Have you ever put your mind in neutral with the parking break off? I do that sometimes just to keep sane, and sometimes the strangest paths get taken. Yesterday, I was doing such a thing and, for one reason or another, a thought popped into my head and it really made me think. Sometimes it takes a long time for things to change, but they do.
I’ll tell more after the link. I’ll warn you. There will be an extremely offensive phrase that you’ll see. If you’re not prepared, then don’t click the link (this is a serious post).
If you clicked the link expecting a joke, you’re gonna feel silly.
Now what I was thinking about was way back when I was just beginning school. I was about 5 years old. Back then (in 1975-76), there was a lot less tolerance than there is today (and I am factoring in the totally intollerant PC movement). Something that was a commonplace thing was to insult other races. Here’s a fictional short dialogue to illustrate what gave me the thought to write this down:
a:That was a really nice thing that you did for me. Thanks!
b:No problem! I’d do the same thing for a nigger.
Man! I cringe as I write this crap. The point I’m trying to get across is that, as a child, I was exposed to that kind of talk. Some of the kids I knew said that, thinking they were cool. I grew up in rural Nova Scotia, where the only black community was a burrough of Halifax. It was a predominantly white, european decended population. The first person in my town that wasn’t white was a neighbor of mine, named Jon. He, thankfully, moved to my small town after this type of behavior began to abate. Jon was one of the funniest aquaintances of my young life, and if I meet up with him again, I’ll have to make a point of letting him know that he and his family made an impact on our lives (they moved again some time after I left to go to college and we haven’t crossed paths since).
Today, if someone were to say, “I’d do the same thing for a nigger!”, then they’d get their ass kicked! That’s what 30 years of education and conditioning in tolerance can do. There really has been progress over the years when it comes to racism and intolerance. We have a long ways to go, but its working. I don’t think that in our lifetime, we’ll be a world of tolerant, reasonable people who are accepting of others. That’s a pipe dream. But, its a good dream to aim for.
Not long ago, Coretta Scott King passed away and I mentioned her passing. I hope that her legacy, and that of her deceased spouse, Dr Martin Luther King, will live on and grow. I’m glad that my parents raised me and my siblings to not feel it necessary to stoop to the low level that some of my classmates had back then. I remember the urge to use the phrases that they used to fit in, but I didn’t feel comfortable enough to actually ever say them. Thank you, mom and dad, for raising me that way. There has been change for the better. Therefore there is hope…
I remember the days back then, when that word was loosly used. But I have to say that I havent witnessed the use of it these days.
I’m wondering why you would actually bring up something like this, or what influenced you to?
I’m not sure what made me think of it, but sometimes I think back and look at how things are different. On this issue, I’m proud of we humans for the progress, even if its small. At least its observable. Too many terrible things get talked about. Nobody thinks to cheer anymore. I thought that it was time to cheer, I guess.
…but we’re far from done! There’s still a lot of racism and hurt out there.
And, on a lighter side, remember that its Black History Month
Corey, this is my favorite posts of yours. I wish you would write more like it.
Yes, the world does seem more tolerant. Back when my parents got married in the late ’50’s, protestants didn’t marry catholics. It was a big deal when they did. But now, people don’t even blink an eye at that kinda thing. Still, I wonder if the tolerance we see is just on the face of things.
i think that, for the most part, about 1/2 of what you see is probably true. I also know that there are places where its actually gotten worse. But, on the whole, I think that what I’ve witnessed is the truth.