvenience the privileged with a guilt since greed is the overriding emotion.

Racism is ingrained

Racism is so part of the character of society it exists and persists to the extent that is is the new normal. It can be such because those affected by racism are still by and large effectively marginalized. Once in a while they may call it but the loads of preparation of the new racists are so overwhelming and cliched that a aimless no suffices. There is an assumption that a kind liberal educated normal person is not racist. So claiming racism around these normals simply receive a shrug. A more detailed response might include a litany of readily available truisms. You are sensitive. You are over sensitive. You are reading too much into it. You are mistaken. No no. Do you see how ingrained it is?

Racism is morphing

Racism is still in power. It is morphing in the twenty-first century. It has a face of caring which it always had but the face is turned from the white privileged beneficiaries to include the disenfranchised who have gained some power. It says, "Welcome" even as it builds more walls. While the old rackets scowled and cursed obscenities the new rackets smile and share compassionate commiserating. But the privilege and power remains. when the power and privilege are threatened the scowl returns. The authorities are racist. The guardians of discrimination are kindly racists. The gatekeepers are racists. Those who call for conversation are racists. Those who complain about racists are racist. The fundamentals are unchanged but the tactics are very different. Today you can be charged with racism if you make racists uncomfortable. They believe that those who were maligned should not have their feelings hurt through racist language so why should the racists feelings be hurt because of the guilt of racism. The latest argument made by racists is that it is racist to make racists feel guilty for their racism. And they have the power to implement such rules. So those who are affected by racism should smile and accept that behavior from the privileged and the powerful or face being charged with racism for hurting racists feelings.

Racism is ingrained into modern culture

Racism is so embedded in modern culture that it is difficult to separate racism from "normal." It is a foundational principle of operation within our society to such an extent that nothing is left untainted. Yet to have meaningful discussion an assumption of justice accompanies every effort to discuss racism and any mention that racism itself is embedded in the discussion is a foreign concept. How do you address an issue that is fully embedded? How do you even begin to address the issue if the purpose is to eradicate something that is so part and parcel of "normal" living.
The issue of removing racism from society is akin to removing the desire to eat. If someone said that killing life is so wrong that killing a plant cannot be condoned then that argument in itself will not be tolerated since it implies suicide.
Racism is not the same but it has a similar effect. How do you remove privilege that is so embedded and so desired to the point that the majority may believe that it is required.