Fear of a Black Man

When I hear people claim that Barack Obama is a racist...I have to think that maybe those people have been oppressed due to their race by a social system that viewsed them as animals, or olf inferior intelllect. A friend of mine told me that he was afraid that the man was a racist and that he and his wife were going to give things to black people and take thedm away from whites...I was astonished that he would be so openly racist, I asked him what the hell he waws worried about...this exchange occurred last Friday..here is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to family members about it.

I had lunch today with the owner of our company's son-in-law and the IT guy teaching the class. He said "This Obama cat scares the shit out of me" the boss's son-n-law glanced at me and said, "me too; he's a racist" The teacher chimed in that he was "un-american." Then the son-in-law looked at me...he knows I am not afraid to go around about politics. I said, "so what, you are afraid white people will have to sit at the back of the bus if he wins....afraid the white people will have to drink from seperate water fountains?" We went at it for the entire lunch hour...they attacked him based upon his name...which I told them was as silly as checking the prison records for every "john" and holding McCain responsible for those people's actions. I turned every argument they made back on them asking where this really comes from? I am convinced that they are afraid of his skin...that is all. Somehow the cretin talking heads from the right who have been lying their asses off to tear him down sound more legitimate when they are attacking a black man. They attacked his mother, they said he was a clever double agent and that he was out to do harm to America. No evidence, no proof, not even a convincing argument, just statements gleaned from Rush, Hannity, Coulter and the like. I can only do what I can do...but there are some ignorant fear mongers out there. The church, the minister, his wife's thesis, these were all brought up without link or description as evidence of this treasonous racist hate-mongering...Neither of them even knew what a thesis was, neither had a degree from an accredited 4-year university, not that they are any less for their choice, but the were quiclkly silenced when I told them that they'd be hard pressed to find a sociology paper from that era that had NOTHING to do with race relations and sexism, and anyway it was not out of the norm for subject matter or question types. (Most Alabama fans are like that, though...when asked why I root for Ole Miss I tell them...I went there, met my wife there, and graduated from there, why do you root for Alabama?) Finally, I said, "there have been dozens of stories over the past two years"...I took a pile of silverware and placed it in the middle of the table..."which painted Obama to be anti-American, for instance, the one that he was born elsewhere outside of the United States; that would make him an extremely unusual candidate for president who is also a serving Senator"....I slid a knife out of the pile and moved it far away from the forks, spoons, and other knives...."but then it turns out that is bullshit"....then I move it back into the pile...."then there is word that he has lied about his schooling and religeon"....I slid it back out...."but alas"...I slid it back in...."then someone says his wife is on a video making racist comments at his racist church"....I slid a fork out...."but there is no video"...I slid it back into the pile..."They say he will not place his hand on his heart during the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE, as most people do not during the national anthem"...slid the knife out again...."but that is false"...slid it back. I said...do you guys ever get tired of doing the political buzzards' work for them...because anytime you dig just a little looking for the truth, the stories turn out to be completely false. The boss's son-in-law is a smart ass, lazy prick who likes to wave his money around....only works when he feels like it, yet is over my department. We weren't at work, however, and I was emboldened by their total inability to say one concrete thing....He asked...can you prove to me that he is not a racist? I said...well can you prove to me that you are not a rapist? Hard to prove a negative. Besides, it is a silly worry that a black man will oppress the white race if elected. I said, "well, can you?...it would seem that you would have an interest in doing so." He said, then can you prove that he puts his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegience? I said, "why yes I can"..I directed him to Snopes.com or Obama's web site and said "you believe every tawdry rumor about Obama. You can only do that by starting out thinking every word he speaks is a lie. You have nothing good to say about the other guy...it seems you are simply voting against a black man, because that is obviously all you know for sure about him." They both (a lmost in unison) said, "he isn't black...he's half white, he went to Harvard." I said, "so what's your problem, then?" I walked away, neither of them brought the subject up again...I explained on the way back that I do not recognize peer pressure or rumorous gossip or lend it my ear. I form opinions based upon facts, not fears. I can't get fired for slapping the boss's son-in-law around, right?I just have little patience for lower forms of intelligence posing as multi-celled organisms. Stand up for rationality.....the fearmongers and half-wit bulleys are an endangered species...the waiter tried to give me my tip money back on my way out the door. He said, "it was more than worth it to hear you roast those guys, are you with the campaign?" I told him that my vote surely was and to "keep the tip, I was just swatting flies."

Huck