The forces of division have begun to raise their ugly head again … It reminds me: We’ve got a tragic history when it comes to race in this country. A lot of pent-up anger and mistrust and bitterness. This country wants to move beyond these kinds of things. — 2008
My Take – Recently, an actress of African descent announced that she supports Mitt Romney in this election. She was almost immediately attacked, belittled, and insulted. These actions seem to have frequently included remarks about her race. How post-racial is that?
Am I wrong because I’m of northern European descent* and I like the messages of Herman Cain and Allen West? Of course not. Is the Irish guy I ran into today with the Obama tee-shirt on wrong? Nope. I may disagree with his choice, just as he may disagree with mine, but I’m not going to fault him because he chooses to support a candidate who happens to have a greater concentration of melanin than we do.
Race is still a large issue in this country, and it will be for a long time. The reasons why are both simple and complicated. The situation is complicated because there are so many different cultures and ethnicities mixed in our great melting pot, and breaking down the barriers and prejudices of all of them is going to take a lot of time, energy, and patience, and it will only be done as the people who hold them learn that race is an accident of nature, not a determinant of anything good or bad. It’s simple because race is usually only brought up when it’s used as a bludgeon, which only makes the hard work of getting something done about race even harder.
Want this country to move beyond race? Then quit stirring up old hatreds by equating someone being a jerk now with things that happened 50 years ago. Are there true racists in this country? Yes there are, and you now find them on the far fringes of our culture, unless you count the guys running the Nation of Islam, the hucksters who use race as a way to make a quick buck, and the soft racists who believe that non-Caucasians can’t make it on their own and need special programs and privileges to muddle their way through life. Most of America has turned its back on racism, and it’s way past time that those who use it as a tool or an excuse do the same.
*I’m not white. I’m much paler than that.
DaddyBear’s Den 
Bob S.
/ October 9, 2012I think the melting pot idea of our country has been replaced by the salad analogy. Now each element maintains its own unique perspective.
And worse, we are told that each is equally valid. I disagree. The culture that says LaRaza will rise again and reconquer America is harmful; just as harmful as the skinhead culture.
I think that too many people see division over political/philosophical issues and turn to the claim of racism to avoid addressing the root cause.
I support Welfare reform because we need to encourage independence, responsibility and self reliance. Some have accused me of racism despite the fact that “Whites” are the largest percentage of Welfare recipients – a fact I am well aware of. That is avoiding the issue.
Too many people don’t want to talk about the true nature of their philosophies — socialistic/communistic/fascist.
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