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Morgan Freeman makes an incredible amount of sense in this interview. He says something that I've been thinking for a long time. The way to eliminate racism is to stop talking about race.
Stop separating out blacks from the general populace. They are Americans. Their history is American history. They have made major contributions to our country and society. Black people are not second-class citizens. They are Americans, and have a lot to be proud of.
We can't control what people think or feel. We can't make people not have racist thoughts. But we can create a climate where racism can't thrive. We can starve it for the air it needs to survive.
Racism isn't just saying bad things about someone of a different race. Racism is also treating someone differently because of their race. Like having a Black History Month.
Racism is also thinking that certain people need extra help or consideration because of their skin color. Giving them preferences due to skin color, is also racism.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."The way to make racism go away, is not to dwell on race. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed of a day where people were judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. He didn't dream of the day where people were pandered to, or given special treatment because of their skin color.
I think most non-black people are ashamed and sorry for the poor treatment of blacks in the past. Segregation, racism, cross-burning, slavery. All wrong, and something any human being with feelings and empathy would decry.
But, treating people special because of a perceived hurt is what we do with children. We give them a lollipop after a shot. Or, we tell a child they can hit us back if we hurt them. But, that's not how adults deal with situations. We can't make centuries of wrong,right by treating people today special. The people today aren't the people who were hurt, or the people that did the hurting. For the most part.
To move on, we need to move on. That means stop talking about race. Stop judging people by the color of their skin. Avoid the easy path of crying "Racism!" to win an argument (the political version of "When did you stop beating your wife?" as I mentioned in an earlier blog.)
Mr. Freeman has it exactly right in his interview. He's a very wise man. Watch it, and see if you don't agree.
Brilliant post Al. Not much to disagree with there. I will say though that even today some groups segregate themselves, whether it's in communities, on the internet, or what have you.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, there's nothing wrong with giving someone a hand up, but when you give all to anyone who will not help themselves they become depent and that is a form of slavery in itself.