For real, tho...

I'm deeply troubled. There's something that's been on my mind for a while now and it seems it's on everyone else's mind, too- so I'll just get it out there:

Racism.

Lots of "journalists" are writing about it; blogging about it; labeling people with it.
Here are the facts about racism, as I see it:

Those who focus on race as a primary character trait are racist.
Racism was, at one point in our recent history, a serious and dangerous problem.
To accuse someone of racism without proof is a dangerous act.

Real racism caused discrimination, humiliation and beatings for people just like you and me- except they were black. Or Jewish. Or Asian, etc. People who just wanted to work, raise a family and eat in a diner weren't just called names. They were arrested, kidnapped and sometimes killed because they were different but chose to stand up and say, "Hey- this isn't right."

All those things happened before I was born in 1971, thankfully. However, as a white girl who grew up in the post-segregation South, I tend to think of my generation as "post-racial". I've never known a world that was segregated. I've never gone to an all white school or church. I've never been on an all white bus or eaten in a "whites-only" restaurant. As a matter of fact, I tend not to see color when I see people. You see, my generation learned Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech by heart: we honestly and truly believe that we should judge a man by the content of his character than by the color of his skin. We've never lived any other way.

Anyway... there's been much talk of "racism running rampant" in the Tea Party movement. On the day Congress signed the healthcare bill into law, 3 black Congressmen decided to walk through the middle of the anti-healthcare protest outside the Capitol. Afterwards, Rep. Carson found a reporter and told a story about being called "the n word about 15 times by about 15 people". Rep. Carson had a true civil rights icon back up his claim- thus making it legitimate, as least for members of the media who focus on race like a laser.

To this day, Rep. Carson can't prove his allegations, but he set off a firestorm of media coverage of (not alleged...) racist protestors. There's video evidence from all different angles and all different times during the protest and not once to we hear racial slurs. No one has stepped forward with proof and now, Rep. Carson doesn't want to talk about it anymore. Wouldn't you think, out of all the video and audio recorded that day that SOMEONE would have proof? Rep. Carson, I don't believe you. I think you're lying. And what you're lying about it the most despicible lie you could ever tell. You should be ashamed of yourself.

The media who reported this lie is also to blame. It's an allegation until there's proof- but no reporter waited for proof. Unfortuately, it's a sad commentary on the way newsrooms are run all over the country: "of course there was racism because these are white people who might be Republicans..."

I had a discussion about this via Facebook with a man who runs a newsroom and he said to me "just because there's no proof doesn't mean it never happened." WHAT?! If I'd used that excuse with any news director I'd ever worked for, I'd have been fired. Sorry- if you have no proof, then you can't run the story. That's how it works- but not for the people who focus so much on race. Those folks want to run every racial accusation. They can't get enough of it. What does that make them? It makes them racists. They can't see anything in Rep. Carson except a black man. They don't see the content of his character, only the color of his skin. Shame on them, too.

If you asked me how many black friends I have, I'd look at you funny, then it would take me a while to come up with the answer. Not because I'd have to dig to find any black friends, but because I don't think of people I know as black, white, Asian, Jewish... I think of them as people. For example:

I worked with a girl once who I really liked. She and I started the same day, doing the same job and were around the same age. I looked at her as a potential friend. We both faced the challenges of being flat broke, no decent clothes to wear on tv, a crazy news director (literally) and trying to figure out how to work those enormous video cameras ourselves. Then, she said something that changed it all: she told me that she planned to get as far as she could in tv by using her race. I realized at that moment, she didn't want to be my colleague. She wanted to take advantage of something so sensitive and emotionally charged, she was assured of succeeding instead of relying on her own merits. I wrote her off that day as a friend and as a journalist.

Another friend recently got a much deserved promotion at my former station to sports anchor/reporter. When he announced it, I was so happy for him and his family! There wasn't another person who would have been better for the job. This guy is smart, handsome, has a great voice and a stunning knowledge and love of sports. He's also working in his hometown area- it's a win all the way around. Was he promoted because he's black? Dunno. It never entered my mind.

When Steven and I first got married, a local rabbi made a big deal about me not being Jewish. He told me I'd have to choose between Christmas and Channukah and that I'd have to decide immediately about raising my children as Jews. He also was very upset about how little I knew about Judaism- although it was MUCH more than my Jewish husband knew...
Other Jewish people I met would say things like, "well, you don't look Jewish." My father in law mentioned something about how much times had changed; that 30 years ago he would never have allowed his son to marry a Gentile. Funny, I thought I was just a girl in love with a guy...

The way I see it, all these racists who keep bringing up racism charges are kinda like the guys you've met who always talk about sex, but really don't get it...

Please make sure you stand up to people who promote racism. It's not just because it's wrong- it's because our country will never get past race as long as so many people are focused on it. Let's change the conversation to the real issues and make those who peddle this kind of hate accountable for their actions.

I'm just sayin'...