Racism is Americas Original Virus
By
Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D
I got a call this morning from an old friend. He is a White guy in his 50’s. He called to see if my two sons are okay. He told me to tell my sons if they need anything to call him. My sons have White blood-relatives and none of them have made the call my old neighbor made. And just for the record, this isn’t the first time he has made this type of call to me. He knows I teach companies, students and even teachers about racism. So he has picked up the phone many times to ask me questions or get my opinion. I tell him I don’t know everything. He tells me, you know more than me.
This morning he told me that he is so sad that I have to constantly remind my sons about racism. He said it isn’t something he has to do. I stopped him. I asked, “What would happen if White people also talked to their children about racism? What would happen if White people also talked to their children about bad cops? What would happen if White people also talked to their children about people using racism to harass people of color?” How many more children would grow up to anti-racists? How many more children would grow up to be better policemen and better people with authority, in shaping the minds of all America’s young?
My friend told me that he doesn’t believe there is any such thing as a good cop anymore. I told him they don’t ever seem to be around when a bad cop is perpetrating racism. How does a cop choke out unto death, a man for 8 minutes, while other cops do nothing but watch? No matter what you say, those are bad people. Bad people cannot become good cops! Good cops don’t choke someone until they are dead. Good cops don’t stand by and watch a citizen get choked to death by a fellow cop! Better people make for a better society. Better people make for better law enforcement. I’ll say this so people reading this won’t think I’m a cop hater. A good cop is worth his or her weight in gold. But this mentality America seems to have, about everyone who puts and a uniform and a badge being worthy of our respect is bullshit! Just like not everyone who has children is a good parent; teaches is a good teacher or who attends church is a Christian.
America’s racism is its perpetual virus. For centuries it has been responsible for death, pain and misery. This racism virus arises when finances in America get tough! This virus arises when an evil person uses it as a weapon of mass destruction! America can program itself, so when the virus of racism appears we have a fighting chance. But we don’t. We are afraid to deal with racism. The ugliness of what it represents to only a small but significant section of this country’s population always puts it on America’s back burner. Therefore it continues and it gets worst every time it rears its ugly head. The biggest problem with racism is people thinking it is only a Black and people of color must deal with. Let’s be honest here. The current pandemic is as bad as it is, because of racism. Even though he didn’t cause the pandemic, a White Trump administration decided to take out of place, what a Black Obama and his administration put into place. And if we know anything about Trump’s attitude towards Obama, we know race had something to do with it. Read this article and there are many others, ‘Obama Prepared for a Potential Pandemic: Trump Gutted His Work’ written by Keya Vakil, in the Courier, published April 14, 2020. A racist act has caused many more lives lost, in this pandemic than needed to have happened! So, even though America’s racism is directed at Black people and people of color, please don’t tell me America’s racism doesn’t eventually end up costing everyone!