Black

I don't know if I already made this rant, but I feel the urge to make it today (again, if that be the case) regarding race. This is slightly related to my earlier post regarding diversity regardless of skin color.

The other day some kids were hanging out behind some buildings where condos hadn't been sold yet, they were right next to, across the ravine from our condos which have been. We told them there had been problems with suspicious people around, and that people often call the police on a moment's notice. As the kids walked away, they muttered something about them being black was why we went and talked to them. I wish I had T-shirts for everyone who is white who is unfortunately compelled to walk on by when asked by a black man for a dollar, or who steps into the escalator ahead of a black person, or who is annoyed, bothered, or discomfited by a black person, "IT'S NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE BLACK." I just feel that often in our society we are on eggshells when it comes to black people, and we have put ourselves there by allowing the ongoing witch hunt for racists. Any time a black person is nabbed by police, for example, it's because of the blackness, it couldn't be because that person was actually breaking the law. I read an article not too long ago, maybe it was a blog, where someone had recently observed a street over a period of time and determined that yes the police were pulling over more blacks than they were whites. Was it entirely because they are black? What if we were talking about Italians and Irish? What if it was because of the type of cars, with the type of paint jobs, and driving habits that caught the attention of the police? What if there were simply more black people breaking the law (I know this insinuation is heresay, since white people could not be more law abiding than blacks), there's just too many factors before the conclusion has to be racism.

Ethnism I can buy, however. It doesn't take a genius to realize that certain cultures, behaviors, practices, moralities, what have you are less conducive to civilized society and therefore prosecuted more aggressively, and disproportionately so depending on what neighborhood you live in.

Ok I'm done with that rant.