One of the best liberties in this country is freedom of speech. It is what has allowed us to grow and mature. It is what gives this nation so much character and voice that many others around the world despise and envy.
Sometimes that saying is abused as we try to use it to defend obscene, offensive, unreasonable, and unnecessary remarks. Other times, however, what may seem offensive, may just be a reason for more discussion.
Searching the threads the other day I noticed one entitled "I'll admit it: I'm afraid of black people." I initially disregarded this thread as trash and didn't bother. But for some reason it stuck in my mind. I decided to take a look at it but before I could, it had been deleted. I don't know what was said, and maybe there were some very offensive remarks which I wouldn't dare defend, but since all I saw was the surface, that is what I must take it by. Even if I am off the mark on the message of that post, I still think I bring up a good point everyone can relate to and hopefully learn from.
I understand people's fear of black people. But we must look further and ask ourselves, "is it really all black people I fear?" Are you afraid of a black man in a business suit walking down the street at 9am on his way to work? Are you afraid of black comedians, such as Bill Cosby? If you went to the doctor, and he happened to be black, would you be afraid? If your house was burning and a black firefighter came to the rescue, would you run for your life? Do you fear a 5 year old black kid playing on a swing in a playground? If you said yes to any of those, you may be racist. But I am willing to suspect that most people who say they fear black people, actually say "no" to all of those.
How about these questions: Would you fear a large white man in a puffy coat walking toward you at night in the city? Would you be afraid if you were caught in an alleyway with a homeless white man? If you're on a subway and a bunch of straight-faced white teenage thugs got on the subway and started hassling people, would you be scared? Most people, I would bet, would say "yes" to most of those.
As it turns out, you are not afraid of black people at all. You are afraid of a stereotype. And this is not the same as racism. It's a social mindset driven into our minds that associates black people with hard thugs. Indeed a majority of poor people are minorities and poor people are the most likely to commit crimes and have social abnormalities, which is no wonder we associate minorities with crime and crime with minorities. This doesn't mean all minorities are poor criminals nor all poor criminals are minorities (nor all criminals are poor!), of course. But the people we fear are the ones who fit the stereotype, which reinforces this idea. Once you realize it is not the color of the person that incites fear but what he/she represents in their demeanor, you will no longer see the race as a factor. It is this simple notion that can help us realize we really are better people than society wants us to think.
When I get that fear inside me from seeing a black man gangster-walking down the street at night, I have no shame in that feeling. I would feel the same way about anyone from any background. I know it is because I am judging him by the content of his character and not the color of his skin.
I'm not promoting the idea that racism doesn't exist anymore, nor that there is not a problem with our socioeconomical demographic in America. All I am saying is by discussing this idea that we what we fear is beyond color, we can start bridging gaps between ethnicities.
In closing, remember, it is basic human instinct to have first impressions of people and things. In order to maintain our survival we must have a first impression which we can immediately act upon if necessary. Just don't let that first impression block newer, more reliable impressions.