h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought it would be fun to go into a "debate" chatroom on AOL. There's always someone with a brand new conspiracy theory about the "evil liberal news media" in there, and I needed a good laugh. I didn't get it. What I did get was a reminder that racism, and prejudice in general, are not even close to gone. I have never seen or heard the "n" word used more times than I have today.
The excuse I heard first was that they can shout that word anytime they want now that Barack Obama has been elected. Then, they said it was because of the "n" word in rap lyrics. "As long as black people call each other that," they 'rationalize', "it's perfectly okay for us to call them that all we want."
And the more they were asked to stop spewing intolerant and racially motivated remarks, the more people joined them.
Even though I am right now thinking of every good person I've ever met, every kind word I've ever heard, every selfless gesture I've ever seen, I've still lost more faith in people today than I ever have before.
What should we have done, instead of standing up to them? Walk away? Ignore it? That doesn't help anybody. For every time they cursed at the people who didn't ignore their racism, for every second they spent sending sewage from their mind into plain sight, I just hope that they don't get a good sleep tonight.
And maybe tomorrow, they'll realize the things they said were wrong. Maybe they'll rethink the whole "tolerance" thing. Maybe they'll follow the words of that Book they so admire, and actually show love and compassion towards all people, even if they look or live different. Maybe. But probably not.
But if everything I've said and done to try and wake them up really didn't matter, then hope is all I can do.
And the worst part is, as horrible as I feel, I can't even begin to compare my feelings to those of all the men, women, and children who sat in chains throughout the 200+ years of slavery in what has been called the first true democracy. And I can hardly bare to think that that was nowhere near the end of the hatred.
If you're still reading this, I'm amazed. And I'm sorry to take so long. I just needed to rant somewhere where people wouldn't respond by swearing and trying to bite my head off.
Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.
And do me just this one favor: don't ignore prejudice of any kind.
Confronting prejudice doesn't just help the person who stands up against it, or the person toward whom the prejudice is aimed. It helps all mankind.
I really do believe that someday, nobody will look the other way when prejudice is shown. And that day can come sooner, rather than later. But to bring about that day, nobody can stand idly by. Hatred will only disappear when everyone takes a stand against it.
And that's the end of this entry, I promise. Have a nice day, or a good night, or both if you like.
And thank you again for reading my rant, and indulging my (naive?) belief that it will make any difference.

I haven't been in an AOL chatroom in years! I remember them as being kind of sleazy and crude. Sounds like they still are. H2G2 is usually a more civilized place, though I've had words with a few people now and then. There's one person on here who keeps insisting that racism is a thing of the past. Which bugs me. Because racism is clearly still around. But I do think people can outgrow certain tendencies toward racism. I have in my life. I reread an old high school diary of mine a while back, and was shocked to find myself using a racial slur. I was really embarrassed, so that would seem to indicate growth. I would never do that now. I worry sometimes that I'm still too racist -- more likely to be wary of someone from a different background than me. I make an effort to remind myself that folks are folks, and we are all very much alike.

If I had been in that chat room with you, I certainly would have come to your aid! No excuse for that kind of hate talk. I would have kicked some . Don't be too terribly discouraged. I think that the election has brought out paranoia in a lot of right wing types. But I think they will calm down once they see Obama doing a good job. And I think he will do a really good job, because he is articulate and smart. (And has a good sense of humor. "I inhaled. That was the point.")

It's weird to see families split down the middle by this election. It feels like you're back in the Civil War, with some people going to the North, and some to the South. Thank goodness we are past the point where any state could actually secede. I don't know, maybe that sounds absurd, but that's how it feels. PS If you want to be cheered up, go take a look at my artwork. It is always colorful and bright.

Thanks Ellen, it's good to hear from you. I hope you're doing well.
And it doesn't sound absurd at all. I have people in my family who... well, they're not exactly paragons of acceptance and tolerance, but they're starting to change their minds about things now that Obama has been elected.
Even some of my relatives who said they would never vote for a black person are coming around, so things aren't all bad.
Everything changes, but things might start changing for the better soon.

And I did check out your artwork-- it's very good! Plus, I finally know what petunias look like.
And, of course, Happy Birthday!