ACCIDENTAL RACIST
If your question had been, "Are you a racist?", that would simply have been too easy. No. I grew up in "really white" America. My parents used the "N" word, without impunity, because it was the common term used in their homes growing up. I went to completely white schools and had no black friends in my formative years. So, the deck was stacked against me, but I overcame.
I remember the 2 weeks my mom worked at our church in place of the vacationing secretary. I went with her to work every day. But, I spent all my days hanging out with the janitor. She was black. Her name was Ollie Tatum. She and I had lunch together every day. We became the best of friends. When the 2 weeks were over, I asked my mom if I could kiss her good-bye. She said "No". I obeyed, but thought that was so wrong. She had a problem. I didn't.
In my college days I made friends with people of color that I still consider friends to this day.
My first pastorate was in a redneck town where time had stood still for about 40 years. I invited a black man in town to church. He explained to me why that wouldn't be such a good idea for him or me. I told him, if he came I wouldn't sit on the platform as I usually did. I'd come sit right beside him. He appreciated the thought, but declined my offer.
When my sons grew up and were in High School, they would invite guys over. Sometimes before basketball home games they needed a place to chill for a few hours. My son would bring 5 or 6 guys home with him...all black. I asked him one day if he realized he wasn't black? He got all up in my face and asked if I had a problem with his black friends. I explained,
"Not at all. I'm so proud my sons have the opportunities to grow up in a more color-blind society than I did. Just wanted to make sure you were aware you're a white kid, that's all".
I could go on, but you get the picture. Me, a racist? No way!
Then, this whole Confederate flag thing came up. Look, I'm an open-minded guy, but, I've never understood all the hullabaloo over some dumb flag. It's a flag. It's a southern thing. It's about history and culture. Get over it, for Pete's sake.
Then, I read something. One simple question: "What if you traveled to Germany for vacation and saw Swastikas flying, and when you asked about them they just said, "Oh, it's a cultural thing...a historical thing. No big deal. Get over it."?
No. It's a symbol of hatred and racism and a justification to not only hate a race of people, but to attempt to wipe them off the face of the earth. It's a symbol of superiority from a people who were inferior in their thinking, compassion and morality. I would be disgusted. You would too.
That's when it hit me...it is a big deal. Call it what you like. Justify it any way your conscience allows you to. But, in the bottom line, there's NO DIFFERENCE. I was wrong. It IS a big deal. It's a symbol of our past when we chose to fight over the right to call a race of people inferior. And, to hoist it over our capitol or to stick it on our bumper or to wear it on a t-shirt says very plainly, "I don't care who won the war, THEY are still inferior to me".
This may not sit well with some of you. So be it. I'm here to confess today I was wrong. I was an accidental racist. Plain and simple. I get it now. I will do better.
I remember the 2 weeks my mom worked at our church in place of the vacationing secretary. I went with her to work every day. But, I spent all my days hanging out with the janitor. She was black. Her name was Ollie Tatum. She and I had lunch together every day. We became the best of friends. When the 2 weeks were over, I asked my mom if I could kiss her good-bye. She said "No". I obeyed, but thought that was so wrong. She had a problem. I didn't.
In my college days I made friends with people of color that I still consider friends to this day.
My first pastorate was in a redneck town where time had stood still for about 40 years. I invited a black man in town to church. He explained to me why that wouldn't be such a good idea for him or me. I told him, if he came I wouldn't sit on the platform as I usually did. I'd come sit right beside him. He appreciated the thought, but declined my offer.
When my sons grew up and were in High School, they would invite guys over. Sometimes before basketball home games they needed a place to chill for a few hours. My son would bring 5 or 6 guys home with him...all black. I asked him one day if he realized he wasn't black? He got all up in my face and asked if I had a problem with his black friends. I explained,
"Not at all. I'm so proud my sons have the opportunities to grow up in a more color-blind society than I did. Just wanted to make sure you were aware you're a white kid, that's all".
I could go on, but you get the picture. Me, a racist? No way!
Then, this whole Confederate flag thing came up. Look, I'm an open-minded guy, but, I've never understood all the hullabaloo over some dumb flag. It's a flag. It's a southern thing. It's about history and culture. Get over it, for Pete's sake.
Then, I read something. One simple question: "What if you traveled to Germany for vacation and saw Swastikas flying, and when you asked about them they just said, "Oh, it's a cultural thing...a historical thing. No big deal. Get over it."?
No. It's a symbol of hatred and racism and a justification to not only hate a race of people, but to attempt to wipe them off the face of the earth. It's a symbol of superiority from a people who were inferior in their thinking, compassion and morality. I would be disgusted. You would too.
That's when it hit me...it is a big deal. Call it what you like. Justify it any way your conscience allows you to. But, in the bottom line, there's NO DIFFERENCE. I was wrong. It IS a big deal. It's a symbol of our past when we chose to fight over the right to call a race of people inferior. And, to hoist it over our capitol or to stick it on our bumper or to wear it on a t-shirt says very plainly, "I don't care who won the war, THEY are still inferior to me".
This may not sit well with some of you. So be it. I'm here to confess today I was wrong. I was an accidental racist. Plain and simple. I get it now. I will do better.
PT,
ReplyDeleteI just purchased what I thought to be a really neat Texas/Rebel flag yesterday on the way home from family vacation. I guess the reason I thought it'd be neat to have and what made me excited to get it was the simple feeling and standpoint of not conforming to the constant overreaching power of our politically correct, quick to place blame (without facts), knee-jerk reacting government; even much less, the ideologies from some of the major corporations that called for a ban of sales on such flags. I mean, I get that this flag could be derived as racist since one of the states’ rights the Confederates fought for had to do with slavery. I’m not sure that I see the comparison of Nazism and the Confederate military as being so stark (genocide vs. slavery), but along those lines, what about all of the British flags and places that depict them? Slavery was around when they were in control and we defeated them during the American Revolution. Shouldn’t their flags or any others from the past that could be derived as racist or hateful fall under the same level of scrutiny? Or is that picture not painted that way because the mainstream media just isn’t concerned about depleting double standards? I just think that there is more to the story of how to solve hate then blaming a flag and the past mistakes America has made. Then again, maybe it is wrong to support the right to show the heritage of southern America when it involves the bad parts of our history. As you mentioned, maybe I’m just trying to justify it to my conscience somehow. I know God wants me to love thy neighbor as I love myself. I guess I need to ask myself the question of am I loving my neighbor if I could be offending him? Also, am I feeling this way because of my own selfish, bullheaded point of view? I will heed your words of wisdom and pray about it. That direction has never let me down before. Thanks, PT. I guess I’ll go burn my new flag and any other rebel contraband to ashes when I get home later so I may be able to sleep with a clear conscience tonight. :)
With much love,
Danny