Dear Parents of SAE members,
I understand all this came as a tremendous surprise to you. You think your son is a wonderful boy, and you can't bear the thought that others might not share your view.
we know his heart, and he is not a racist
Yes, dear parents, he is. And he probably learned it from you and your family.
Let me explain.
Your son loves that song. It's not the first time he's sung it. He thinks it's hilarious. He loves it because it cements his sense of belonging. He is chosen, he is worthy and others were rejected as unworthy - that makes belonging all the better. The delicious obscenity and casual cruelty underscore how wonderful he is as a member of this elite organization.
He may have learned the song at college, but he learned the mindset at home. He learned it from casual remarks about "thugs", "lazy welfare cheats", "reverse racism", and jokes about President Obama. He learned that he is special and better than other people at home. He learned it from you.
He learned to be racist by your purchasing a house in the "right" neighborhood, going to the "right" schools - neighborhoods where there are no black people, schools with no black students. He learned to be a racist by the church you go to where there are no minority members. You wanted him to pledge SAE because of the "Southern" values. You know what that code means.
You may be apologizing, but you're just making excuses for him. You've already forgiven him, you want everyone else to as well. You think it's extremely unjust he was expelled over a silly song. You're thinking about suing the school.
You are concerned about his future, you want him to have the prosperous future he deserves. Because something like racism shouldn't hold him back. Don't worry, it doesn't, it wont. There will be plenty of people to help him along. Racism only holds back minorities.
You are also concerned that you will be perceived as a racist. A few jokes, a few sarcastic cracks don't mean you're a racist, right? After all, there are a lot of black people in prison, on drugs, and on welfare right? The bottom line is black people shouldn't be so sensitive. A silly song isn't a big deal. Get over it, nobody's actually hanging from a tree. Playing the race card is stupid.
If your son truly wasn't a racist, he would not sing that song. He would stand up to his fraternity and tell them it's racist and hurtful. He would quit the fraternity rather than play along.
Dear SAE parents - until you acknowledge your son's racism and your own, nothing will change. But that's not what you want, is it?