The Ostrich Effect...

 I take a small step away from my usual views and observations.

Today afforded me a view into the belly of a beast I found quite utterly disturbing to say the least.  I am at a loss to understand how a person's views while being almost accepted can be totally discarded based on their ethnicity.  I have made the point time and time again that conclusions and views should be embraced in the spirit for which they were written and I contend that throwing out the baby with the bathwater helps no one.

Firstly I take offense that a person boasting of degrees can read a post written in their native language and take from it ideas which were neither implied nor written.  I am of the view that if you want to brandish both your ethnicity and intelligence in my face, they should be used wisely.  To deconstruct a composition and do so incorrectly, thereby misleading those who may trust your judgment does no justice to you or the education you so proudly boast. 

Additionally, to find racism on the wings of a butterfly is equally senseless (this is merely to show the sheer ridiculousness of the statements in which apparent racism was found).  To claim bigotry and racism where there is none is a foolish stance to adopt.  Pretending that the stereotypes which have been exposed do not exist in your neck of the woods is preposterous.  Burying your head like an ostrich in the sand will in no way bring a solution the underlying problem.  As a nation we face many issues, as black people we face even more, many of our lower income youths and by extension their families daily face social issues, some of their own making but many which society has nurtured them into.  Pretending that they do not occupy more than 80% of the societal ills will not make the problem go away.

Let us be honest, many lower income families face the drugs, crime, gang war aspects every day of their lives.  So maybe we have a variety of ethnicity falling victim to very low income but in most instances, their reaction to it will not be the same as my black people (yes my).  Now while their will be those who overcome the path society has already set for them and rise above it to become our doctors, lawyers, nurses etc...even more will succumb and become our gangstas, assassins, drug mules, drug addicts etc. 

I am aware that any ethnicity can have these categories but randomly take a look at any 'Justice On Time' vehicle and look at those being held for remand, that alone says there is a problem.  It cannot be racist to state a blatant fact, our people are in trouble and we need to find a clear path to begin helping them.  Flying off the handle at a stereotype that is clearly true does nothing for you and does nothing for your or my people.  We are all aware that all blacks do not fall into the same category, I did not and I am proud and glad of that, but those who have (and they are so many now) why can't we use the education that we have been afforded to help them?

Shooting the messenger will not change the message.  Pretending there is no problem provides no solution.  It is beyond me what value is to be gained from becoming emotional and wantonly shooting those who bring a proper message or ask a valid question.

How can you tell a man that because of who is he cannot ask a question or tackle an issue?  What you are doing is nothing short of hypocrisy.  How can you presume to tell a man that because he is not black, while he makes a valid point, his validity is lost because of ethnicity?  How can your point be valid by saying that all other races have the same issues so why dwell on one?  Really?  Why don't you instead accept that there is a problem and try to have meaningful discourse to solve or mend it.

There is no real place for emotion in healthy discourse.  If  we are to move forward as a society, we must begin to tackle the underlying issues.  We must accept that we have a problem, we must accept that if the comments or conclusions are valid, there is no place in there for the race of the author.