Fair
dialogue crucial for race-related talks
Sean Cocca
I would like to propose a totally radical notion to all of you. Mind you, I came
to this conclusion based solely on empirical evidence from my own experience,
but I believe it still holds true in most, if not all, aspects of everyday life.
I will lay it out for you in no uncertain terms, but be warned, you may not like
what you read. White people are becoming, if they are not already, the most discriminated
group of people in America.
I know it is hard to believe. Many people would like to deny this fact, and some
may even take up arms to challenge it, but its validity rings true for almost
all Caucasian men and women. Any argument concerning a controversial issue, especially
one where race is involved, automatically puts white people at a disadvantage.
Take, for example, the recent case of Stanley “Tookie” Williams.
I won’t get into whether he was justly or unjustly put to death, but I
would like to examine another aspect of the debate that raged between the proponents
and opponents of his execution.
Those who argued for his execution were often labeled racists and bigots, but
that only occurred if they happened to be white.
Two well-known people who were victims to this were Los Angeles talk show hosts
John Kobylt and Ken Shampo of the “John and Ken Show” on KFI 640
AM. The two, both white, were outspoken advocates for Williams’ execution.
Several of Williams’ supporters like Jasmine Canek called John and Ken
racists for their stance on Williams’ dilemma. While they were very fervent
in their attacks on Williams and his supporters, they were just as aggressive
with the cases of Scott Peterson and Robert Blake, both also accused of murder.
This is just one example of what I am talking about. Any outspoken opponent to
any issue linked to race is automatically labeled racist.
Don’t believe me? Look at the current problem concerning illegal immigration.
The problem at our borders cannot be ignored any longer. Every day thousands
of Mexican citizens cross the border illegally into the United States.
The situation has gotten so bad U.S. citizens have taken it upon themselves to
help enforce border laws. I am referring to, of course, the Minuteman Project.
Even at the conception of this group, they were being called bigots and racists.
Every time Minutemen founder, Jim Gilcrest, went to speak at a public forum he
was met with protests and people calling him a racist.
Some incidents even became
violent.
But the issue does not stop there. I have heard the proponents of border enforcement
being called racists countless times on the news. This argument is becoming the
default cry of pro-illegal immigration groups when people actually stand up to
them. And you know what? It works every time.
There is no defense against being called a racist, and the race card is as easy
to use as anything. Once you are labeled a racist, that stain never goes away.
It is the ultimate counter-argument.
In the pursuit of saving face and avoiding being labeled a racist, white people
will often bite their tongues and forgo their constitutionally granted freedom
of speech. They will sit idly while people make absurd statements or sling wild
accusations instead of challenging these ideas. They fear what they say may be
taken out of context or seen as a personal attack instead of the argument they
meant it to be.
I can tell you all this because these are the concerns I have whenever I am engaged
in some kind of race-related argument. I am white. I have been conditioned to
tread lightly on controversial ground, to concede where available and to mask
my true feelings, whatever they may be, behind a veil of understanding and compromise.
I have, in effect, censored myself numerous times so I would not offend other
people. I have compromised my beliefs and myself in order to make other people
feel better. But I am not alone.
Countless others have suffered the same fate as I and have felt powerless to
do anything. This breeds contempt in the affected party, namely white people,
and does nothing but impede the progress of race relations.
Dialogue is crucial to any relationship, but insincere or censored dialogue only
masks the true problem while providing a false sense of accomplishment. Race
relations are no different. If white people are afraid of voicing their true
opinions and concerns, there can be no progress. And white people are scared,
believe me.
Dialogue is a two-way street, baby. We cannot hope to make things better while
white people are afraid to speak their minds, nor can we move forward with people
pulling race cards. We have to hear each other and understand. There should be
no compromise, no concessions. There needs to be a new understanding, and we
can only come to that if we can repair our broken dialogue.
Sean Cocca is a senior journalism major and the news editor of the
Daily Forty-Niner.
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