Racism

I stopped by CNN this morning to do a quick hit of today’s headlines.  Here are the top 3 stories on that site at this moment:

Foreclosure for octuplets family?

Commentary: Post Cartoon is racist

Holder: U.S. ‘cowards’ on race

What I find interesting about the top 3 stories is this – 2 of them discuss racism.  I read through them because I am intrigued by the dichotomy that we live under here in the United States, that being “don’t treat me differently because of my differences unless its to my advantage”.   Please notice that the statement is about ‘differences’ which go beyond one’s skin color.

Americans have developed a certain sense of entitlement as if by being born we have the right to a Hollywood Celebrity lifestyle.  I think TV and the media are much to blame for this predicament as we have had the consumerism mentality foisted on us from birth.  And while this is a major contributor to this shared propensity, there is at least one other pervasive thought that keeps occuring in knee-jerk response to our pasts.  Somewhere along the way we have adopted a practice that we should erase yesteryear’s woes by overcompensating for today’s issues.

Case in point:

What could be seen as silly humor if President George W. Bush were in the White House has to be seen through the lens of America’s racist past, as noted by the leaders of the New York Association of Black Journalists, who also are demanding an apology from the Post.

Please read “Commentary: Post cartoon is racist” to get the full context of this statement.  Racism is a terrible, terrible thing.  There is no doubt of that sentiment.  I don’t think we, as a country, will ever be able to continue forward until we stop looking back.  While we have to learn from our history in order not to repeat dreadful mistakes, we must also not cater to hypersensitive attitudes that swing the pendulum in a direction that can be just as destructive.

Just some food for thought.