A well know author speaking on a talk radio show made the comment that everyone was racist and if you denied that you were a liar. I, for one, totally disagree with that statement and I don;t believe that makes me a liar. I have stated many times that everyone is prejudiced and I will admit that I am but that doesn't make me a racist.
To me, predudice means that one has preconceived notions that may or not be true or one shows favoritism towards one over another. Racism means that one acts with malious towards another just because of that person's skin color.
In the case of the Harvard Professor, the Cambridge police officer was accused of being a racist or of racial profiling but I totally disagree with that assessment. First, the policement didn't stop the professor because he was black. The officer responded to a call by a neighbor to the resisdence of a possible breakin. Just because the professor was famous in certain circles doesn't mean that everyone knew who he was. I saw his picture posted and he looked just like many other people to be, no one that I would recognize. Even after seeing his picture, I still wouldn't know who he was if he walked into my work place.
Most people carry their ID with them so when the police officer asked him for his ID (which he should have-the officer doesn't know that he was the owner of the house-after all. a neighbor just claimed the man was breaking in) and he wanted to walk into another room to get his ID, the policeman has no idea what the man is really in search of. It could be an escape route, a weapon of some sort, or his ID. If you are in a dwelling with a man a neighbor just claimed was being broken into, would you trust the man that was there with your life?
1 comment:
It always amazes me how people (apparently including our President) are so willing to vilify the police that we call for help.
Professor Gates's grandstanding and race-baiting bears an amazing resemblance to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
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