We’re All Just A Little Bit Racist

Racism in 2010 is not overt. It can’t be. Not all the time anyway. In order for it to survive, it has to thrive in the same places as intelligence, “free thought,” and open-mindedness. Racism in 2010 exists more in the form of “comedy” than anything else. It’s the little inappropriate things we do to be “controversial” but really they just express outwardly, our true innermost feelings. Like that song from Avenue Q. We’re all a little bit racist, and it’s no longer just a black v. white issue.

For instance, I have a friend from school who told me today that he was celebrating MLK day by buying and drinking two 40s. I laughed initially but thinking about it now, that’s a very disrespectful homage to one of America’s greatest activists. Or another good example is the novelty tee worn by the guy from my school in this picture. I took this myself at the beginning of the year, and he proudly posed because he thought the shirt was “awesome.”

I have been immersed in both black and white American culture for most of my education and I’m a constant and active observer of the cultures. I’ve picked up that there seems to be somewhat of an aversion or apathy towards celebrating Martin Luther King, amongst both groups. I think part of it has to do with the fact that we’re supposed to be “color-blind” nowadays and celebrating the life of Dr. King brings to the forefront of our minds what he died fighting against, which is equality for all men. And the fact that this ideal is not the reality we live in makes most people uncomfortable, both the descendants of slaves and the descendants of slavers.

Schools hold numerous activities and opportunities for education and knowledge across the country on Martin Luther King Day, and for the most part, if they aren’t mandatory, they are ill attended. At least that’s how I’ve seen it. Why do you have to get extra credit to go hear a speaker and learn more about your country’s history? You say that sounds boring? You’re in college. Everything that you do does not have to be fun, or for your major.

But maybe our generation has grown beyond educational MLK celebrations, I mean we did grow up with them. Reagan signed the bill to make MLK Day a national holiday in 1986, the year before I was born. So we grew up celebrating MLK day in school and being read the transcripts of the “I Have a Dream” speech. We saw videos of the March on Washington and read books about what civil rights means. We had Dr. King coloring books.

Maybe now that we’re older and have had Dr. Kings’ work so thoroughly ingrained in us, we’re over it. Maybe the un-comfortability is not with the issue of inequality; maybe it’s with having to once again go through the great life of Dr. King, only to have the ending be the same. He dies. And death makes us uncomfortable. So in order to ease our own discomfort, we laugh it off, right? We make it a party, and turn the power hatred once had into something resembling camaraderie. I get it though. For people’s birthdays, you throw a birthday party. I get it. I guess, at least, you’re celebrating.