Thanks to “motor mouth, crude, intemperate, bigoted” Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina, the Press has another sad, but significant topic to jump upon–helped tremendously by the comments of former President Jimmy Carter and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, predictably taking opposite political sides on the issues raised.  For those of us who have lived with it and have experienced it for much of a lifetime, there was never even the least, most infinitesimal degree of credence given to the naive assertion by many “Ivory-Tower Liberals” that the election of President Obama evidenced the transition of the United States into a “post-racial” society.  Sorry, folks; these United States are still mired in the depths of Hell or (depending on one’s favorite metaphor) in the raging fires of racial hatred–and to pretend otherwise is as wearing a blindfold to reality.

          For the record, I was raised as a child in southern Arkansas, attended college and law school in New Hampshire and Tennessee, respectively, and practiced law in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma for over thirty five years; I now live in the mountains of Northwestern Arkansas.  And, except for the periods I was in Oklahoma and have been in Northwest Arkansas, a mutually-shared racial prejudice and hatred between African-Americans and Caucasians have been everyday issues…with at least one-half of the Caucasians AND African-Americans with whom I did business or interacted. 

          I suspect that this particular “brand” of racism has never a significant issue in Oklahoma or Northwest Arkansas since there are so very few African-Americans living in either area.  Racism by Caucasians against Hispanics, and, to a much lesser extent, Native Americans, takes the place of African-Americans in those two areas.  And, too, over the years I have spent a great deal of time in Chicago, Boston, New York and Los Angeles and have experienced much the same attitude in those locations as well.  While I majored in Sociology as an undergraduate (it was the easiest way for me to tackle Dartmouth!), I cannot give even a Sociology-based “pseudo-scientific” survey or racism study to support these conclusions as to racism; I just know it when I see it and have lived it for sixty-six years.  And, I promise you, nothing has changed one iota since the election of President Barak Obama on November 4, 2008.  And no matter how fine, inspiring and capable a man he is.

          Joe Wilson, as obviously horrid a character as he is, perhaps did us all a favor by placing the “public face” back upon the still virulent problem, no matter how upset that may make many of us.  I have friends, and relatives, who are very racist and very, very bigoted.  But the reality is that if one is to live in any segment of society, or be part of his or her family, he or she must make “peace” within himself or herself as to how to approach the issue–which exists everywhere, even if the issues are unstated and do not arise due to demographics.  That is, there are many, many locales where for many varied and understandable reasons, people simply do not confront the issue at all–except perhaps by reading Huckleberry Finn or watching the nightly television news, reporting upon events that take place elsewhere.

          But even where “race” is an overt or open issue, one with a view consistent with his family and friends really need not do anything to reach his or her inner peace, for, by definition, he or she is at home in that environment.  One with a contrarian view, however, may be able to achieve that peace either by: a.) taking a firm stand on racial equality (and risk being shunned, or at least verbally abused, by family or everyone he or she knows), or, b.) simply being quiet and a hypocrite! (My Dad would have shot me if I had been one of those–for hypocrisy was to him the greatest sin of all!) 

          Faced with those realities, and with the reality that I did not personally know there was any “difference” between “blacks” and “whites” other than skin color until I was twelve years old (and still don’t), and lived with a totally “enlightened” (that’s Southern “code” for non-racist) Dad, I have never had any problem accepting African-Americans as my racial equals.  It might be better stated that “race” per se has never been an issue for me.  There are stupid, insensitive, racist, and horribly bigoted Caucasians, Jewish, African-American, Middle-Eastern, Islamist, Buddhist, Christian, Oriental, Native-American and East Indian or whatever other race, religious or cultural group one cares to mention.  But, more importantly, there are just as many brilliant, caring, sensitive and accepting persons of each of these races and cultural groups.

          The answer?  Neither I nor any other human being, other than perhaps Ghandi or Martin Luther King, has ever come close to finding or even dreaming of an answer or key to pervasive racial and religious tolerance and acceptance.  But if we just focus upon problems of race and prejudice the United States continues to face, it is an absolute fact that Western European and Scandinavian Christians, with radical and resurgent Islam likely in a tie for first place, have historically been the most unaccepting and intolerant of other races and cultures of any race, religion or culture in the world.  Ignoring the Islamist issue for the moment, this is a problem that has exhibited itself in the Western Hemisphere from the very beginning of “America,” in the inclusive sense, with the European conquest of Middle and South America and then the English, Dutch, Spanish and French and their joint extermination of the vast majority of all Native Americans in North America.  The slave holding society introduced particularly by the Dutch, Portuguese and English simply exacerbated the problem by introducing a new race to be looked down upon and placed in a servile relationship to the White Europeans.

          Great progress has obviously been made, but there  is a tragic, totally non-humorous parallel relationship between the progress toward universal racial and cultural acceptance and the childhood playground game of “May I?”  For every step forward, there may well be two or more steps backward.  The election of the enormously talented, qualified and charismatic Barak Obama, a man with African-American heritage, as President of the United States was the largest single step forward our society has ever seen, witnessed or taken.  But, friends, it is by no means over, and it is silly to think so.  Witness Joe Wilson–who may just be a fool and not a racist; but I can personally give you give you the names of hundreds of racists and many examples of how racism continues to exhibit itself in our society. 

          So, there is as yet no need for celebration.  Much work yet remains to be done.  And it will not be easy.

Don Switzer

Rogers, Arkansas

(c) September 16, 2009

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