In three short days we will vote into office the first African-American President of the United States. As we have all seen, the racists are coming out of the woodwork like the cockroaches that they are. There are two schools of thought on how to deal with this issue. The first alternative is to ignore them until they slink back into the recesses of the black hole of hate they crawled out from. The second is to confront these narrow minded bigots and educate them to the fact that in the 21st Century their attitude is what is truly intolerable. The choice is simple, because only one of these options actually deals with the problem.
Last night, Madisonian wrote a diary titled Racism Strikes From Behind Virtual White Hood because someone anonymously wrote:
"Fuck the marxist muslim n****r...NOBAMA"
Which elicted these comments from lrbreckenripple
This is of no consequence Who cares. There's always gonna be racist assholes. No need to right a diary for every racist douchebag who leaves an anonymous comment. Go do something to get Obama elected.
then, doubling down:
...you people are sad. Sad that you crumble and run like chickens with no heads and write OH MY GOD SUMBUDDY DUN BEEN A RACIST ON ME Diaries. Now. When there are MORE IMPORTANT diaries being pushed off the page. Get ready for a whole torrent of RACISTS IDIOTS crawling out from under the cesspool of society when Barack Obama is sworn in. Get a thicker skin. If you crumble about some dipshit leaving anonynous racists comments, you are WEAK.
Which I find quite ironic considering a quick check of this commentors diary history shows 5 diaries of absolutely no consequence. I agree with the statement that the bigots will be in full force, but the rest makes no sense to me... The following is the comment I made to the diary:
Most bigots are cowards. I've confronted many in public to their faces. They all hem and haw about how they were just joking or I misunderstand them. Then they tell me they have lots of black friends... Usual story. I call bullshit and tell them to STFU... Good times! :)
Now, in the light of day my comment seems a bit trite. It is easy to say yet very hard to do, but we must. I've been doing it since I was 8 years old... I could tell you stories... I could tell you about dealing with other kids calling me names because my mother married an immigrant. I could tell you stories about dealing with urban bullies because I was the white kid in the neighborhood. I could tell you stories about speaking up in groups of white kids who were telling racist jokes. I could tell you a story about being accused of racism by a fellow Marine with whom I had conflicts. I told him, "I don't hate you because you're black. I hate you because you're an asshole!" I could tell you stories about speaking out in the tavern when bigots run off at the mouth. I've confronted employers and lost jobs... There are just some things more important than yourself.
I guess I have a bit of an advantage when it comes to dealing with these dickheads. I wear overalls and work boots. They look at me and think I'm one of them. I'm kinda big and to some... scary. I'm over 6 feet tall, bald, with a goatee. My wife says that I get a little crazy eyed when dealing with pinheads. (That's right O'Reilly I'm taking the term the fuck back and turning it around on your followers!) People think I'm pissed off even when I'm just a bit annoyed. I've stood toe to toe with bigots and taken more punches than I can count. I've always turned the other cheek and held my ground. Pain is relative. I've been asked to leave a bar or two, but more often the other idiot is the one escorted out. Never, ever, has one of these confrontations escalated into a brawl. These are some of the proudest moments of my life. Someday one of these "MORANS" may very well pull a gun. I don't kid myself about that. I don't have some kind of death wish, but if nobody speaks out this shit will never end.
You don't have to be big or scary to stand tall. Rosa Parks did it and was an example to the whole world. You don't need to be Samuel L. Jackson to be tough. During the Civil Rights Movement high school kids were attacked with dogs and sprayed with fire hoses... they didn't back down. People were clubbed, shot, and lynched.... but they didn't back down. These people stood proudly for what was right as we all should every day of our lives each time we see this shit. These people didn't suffer and/or die in vain. There were casualties then and there will be casualties in the future.
IMO prejudice stems more from fear than hatred. The posturing and intimidation by the wingnuts shouting at McCain/Palin rallies is, by definition, terrorism. I for one refuse to be afraid. When bigots show themselves we must confront them everytime. If we let it slide it will fester and grow. Call this bullshit out! Tell them they are wrong! Tell them we are not going backwards!! Their numbers have been dwindling for decades. They are now in the minority. We have them outnumbered. There is no reason to not confront their prejudices. It must be done! Barack's Presidency is not going to wipe away 300+ years of racism. We have to! The 60's taught us that if we stand united against bigotry it can be defeated. There will be casualties... If it is my fate to die for a cause greater than myself I will die proudly. If these jag-offs want to bring this shit on I say, "Bring it mutherfuckers!" The sooner we get this over with the better.
Now, I'm not suggesting that you swagger into your local honkytonk looking for a fight. I've been to places where I was told, "You don't belong here," simply because I wasn't wearing the right kind of hat. (I backed out of there s l o w l y ) I'm saying that we all have to do our part to change the world we live in. Nothing's going to change if we ignore the problem. Thick skin my ass! Resist! Oppose! Stand! I don't care if you're 5' nothing and 90 lbs soaking wet... STAND! Speak up! Speak OUT!! Don't be afraid... Stand!! They are the cowards!! Stand proudly, and don't back down. You might not change their minds, but they wont forget that you stood your ground.