Tag: Discrimination

Discrimination in the United States

Let’s be honest. Discrimination flourishes in the United States today.

Would Trayvon Martin’s killer be free today if he, Trayvon, was White?

Would Michael Brown have been shot and killed by a police officer on Aug. 9 if he had been White?

Was the Secret Service careless about the president because he is Black?

My daughter asked “If Mitt Romney had been elected president in 2012 would there be the same behavior by the Secret Service at the White House?”

I responded with asking should the question be re-phrased to read “If Barack Obama was White would the Secret Service have done anything more to stop the intruder before he entered the White House?”

Troubling questions in a world where we all want to pretend that discrimination doesn’t exist. I do discriminate against people whose views and behavior I consider objectionable. Given two people to hire: one Hispanic and one White Anglo Saxon, both with equal resumes, I am more likely to hire the White. The community I live in is at least 50% Hispanic. I do not feel comfortable going into the library. Yes, I feel more comfortable with the White man.  I do not share my feelings about this with anyone.

Does this make me a bigot? Merram-Webster definition: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially :  one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.

“You’ve got to be carefully taught”

Discrimination, bigotry, hatred of any other group seems to be ingrained in many Americans. There is no easy solution. As a fan of New York musicals such as Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, etc. I recall South Pacific and the message about hatred. South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The original stage date was Apr 07, 1949. It does not appear we have learned very much about hatred since then.

Words from “You’ve got to be carefully taught”

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear,

You’ve got to be taught from year to year,

It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear,

You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid

Of people whose eyes are oddly made,

And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade,

You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,

Before you are six or seven or eight,

To hate all the people your relatives hate,

You’ve got to be carefully taught!

Oregon attorney generalThus I applaud Oregon’s State Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, who says she would not defend it’s ban on same sex marriage. The Catholic church of Oregon has taken an unmistakable opposite position.

From the Los Angeles Times
By Maria L. La Ganga

March 1, 2014, 9:39 p.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. — When Jackie Yerby and a small band of devout Catholics go to the cathedral for Mass this Ash Wednesday, they will be sending an unmistakable message. Pinned to their lapels will be big white buttons that proclaim, “Catholic Oregonians for Marriage Equality.”

more here>> http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-gay-marriage-20140302,0,6705402.story#ixzz2uqkwnfEX

Reality TV and American Culture

With more than 300 million people in the United States, America has a diversified society.  Those people living in rural midwestern and southern states have little in common with those who were born in a big northern or west coast city.  Smaller communities are just not very diverse in terms of religion or ethnic background.

When ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson claims Black People Were ‘Happy’ Pre-Civil Rights it’s his view and his opinion.

We have a set of rules that allowed the American Nazi Party to parade through  Skokie, a Chicago suburb with a high Jewish population.

Our laws allow Mr. Robertson and the Nazis to say what they want and parade in a peaceful fashion even if most of us find their words and deeds disgusting.

Private enterprise has the right to protect its interests too.  Thus GQ magazine saw its right to publish the words of Mr. Robertson.  Similarly A&E cable network has the right to end its relationship with the man.  Call it the Paula Deen effect.

WordPress is a blog medium where everyone can express their views. Readers can always go elsewhere.  Some of the things David Bancroft and I have posted caused significant objection and controversy.

You are free to express your comments to this blog. We do not reject comments that offer opposing views.