This past weekend on a trip back from seeing a good friend of mine get married and seeing my sister begin her college career at Trinity Western University (both conveniently located near Vancouver BC) I ended up with some time to kill in the Denver airport. I had about forty-five minutes so after walking up and down the concourse a few times in an attempt to do more than sit all day I stopped by one of the bookstores that litter nearly every airport in the US. As I was perusing the latest pop fiction that seem to be the staple of these type of establishments I heard two rather loud people walk into the store. Their voices gave them away very quickly: younger, black, female. What ensued was probably one of the most interesting comments on race relations I have experienced first-hand.
After not being able to find the book they were looking for they approached the clerk for help.
"Where are your books by black people?"
The (white) clerks, both of them, didn't catch the question and one of them asked her to repeat it.
"Where are the books by black authors?"
With a sweeping gesture that encompassed the whole store one of them answered, "Mixed in with everything else."
The gal who had been silent up to this point turned to her friend and responded, "We're not special here."
Now, before I go on, you've got to understand something about me. My cross-cultural relations have been fairly extensive. Unfortunately for me, hardly any of my friends are black and seeing as how this seems to be the most pertinent ethnicity in the current cultural climate I feel somewhat confused and perplexed by black culture at times. My four years of attending a university situated squarely in what can only be described as a black ghetto helped some but not as much as you might hope.
From my white, suburban perspective the fact that this bookstore didn't organize it's wares with regard to ethnicity seemed to be a statement (if that can be even ascribed to the management of an airport bookstore's wares) or racial equality. Level playing field all the way around. It was clear, though, by the look on both of these young ladies' faces, that this answer was not satisfactory. I would even say that, based on the way they walked out and continued to turn back to give the store clerk dirty looks, that they were offended that no such section existed and felt that they weren't being treated fairly.
If this little slice of life is an accurate reflection of the state of racial relations between the white and black communities then I think we have, despite all our efforts, somehow missed the boat and have a lot of work left to do. Any suggestions?
This is all too typical of the Satanic driven agenda of all too many on the left and the politicians who sell their souls in order to get their votes.
ReplyDeleteI thought that fighting racism and standing up for equality meant fighting against segregation, not for segregation. But then again, I'm a stupid white man. Michael Moore hates my guts. So, take my opinion for what it is worth.
The NAACP and all their supporters (including Starbucks) are largely to blame for this. They live to help the black man feel like a victim and to accuse white republicans of racism.
Case in point: Roy Moore put up a monument of the 10 Commandements to honor God in his courthouse in Alabama. The next day, some black activists forced their way past security to put up a monument honoring Martin Luther King in the same courthouse right next to the 10 Commandments. When securicy caught up to these people, they accused Roy Moore of racism.
Meanwhile, when Bill Cosby challenges black men to accept responsibility and to stop committing crimes and beating their wives, the NAACP and the rest of the leftist black leadership have a fit and accuse Cosby of not being compassionate.
These people need to be marginalized. We all should be putting pressure on them to abandon their hateful ideology. And we should fill out comment cards at Starbucks and put pressure on them to quit giving support to the lousy NAACP.
And when we witness situations like you did - we should be courageous and confront them. Calmly and courageously approach the sistas and explain to them that in God's Kingdom there is no room for hate and that there is no room for preferring one race over another. If they object to the appeal to the Almighty, then you can explain to them that salvation is found in no one else other than Christ, and that Christ died on the cross for them. You probably would get persecuted for such a stand, but I'm sure that this wouldd bring glory to God. Resisting evil always brings God glory. So, rejoice when you are persecuted for righteousness.
dan... your comments came accross as quite harsh and seemed to be quick to jump to generalization and not quick enough to make grace-full attributions. i know that in today's day and age people use grace as an excuse for all sorts of sin and that tolerence is more valued than integrity. i know those things and it saddens me. just please, don't let the world sway you too far to the other side....
ReplyDeleteAnonymous and Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate both of your perpectives, but I think that you are not realizing the depth of the power of these relatively few people who are in black leadership and have power. This leadership exists to make excuses for all the problems of the black community. Why wouldn't they? By doing so, they gain support, power, and money from the black voting base.
Cosby, on the other hand, has some dignity, honor, and integrity. He spoke the truth to the black community.
Out of love for my black brothers, I speak truth. YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM. Or, if you really have been victimized in your life, our God is the God of new beginnings. Therefore, reject self-pity and receive God's love and truth. In the Gospel, there is hope.
Everyone, irregardless of race, goes through crap in life. But those who succeed are those who reject self-pity. Look at Joseph. He got sold into slavery. He was mistreated. He was falsely accused. He was forgotten. If anyone had an excuse to become bitter, it was him. But Joseph entertained no thoughts of becoming bitter. He focused on God. He moved forward. He lived for God. He learned character. And, in due time, he was elevated, but only after he had been humbled.
Look at Christ for Christ's sake! Through his entire sacrifice, not once did he ever whine and complain. On the contrary, he took the high road - the road of suffering. While on the cross, he prayed for his enemies.
I give no thought to being white. Hannah says, I don't need to think about how much I'm white. Hannah brings up the band-aid example. Well, if that's the problem, then sure, let's manufacture some black band-aids and move on from all this petty crap. I'm sick of all this wilderness wandering. It is time to conquer Canaan.
I already hear the responses: "There are giants in the land." Ohh... boo-hoo. I have a better idea. Forget everything I just said. Let's all get together and have one big pity party. We can have a big cry fest. That will solve all our problems. After all, this wilderness isn't so bad after all.
You know, I'm significantly shorter than 6 feet. Actually, I am 5'7" - alomst 5'8". I live with that everyday. So many other people have the luxury of being over 6 feet tall. They can go to a concert or a play and see everything that's going on. I have to look in between people to get a peek at what's going on.
ReplyDeleteSo...
So, obviously, the tall people owe me something. I mean, the tall person never has to give much thought to the fact that they are tall. They can always see everything at the concerts and plays, etc. But not me. Here I am stuck in my 5'7" frame. WHA!
Poor, poor me. All those other guys are taller than me. Poor, poor me. pout. sniffle.
Oh wait... I'm over it.
Here is the big revelation:
Egalitarianism is false. If I want to play basketball as a short, slow, white boy who can't jump, then I will have obstacles to overcome. That's simply a fact. The sooner we come to grips with facts, the sooner we can move forward. But if we are going to cry and demand hand-outs, then get ready for a lifetime in the desert.
Some people deal with more crap than others. It is too bad, but it is reality. Deal with it and move forward.
America, for the most part, is no longer a racist nation. That's just the plain truth. So, people should quit playing the race card. All of us who have trusted in Christ are God's children - no Greek of Jew; no slave or free; no black or white; all family. Glory. Hallelujah.
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and posting. I COMPLETELY agree with what you are saying and I'm glad you bothered to take the time to share your thoughts. Let me simply say this: I do believe it is possible for both the black and white communities to understand each other enough to work through these problems that this little experience of mine has made so clear. I think the black community understands the white much better than the white community understands the black. Like I said at the end of my post, I think we've still got a long way to go on this.
Trevor,
ReplyDeleteYou said, "I think the black community understands the white much better than the white community understands the black."
On what do you base this? It seems to me that you are buying into the psychological trickery that some black leadership propagate (NAACP, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc). Have you ever watched an NAACP rally or convention? It is sick. The leaders have nothing but some smooth rhetoric. But upon analysis, their rhetoric is not logical consistent (go figure, the left isn't being consistent again). They are filled with a log of Bush-haters, Republican-haters, white man-haters, etc. In desperation, they actually try to make you and me feel like we have some kind of subconscious racism somewhere deep inside of us of which we are not even aware. Their strategy is to attempt to get us into a place of acknowledgement, so that they can claim ownership of our minds and hearts.
Hey, by all means, check your heart. Go to the LORD in serious prayer and ask Him to reveal any racism (or any other sin) that you are harboring in your heart. And if you are harboring some kind of sin, then repent. However, do not throw away your confidence! Because as soon as you do, then these animals will jump on you like vultures and will shame you into embracing their ideology.
Just look at how they attack Bush, John Roberts, even Bill Cosby. Now, I am no big Bush fan. He gets a C in my book. But I'm not a Bush-hater the way the NAACP wants me to be. The reason why I'm not a Bush-hater, according to them, is that I have some sort of racism somewhere hidden deep in my heart - as does President Bush. What a bunch of crap! These people are filled with lies. They lie with such passion and desperation - even to themselves - because they are so desperate for survival and power as an organized political force.
The big problem here is one of covetousness. Black leaders covet politcal and economic power that they do not have. Many (not all) lower-income families who have had some hard times in life covet a good, easy life where all their needs and wants are met. That's why this language of rights is so strong. These people feel like the world owes them something. The irony is that by taking on this entitlement, narcisist mentality, they become their own worst enemy. Because riches go to those who understand that you reap what you sow.
As much as I like Hannah, she's a bit confused on this issue. So, don't pay any attention to her. She's sweet. But she's missed the boat this time.
Probably, many people would attack me as heartless for taking this position. Ironically, I am actually the poor black man's best friend. By taking this stance, I am serving the black community a lot more than those who would attempt to make excuses for the problems that exist in the black community.
Dan,
ReplyDeleteI don't think I communicated clearly on this. When I wrote about the black community understanding the white community I was alluding to the fact that that they tend to be much more adept at, well, acting white when they need to be. This doesn't have as much to do with racist feelings or motivations as it does with building common ground in working towards a solution to racism. Put another way, most of the blacks that I know personally can integrate into a majority-white community much more easily than I have ever been able to integrate into a majority-black community.
I'm probably not on firm ground, though, when I generalized myself to the white community and the few blacks I know well to the black community. My mistake. I try my best to not do this but this one slipped through.
Well my comments about Hannah were uncalled for. They were harsh and insensitive. To all readers, please excuse my rudeness. I apologize for degrading the conversation. Hannah, again, I apologize for my insensitivity.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, since my previous posts, I was watching on TV one of these black political activist groups having one of their big hoorah rallies. They were basically blaming all the problems in the black community on the white race and the capitalistic system that the white race generally endorses.
ReplyDeleteOne of the guys who stood up told his story. He was from Brooklyn, and over the course of his life, he has seen about 30 of his friends die early ... for various reasons. He was asserting that slavery still exists in this country. I was watching and listening closely because I wanted to understand this man's point of view. He said that the current slavery is economic slavery. White men and white women want the black race to die, and furthermore, the white men and white women want to profit from the death of African Americans. For example, he saw a "brotha" earlier that night smoking a cigarrette. He blamed that brotha for being stupid and ignorant and unwilling to fight the white captitalistic machine. He was arguing that while this brotha kills himself by smoking, white men are making money off of him, since white men control much of the tobacco industry.
His conclusion was that the entire white race needs to be exterminated. I kid you not. He said that. I am paraphrasing. I do not remember if he used the word exterminate or exterminated or extermination. I do not remember the exact wording. But he did use some variation of the word "exterminate" to describe his will for the white race. Furthermore, he did not say it once, but he repeated it several times. And the audience, many of whom are big fans of the NAACP, applauded. No one condemned him. No one contradicted him. No one said that he was wrong. In fact, after this guy spoke, another guy spoke arguing that while there may be disagreements between the brothas, they must stick together and be unified in their efforts for African American liberation. In other words, it is cool if Judas joins our church, because we need to be unified, and condemning ideas is not the way to build unity. So, by all means, welcome anyone who is pro-African American liberation - even if they are calling for the extermination of the white race.
Meanwhile, while these radical nutcases are preparing themselves economically, intellectually, and psychologically, Christians maintain this notion that going to church once a week is all they have to do to please Christ. The lack of commitment of so-called Christians is sick.