opinions 16 April 2010 7

Racism in the mirror

M y return t r i p f ro m t h e promised land of Florida dur-ing spring break b r o u g h t m e t h r o u g h t h e not-so-promis-ing land of Ala-bama.

Cruising down the highway, i wa s s u d d e n l y transported in a

weird time warp to the days of the Civil War. A massive Confeder-ate battle flag unfurled in all its “glory.” The huge banner com-manded my attention to a sign underneath that explained the purpose of the flag — “sons of Confederate Civil War Veterans.” And i thought racism was dead.

When i came to the Midwest for college, i would never have

said racism is a major problem in America.

sure, i had heard the occasional racist joke, but i saw the racist as more of a caricature of a past time than a reality. in my mind, the rac-ist was a hillbilly who had never heard the Civil War was over. it was easy to judge these people — to label them as extremists who needed to be brought into the 21st century. They were the supposed “sons of Confederate Civil War Veterans” who spoke with a drawl, lived in a trailer and had a pickup in their front yard.

How things have changed. now what i see as a racist looks much more like what i see in the mirror.

i’ve realized that before judg-ing those who fly the Confederate flag, i need to realize the evil in my own heart that leads to ste-reotypes and fear.

As a college student, and as a logical person, it is easy and nec-essary to decry racism. Men and women of all races are created equally by God.

Racism is evil. We should be unanimous.

But it’s not that simple. ste-reotyping and integration is a complicated and involved topic.

The chronicle of the civil rights movement is still drying in our history books. Living with and loving people of another ethnic-ity and cultural background is a messy subject. it’s anything but simple.

A stigma surrounds racism. it

prevents real dialogue about it. We want to be colorblind, but when we’re not, we keep it inside, ashamed of our thoughts. no one wants to admit they stereotype, that they haven’t always been full of love for others of another race.

so, let me be the first. i stereo-type. i did not make that racist joke last week, but i sure did laugh at it. When obama won the election, i accounted it to his ethnic heritage. i think the way

people of other ethnicities speak can be funny. i think black people like rap music, and white people like country music.

When i hear the word ghetto, a housing project full of other ethnicities comes to mind. it’s easier to talk to someone who is

the same race as myself. When on a lonely street late at night, i am more suspicious of someone if his skin color is different than mine. i do not always love.

We are uncomfortable talking about racism because it is such a blot on the history of the U.s. it’s easy to speak in ideologies and hypotheticals. We can point the finger at trends or “those peo-ple,” and condemn. But if we do not engage with it personally, if we do not humble ourselves to

speak the truth, racism will never become history.

There are racial divisions, even on this campus. i am not com-fortable talking about them, but i will.

if the problem of racism will ever be eradicated in America, it must start with honest dialogue. Take a hard look in the mirror and ask, “Am i a racist?”

stephen Grovesnews

Co-Editor

“There are racial divi-sions, even on this cam-pus. i am not comfort-

able talking about them, but i will.”