Silent racism

Saturday, October 27, 2007

The controversy over Bill O'Reilly's account of his visit to Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem -- "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-fer, I want more iced tea.'" -- gave me a lot to think about. We all need to think about it. And, what we need to consider is not just about whether Bill O'Reilly is a racist, but as to how prevalent racism remains in America today.

While it is a major advancement that in this society the "n-word" is no longer acceptable, that does not mean that the racists have disappeared. It only means that racists have learned to keep their mouths shut. They don't use the word because they fear the repercussions that would follow.

I grew up in a fairly insular Irish Catholic world on the Jersey Shore, and while I don't remember hearing the "n-word," I was left with a very general sense that the different was to be avoided, to be feared. I didn't see overt racism, but in my memories I now understand it was seeping out at the sides of my perceptions.

Things happened that I did not know about at the time, but now cleary show the racism. I have heard stories that when I was growing up that black people who tried to walk into my town would be stopped by the police and escorted out of the municipality. When I was in the hospital last year, my roommate told me of a trip his church group made years ago to a hotel not far from where I grew up. The hotel did not want the black members of the church group to get rooms. The church group did get rooms for all of their members, but only after a fight.

But my point is this, the absence of overt racism -- in word or deed -- does not mean there is an absence of racism.

Let's be thankful that the racists have learned to hold their tongues, but let's not kid ourselves that the racists have gone away. Bill O'Reilly's comments are an example of that silent racism seeping off to the sides.

We can't really expect them to go away either. The silent racists can not change themselves any more than a leopard could change its spots. Only when they really look into their own hearts can they see the truth.

What can we do? Let's not pass on silent racism to the next generation. Silence only reinforces the fear of the different. Instead, let us talk to our kids about heroes, men and women to look up to. Show them the heroes of all races, creeds and colors. People who stood up in difficult times and said what needed to be said, did what needed to be done. Probably the best example of this would be Martin Luther King Jr., and we don't even have to wait for his birthday to talk about him.

Posted by Ed Bond at 11:40 AM 0 comments