Unless you have lived in a cave the past three days, ABC canceled the popular Roseanne revival after she wrote a tweet about former President Obama’s aide Valerie Jarrett claiming she is a mix of The Muslim Brotherhood and an ape. I put a post of an article on my Facebook feed and the comments on it continued from both sides over the next day.
I noticed most people, on both sides of the aisle, did not agree with Barr’s tweet. Most saw it as racist in nature. And I agree with the manufacturers of Ambien: the drug does not have a side effect of making you a racist. Roseanne has always been a hot head and her mental stability has been called out many times over the past four decades.
Some commenters, from what I saw on my own post and across social media, called out ABC for firing Roseanne but letting hosts on “The View” continue with their rants against President Trump. Many have claimed ABC/Disney are run by liberals and the response to Barr is unfair. I don’t watch “The View” but having heard some of the comments I would say those hosts should be called out for what could easily be viewed as racist comments. Their attacks on President Trump should also be looked into. While I can say with firm belief that I think Donald Trump is the worst President this country has ever seen, he is still our President. Resorting to the name-calling that even he has done is not winning an argument. It is resorting to the lowest form of debate.
Where I draw the line is comparing the Barr scandal to the kneeling of NFL players during the National Anthem. Whether you agree with the kneeling or not, those players are doing it as a form of silent protest. It is not that they don’t see themselves as American, but they are doing it bring attention towards the fact that minorities have been oppressed in this country for centuries. What Roseanne said was deliberate and offensive. When it reaches the point of comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan, you have immediately lost me in any type of debate. The last time I looked, the Black Lives Matter movement wasn’t stringing people up in trees and promoting an Aryan race.
I have to admit, and I have no doubt I will get heat for this (which is ironic given the nature of this post), but the term “white privilege” is beginning to really bother me. I will not be made to feel guilty because I was born white. I think there is an inherent danger with this. It makes it seem like every single white person has an internal racial bias towards anyone that is not white. And that is simply not the case. Do I feel African-Americans have been targeted by white people solely because they are black? Absolutely. But that is not me. That is not what I believe. The recent case of the two African-Americans who were arrested at the Philadelphia Starbucks was abhorrent. I don’t mind Starbucks holding meetings with employees over racial bias. But me, I don’t care who you are. I will be friends with anyone as long as we treat each other with respect and kindness. So when someone uses the argument of “that is your white privilege talking”, no, it isn’t. I understand this country was built by whites. I get that they have predominantly held the power structure in this country. It doesn’t mean I agree with it. I see slavery and the treatment of Native Americans in this country as the darkest stains in our history. I see ANY type of profiling, whether it is race, gender, disability, or religion as equally offensive. If you don’t want me to treat you differently because you are black, don’t treat me differently because I am white. Don’t tell me I don’t understand. Just because I may not have lived something it does not mean I lack the ability AND the compassion to understand. We all have issues in our lives. Instead of pointing out what is wrong with us, we should be lifting each other up.
Last month I put a Facebook post about how Marvel and DC Comics frequently used the word “black” to describe their characters, such as Black Panther, Black Goliath, and Black Lightning. You would have thought I was coming out of the racist closet with comments on that post. My point was that someone should be described by what they do and are, not the color of their skin. We can never tackle racism until we see all people as equal, no matter their race, religion, or gender. We are ALL human beings. To me, that should be the only thing that matters. We should all be helping out our fellow human beings and be kinder to each other.
I have grown tired of the continuous political debates between self-professed “conservatives” and “liberals” on social media. It’s not that I don’t care, but it clogs my feed when I would rather read about what is going on in my friends’ lives. I know, I’m asking for it when I put a post up about politics. But the arguing and the feeling of “I am right and you are wrong” is getting ugly. More than ever before. Lumping everyone into two camps, that of “liberal” or “conservative” is creating a line in the sand that is not truly who we are as Americans. It seems like it is becoming difficult to stick to the matter at hand without it boiling down to distractions and name-calling.
I am always disgusted when I see blatant discrimination against any human being on this planet. Words and actions are powerful. For some, discrimination is just a part of who they are. I see it every single day. Whether it is based on their own upbringing or their experiences, there are very real racists in this country. But not every single person is a racist.
I am afraid we are reaching a tipping point in this country. We seem to be more divided than we have been in a long time. Take time to smell the roses and enjoy life. Tell your friends you care about them even if you don’t agree. Don’t block people over political differences. We are all Americans in this country. I still believe the greatest threat to our safety and security lies within ourselves. I also think we are being used and many want us to be at each other’s throats over political stuff. It is what they are doing while we are distracted that worries me. And when I say “they”, I mean the true power in this country, the corporations that took over a long time ago while many of us were sleeping.
My dream is simple: that the things that divide us are eliminated. That we can all live together in peace and harmony. I believe in God. I also believe God doesn’t care what color or beliefs you have. What matters is what is in our hearts. We can do better. All of us, every single day. So let’s stop with the labels and just start learning to love each other.
The Season Of Myths 