Color Coded

About two weeks ago Jimmy Carter (or as Rush calls him, "The hemorrhoid of our country") said that the anger towards Barack Obama is a result of his being an African American. Why would he say that? What could his motivation be for ‘playing the race card’ now? There is the obvious reason of trying to silence the opposition. Since the democrats are having great difficulty in winning the debate on healthcare via substance, they defer to petty distractions. Also it has the added benefit of gaining a few votes from people who are scared that if they disagree with Obama they will be called racists. [Of course these people are indeed racists, and we call them ‘racistaphobes.’ Yes, I made up that word. Their fear of being viewed as racists stems from the fact that deep down they do have racist thoughts and they are trying to hide from them.] I, however, feel that ‘our hemorrhoid’ and all of those on the left say things like Carter did for another reason.

In order for me to explain this reason I must first discuss racism. A common misconception about racism is that it means thinking negatively or generalizing negatively about a certain person / group of people because of their race or ethnicity. In reality doing anything to a person because of their race is also racism. So, if for example one were to vote for someone because they are black this is an act of racism. Basically racism means viewing people as part of a race or ethnic group, instead of just as person.

This includes labeling people by their race or ethnicity. So when the media refers to Obama as the first black president, they are indeed committing an act of racism. Why is this a problem? Because by doing so they are keeping race an issue in our country. As long as people view others memebrs of a race they are working to keep racism an issue. (I do not mean solely as a way to describe someone. So if for example one would say to their co-worker ‘do you remember my neighbor Joshua? You know, the Latino guy.’ That would not be racism. For it would be used as one would use the descriptive word, tall or thin.)

In fact I believe that labeling is what leads to the worst part of racism. It causes the labeled group to feel that they are separate, in a way, from the rest of society. It makes them feel vulnerable - that at any moment their group can once again be singled out and treated differently. (I am of course speaking about present day America, where we have righted our wrongs and no longer have laws allowing legal segregation. In segregated America obviously the worst part of racism would be the segregation.) This mindset that is created by believing that the country views you as a separate group does a great deal of damage, and as long as big figures keep these ‘labels’ alive, this mindset will be present.

This being said, as long as people like Jimmy Carter, and Al Sharpton keep discussing race the way they do, their actions / statements keep racism a big issue in this country. Not only that, but they also are the ones causing the worst effect racism can have. When they make their comments about things being done only because of race, they get people into the mindset I was describing, that they are separate and vulnerable. So as these people come out ‘defending’ minorities, they are actually holding them back and preventing them from feeling like equal members of the society.

Now to get back to the original discussion. I believe that one of the reasons the left talks so much about race is in order to keep it an issue. Why? In order to make sure that the minorities still believe it is an issue, resulting in them having that feeling of vulnerability and separation. This allows the democrats to swoop in as the ‘defender of minorities’ and get their votes. I have said this so many times, it all comes down to votes. By constantly reminding minorities that they are minorities, and by repeatedly making comments about race they are able to make the minority feel that they need to be protected lest the country turn on them once again.

Will racism ever be eliminated from our country? On an individual level, unfortunately I would say probably not. But on a national level, I hope so. In fact, I believe that the main thing holding it back are those who pose as defenders, but in reality are doing just the opposite. So when Jimmy Carter comes out and says that people are opposing Obama because he is an African American, he is causing so much harm. Not because he is completely wrong, as there are certainly individuals who are opposing the President solely for that reason, just as there are those agreeing with him solely for that reason, but because he is making it an issue that hurts the whole nation.

(This article is obviously not adressing actual situations in which people are beaten, discriminated against or put down because of race, ethnicity or religion.)

PTP*: This one is really for Peanut Jimmy. Did Barack Obama tell Governor Patterson (D- NY) not to run for another term simply because he is black? And does Michael Steele oppose Obama because he is black?

* I know I said I would not define it any more, but since we just had a recent flood of readers due to my appearance on the Mark Levin Show, I will define it once again. PTP= Point To Ponder.