The young seem to hardly notice race. At least this is my perception. I'm writing this as one of the older folks.
My fellow boomers and I dreamed of a world like this. Our desired world is one in which race-based terminology seems hardly needed. People are people. We have the Martin Luther King holiday as a backdrop of inspiration.
I have wondered in the past couple years (I believe even on this site) if the MLK holiday is even desirable. Perhaps it reminds us of things that are best left relegated to textbooks. I have suggested it might be patronizing.
It even seems to be morphing into something different than the original intent. It has taken on a sub-name of "Day of Service." This is something young people can attach themselves to.
I grew up when the term "Negro" had currency. Race seemed more a question of white and black. Today the race spectrum has so many who are away from the extreme. The laws are pretty firm against any sort of discrimination. Asians have more of a presence.
We are rapidly destigmatizing the gay community whether Rick Perry likes it or not. He will want to forget about his dated views just like he seems to forget about other things. A little more painkiller might help.
Race and lifestyle have rapidly faded as ways of labeling people. Our youth grow up in a diverse and liberated world. They're smart enough to see something can still be amiss at times. Like, the unreasonable hatred vented by a segment of our society toward Barack Obama.
Young people see this and I hope they know where a lot of it comes from. It spews from older people who grew up in a more race-conscious world. Is the president a Negro? I would say not. Is "Negro" supposed to be capitalized? I'm only following an instinct.
When I was a kid I heard the term "Mulatto." We were supposed to attach it to people "who seemed sort of black." There was a time when part Native Americans were called "halfbreeds." The very need for such terms would befuddle today's young. Or at least this is how I size things up.
Then we get the Trayvon Martin (alleged) murder. It's a wakeup call for kids who might need a reminder on how things used to be. In just a few seconds, a guy who seems to have psychological problems undertook an impulsive act that has gripped the media. It has become a mega story along the lines of Chandra Levy and Terri Schiavo.
The Martin execution seems troubling from several angles. As we digest this story we realize that "suspicious behavior" comes in many forms. I'm sure we have all recalled times when we were accosted by law enforcement for groundless reasons.
George Zimmerman was "law enforcement" in only the most quasi way. He was a "neighborhood watch captain." I have not heard of such a thing among our small communities in western Minnesota. Nor do we have "gated communities."
Charles Bronson made the "vigilante" seem glamorous. I was troubled by the appeal of those movies. They seemed totally unrealistic. The "bad guys" were bad in a totally Hollywood type of way.
The way Bronson wasted so many people would never be given a pass by real society. I hope people realize it's totally make-believe.
Look at the huge swirling tempest over Zimmerman taking one life. Trayvon Martin appeared to be walking along minding his own business. But he was black. He was young. He wore an article of clothing apparently associated with shady activity, although when I was young, bluejeans were considered a little subversive. Today people wear them in church. Men wear them with suitcoats.
Judging people by articles of clothing can be totally folly. In Martin's case we have the "hoodie." In Minnesota we have hoods available to keep our ears warm.
Being a black young man apparently has its hazards around a gated community. He might steal something. Even if he did, is this cause to "waste" him Bronson-like?
Zimmerman behaved in a way that showed he had confrontational intent. He has a history of anger management issues. He has a history of getting lenience from the legal system. Is this because he's from a family that works in the legal/law enforcement system?
I would suggest the earlier leniency is the biggest angle we might have to look at here. More appropriate intervention at an earlier time could have prevented this. Now we have a festering mega story which focuses on much broader issues than one unbalanced person "freaking out." We're back on the fundamental topic of race.
The only good thing that can come out of it is greater racial sensitivity and enlightenment. Oh, there's something else: We can discard this "stand your ground" law and other such right wing-inspired legislation, much of which may have been progressing under the radar. It passed without Jeb Bush paying much attention.
Young people are far more enlightened, not like politicians who are listening to sources of special interest money. The young shall lead. Hopefully they'll extinguish vestiges of racism and the kinds of proposed legislation coming from the likes of the tea party, NRA and ALEC.
We can only pray. And let's pray for justice in the horrific Martin-Zimmerman case.
Rick Scott is the governor of Florida and don't look for him to be a leader. We are reminded of the Deep South and its traits. Let's remember that when it comes to the Deep South and its historic defining traits, it is never the winner.
We have a captured Confederate flag in Minnesota as an artifact. It was kept through some sort of slip-up. It's from the battle of Gettysburg.
"They lost," Governor Jesse Ventura said (re. the South) in his classic non-subtle style. This was when the question arose over whether we should "return" the flag to a reenactors group in Virginia. The state of Virginia wants nothing to do with it.
We progress from race consciousness in fits and starts. I think we know what way destiny will take us.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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