This was on the subject line of an e-mail I got this week from a friend. She said that she got it from another friend that she had met while living in the Phillippines, and that most of the the words were not hers, but it appears to have been added on to as it passed around on the internet.
After reading it, I would have to agree, but wanting NOT to break any rules, I did a google search of "How racism works" and was astounded by the different views this one small item seem to provoke. I found it listed under dozens of people, either in letters to the editors or on various blogs.
I did find this info on one site and listed it because the following appear to begin with the words of Kelvin LaFond, Ft. Worth, from Letters to the Editor @ Fort Worth Star-Telegram 9.17.08. And since it is so interesting, he certainly deserves credit.
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Here is where my friend began to add to it.
You are The Boss... which team would you hire?
With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.
Educational Background:
Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Now, which team are you going to hire ?
"Until man extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." ...Albert Schweitzer
And the final addition she put on was this: "We are all human and therefore imperfect, but how we perceive that imperfection in others is a reflection of our own beliefs"
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I truly thought it would be interesting and thought provoking and begin a rational conversation which is to desperately needed, so I sent it to several on my e-mail list.
What I got back from several of them can only be described as "Damn, I must assume that I have hit their "racism" nerve". Here is just a dab of my responses.
(1) It seems that some persons are obsessed with making the election a black versus white issue. That is just what this country needs. Anyone that is trying to make it a racial issue is stupid.
(2) No way could I vote for that Muslim (translation - SBM)
(3) This is stupid and really doesn't make any sense.
(4) The way sen Obama has handled his campaign with regards to race baiting is reprehensible. This is just more of the same.
and my personal favorite:
(5) A McCain victory will prostrate those in the Democratic Party who sold Clinton down the river, and traded her for an empty hoax of a symbol. It will penalize all and sundry, from Algeiers to Palestine, to Watts to Compton, for trying to get their way, instead of accepting the way of civilization.
I never ceased to be amazed that in this day, in 2008, that this type of racism continues. My daughter, aged, over 30, says change IS coming, and that very few people her age and younger feel that way. How sad that the people my age, over 65, continue to drag the views of their parents with them still. Times change, my dad used to say, you must change with the times or die bitter and alone.