Is there racism in America? The answer is yes, to deny it would be silly. What is undeniable though, for anyone who looks at the evidence (not what one thinks or believes), is that racism is not a pervasive, systemic problem in America. There are pockets of the country where there is more than in other areas, and it is important to continue the fight against racism wherever it exists. In America, the race business ranks up there with big oil and other industries. Many people profit handsomely from the race industry. It is in the interest of these profiteers to continue exploiting the issue by exaggerating the magnitude of the problem, and keeping people in a constant state of discontent. Many decent people’s characters have been assassinated by unfounded charges of racism because many black people and others reflexively cry racism whenever they encounter difficulties, struggles, or injustice in their lives. It almost seems like many black people and their enablers believe that the only reason bad things happen to black people is because of racism. That is why so many people cry racism for any slight or offense they suffer.

What it is like to walk around with a constant load on one’s shoulder, believing that every white shadow is a gun aimed in one’s direction is unimaginable. How burdensome must it be to be walking around, constantly thinking that there is a great machine, specifically designed, and whose main purpose and intent is to do people harm for no other reason than that they are black in America? What a load that must be! Many black people feel that way, but I refuse to be encumbered by those chains. There is no cabal of bureaucrats concocting or maintaining policies designed to keep anyone down. That is ludicrous. Most Americans want to see each other do well regardless of color, race, or national origin. To think this way is not denying that problems do exist, but there are mechanisms in place to deal with most of these problems. The system (if you will) has provided the means to confront these issues at every level and it works for the most part.

It is a simple fact of life that sometimes bad things sometimes happen.  They happen for different reasons like corruption, greed, jealously, lack of compassion and many other reasons. We understand that in an imperfect world these things exist, and we deal with these issues as we encounter them. When it comes to racism however, we have a standard of perfection, and every incident real or imagined is treated as a major catastrophe. Some people say that there are places that black people cannot go, but the same holds true for white people. There are also some black neighborhoods where white people would not be safe, but in both cases these are the exceptions not the rule. The Klu Klux Klan is a toothless tiger that is ostracized by most decent people in America, they are always outnumbered by counter protesters wherever they hold rallies/protests and they are never able to get more than a handful of support. People like David Duke could run for office, but the fact that he has never garnered any significant support is a bigger testament to the character of most Americans.

Last week’s article was criticized for saying that the young black female sailor who refused to stand for the National Anthem “chooses to wear the mantle of victim”. That opinion remains firm, in fact not only does she choose to adorn herself in it; she embraces it, snuggling up in it, getting nice and comfy, while probably up curled up with a good book reinforcing her victim mentality. Though she is young, she appears to be a seasoned member of the victim patrol, always on the lookout for reasons to be offended and when they do find a reason, they jump for joy because they feel vindicated that their catastrophic self-fulfilling prophecy has been fulfilled. The fact that she or anyone else in the Military had a bad experience is no indicator of systemic racism or sexism. The vigorous equal opportunity program the Military has that aggressively deals with these issues if/when they are brought to light is a better indicator of how “the system” works. It was also pointed out that she was protesting the vile acts committed by this country, but on that issue she is a little late. Many decent Americans have already protested and effected the necessary change, and those vile acts are now in the past. Many noble people have died, some jailed, and persecuted in the pursuit of justice and equity for all. As a result slavery was abolished, so there is no need for her to protest slavery, Jim Crowe laws have been flushed down the toilet of that sordid past also.  There is no need for her to protest the trail of tears atrocity committed against Native Americans because the country has long come to terms with that and made amends for it. There is absolutely no need for her to protest the past because many honorable citizens have already done it, and paid the price so that she can act like a spoiled brat even though she has numerous procedures to deal with any of these obstacles she may face as an individual. The path to success for this young woman is paved with gold, there is nothing she will face that is systematically designed to hold her down, in fact; what she will find are numerous “systems” in place that will help her to confront any discriminatory actions that she or any other minority may encounter. If she doubts it she should ask Denny’s if they were able to get away with it when they were found to engage in these practices, or Abercrombie and Fitch, or for that matter the TSA. If she has a decent enough grade and is able to apply to one of the Ivy League colleges and she divulges that she is an African American female, her chances of getting accepted will automatically go up. Tell her to check title seven of the 1964 civil rights and title nine of the 1972 Education Amendment Act and look at how forcefully the provisions are enforced.

Another point raised objecting to what was written is that this is not about political parties, but it is very much about that because it is one political party that has continued to tell black people for decades, no matter how much progress is made, that the system is out to get them. One could hardly turn on the television, read the newspaper or listen to the radio without hearing from leftists/liberals how terrible the country is to Black people. Despite all of the data available for from the CDC, the FBI crime statistics, studies from the Washington Post, and other sources it is the same political party that tells young black men that they are targets of the Police, and continues to cultivate distrust between the black community and law enforcement. It is the same political party that never calls on the black community to self-reflect and see what changes need to be made from within. It is the same political party that tells black people that white people are racists. They tell black people that all the bad experiences in their life is someone else’s fault.

Imagine by how many light years race relations could have been improved in this country if President Obama had used his influential position as the most powerful man in the world to help bring healing to America. Instead he has used the “go to” move of his party and played the race card at every opportunity to fan the flames of racial discord. Look at the current election cycle and see the constant references to Hitler, Mussolini, Nazis, the Klu Klux Klan, and the endless cries of racism made every single day by the same political party. On the contrary it has a lot to do with political parties, but that is not the only problem. No political party can save us (change starts from within), but let us not deny the obvious.

Systemic racism is not determined by clichés, anecdotes, and what a person feels in their head. It is the actual evidence on the ground that determines whether or not there is institutional racism. The evidence says no! These posts are not meant to agitate, but they are made in the hope, and with the intention of shaking the consciousness of many black people, causing them to think, and then spurring them to action. Too many black people are hurting themselves by maintaining this posture of victim-hood. It is time to stop it, and start experiencing a life that is full and free.