Steven C.,
Corbin, KY
I was raised in an all-white racist community, by racist parents, and attended all-white schools where racism was not only permitted, it was commonplace. I joined the US Army at 18 and it was only then that I was around people other than Caucasians. The US Army is a melting-pot of racial and cultural diversity — Asians, blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, etc. As hard as it may be to believe, I did not carry my lifelong grooming as a racist into the military. I met friends of all colors, religions, ethnic backgrounds, etc, and I discriminated against nobody. This was not due to any conscious effort on my part — I simply had an open mind, treated all people as I would like to be treated, and carried no predisposed biases or prejudices on the basis of race.
I served my four years and was honorably discharged from the Army, and I left the Army hating black people. So, what had happened to my open-minded, free spirit? What had gone so wrong as to brew an ugly emotion such as hatred against blacks? I didn’t hate Asians or Hispanics, or Eskimo people or Indians — only blacks. And now, almost 25 years later, I still do, and it was only recently that I thoroughly thought this over and gave this hatred a fully honest and unbiased assessment. Here’s what I determined, with 100% honesty, two primary reasons:
1. I have rarely had an interaction with a black person — or a group of black people — that had a positive outcome. Indeed, most interactions with blacks during my life have been extremely negative;
2. I find blacks loud, disruptive, obnoxious, disrespectful and flat out ignorant. Not all blacks, but definitely the majority.
Based on these factors, should I be considered a racist because I detest and abhor characteristics such as obnoxiousness, rudeness, willful ignorance and blatant disrespect? Should I simply overlook — or tolerate — these character flaws to fit in with the tolerant liberals and the “we are the world” yaps? I say absolutely and most certainly not. Again, I have no feelings of hatred towards any other race of people — and there is good reason for this: I have not had a lifetime of negative interactions with people of other races, nor do I perceive the character flaws in people of other races that I consistently perceive and experience with blacks.
So, whatever your judgment of me, I can honestly say I have never hated a person on the basis of the color of their skin alone. And that’s my Race Card.
