The problem is that “race” has been used to attack. It is both a shield and bullet used by the “minority” groups and any deviation from their use is considered “hate” speech. The public at large has become immune to the racial bias/double standard used by the “minority” groups and actually consider their racial bias as acceptable, yet anyone who exposes it is “intolerant”.
It’s hard to not get angry at the double standard, yet we’re expected to look beyond it as though there isn’t an elephant in the room.
Most of us are not a Mother Teresa or Gandhi, but to the left, that is exactly what they think of themselves; truth rarely factors in. The truth is not pure black and white; those gray areas are a real sticky area to be in especially with the country’s extreme media bias. Just as it is the unspoken word for anyone to have a bias on either side of these issues, setting up oneself for attacks that can leave you standing alone. Everyone tries to distance themselves from the perceived “opinion”.
Remember when Bill Cosby spoke out about the Blacks dropout rates and unmarried pregnancy rates? He was sent to the woodshed for a beating by most of the black community. But as time went on (years later) society had to acknowledge the elephant in the room and the statistics on those issues became public.
Don is an extreme and yes he doesn’t mince his words. Is he correct? To many no, to some yes. He does paint with a wide brush and there is the problem. He insults those of us that view these issues as being much more complex, which they are. Don’s views are through his own experience with his own group of colleagues and friends, which most do not share. I have not walked in his shoes, so I can not say.
But, I will share a small snippet of why I don’t completely discredit what Don has written. The first month I moved into my home here in Fillmore my neighbor’s kids told me, “My mother was hoping a Mexican would buy this house so she could have someone to talk to and be friends with.” The thought of being friends with an Anglo white was not something she wanted to do. Now, the mother was an illegal alien woman from Mexico who had married another legal Mexican immigrant to get her citizenship. They have since divorce, but she is now a citizen. She didn’t come here to embrace the U.S. culture, she wanted to be around 'her other Mexicans' and I was a persona non-grata in my own country. Was this racism/prejudice? Yes, to some, but to others it would be disguised as national pride. I am subjected to this form of racism/prejudice daily and as a result I don’t do much in this town.
But I grew up with plenty of Hispanics who never had a thought of Mexico as their homeland; before the late 60’s they were called “Americans” and proud to be here. That was before the “divide and conquer” for political and monetary gain and our education system that turned us against each other. For anyone who knows the difference, it is very sad because some of my very best friends growing up were Consuelo Gomez, Linda Chavez, Albert Martinez, and I could go on and on. There was never a mention of the differences in our background. We were friends and enjoyed the same parties, dances and activities. They didn’t say, “Oh I was hoping you were Mexican so I’d have someone to talk to and be friends with.”
That was a different day. So I can see both sides of the issue and I try to hold onto those memories of what it was like to have Hispanics who wanted an Anglo as a friend, before the double standard became acceptable.
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