It never changes you know, none of it. For the last few months the issue has been the thought of the day. Outside of this insidious war that we can't do anything about, other than revolution ( it's just a matter of time ), but we can do something about each other.

It was a strange conversation at the Truth Seeker message board. We actually lost some members during that spell. It was quite the spell as well. You really learn something about people. Racism or racist are not terms that I banter about loosely. But bigoted? You bet. I have never seen such bigotry in my life. And a people so unaware that they are doing it. And those that were afraid of getting involved because they would have bigoted themselves. Not that it would have been the case, but it was the chance they didn't want to take.

But the answer from the white perspective is quite easy. The problems that the black people have are of their own. Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, Oprah, they all say it. That is another perspective, but a shared and wrong one.

It will and always should go back to white privilege and those in the conversation and debate need to understand this, and are WHITE.

As stated before I work in a social environment, a grocery store. And have acquaintances and regulars that I talk with. Recently a regular came in with a new friend, I will call him Eric. Eric you see as far as my acquaintance introduced him, is a successful angry black man. I recently caught, I'll call him Tim, alone and asked why he thought Eric was angry. He shrugged the usual so I had to push the subject along and asked about why he thought Eric was angry. I suggested that  Eric has had to claw his way where Tim and his friend has had to for the most part, climb.

Tim suggests, like the mentioned Chris Rock, Bill Cosby and Oprah that it is the fault of black people not to succeed.

How narrow minded that thinking is, how white privileged it is, how utterly clueless it is.

It comes right back to the original thought process I had along this path, that it is up to white people to let them. You see some white people have this thinking that just because they do not see color that it some how leaves them off the hook and it ends any further action on their part. They think now that they alone have created some utopian society where color doesn't matter.

It comes down to this, for black people to succeed in this country it is up to white people to let them. Give them the chances and see the color as a description but not a definition.

That needs a clarification. "Let them" is a sarcasm. It has an air of white privilege. It can be said that it is up to us as white people to let blacks succeed.

Actually if you get that, you can now come to the head of the class.

It was in the debate that I suggested that those that do not see color that they actually should. I suggested that a persons color describes them, it doesn't define them. As an example, I am white, and my name is David Tobkin. Ok, I described myself and also elaborated as to who I am. But you know what? As logical that end, it was disagreed to.

Without being told, and in this white bread world, white is an assumption. "I have a friend?", "I have a black friend". The clarification is a turn off by most. And the butt of the joke against the conservative types. But still, without meeting Eric, would I have assumed him to be black without much more than a "my friend" from Tim? In truthfulness, and knowing Tim, probably not.

Black describes a person as much as being white, but it in no way says WHO they are.

White people can be told that they will never understand the experiences black people face. White people will question and debate, but never get into why something is the way it is. It isn't racist to be that way, but it is shallow and bigoted.

Why is the root of everything, and you have to go back to your childhood, remember? You asked it all the time. Now that your an adult, that wisdom has faded and you no longer ask it, well, WHY?

To paraphrase Shakespeare and the rose, a person is a person by any other design,  And we do not need to look beyond the color of the skin. As stated, it is just a color.

I really do see "I don't see color" as a true cop out. If and when you hear it my reader, cock your head, and form a question to this person. Get a conversation going and bring it on! Need a boost, need an ice breaker? Need simplicity? ok start with this, WHY.

Color is nothing to be afraid of even if the media says other wise. They see color only too well, extort it, manipulate it, and exploit it.

I could ramble on with this in novel form. Race relations in the United States as it pertains to black people is the study at hand. The research is rather simple unfortunately, it is society. We have social reforms, "Affirmative action", "No Child left behind" ( the photo op featured a black child ) etc, etc. Many say we need to abolish these programs. I say no, what we need to abolish and work on in this country for the benefit of all humanity really is the social norms that make these programs necessary.

When we have done that, then maybe we have actually done something. Until then, things will remain the same. It is up to us, the white privileged in this society to bring this into being, and even YOU, oh yes YOU, have the responsibility.

If you haven't turned away, if you haven't stopped reading, then I guess you have taken the first step.

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