The one thing that can describe everything in my Facebook feed today is this: all of our news right now involves victims of racism. We can call it something else, because we white folks want to feel better about ourselves than we deserve to feel, but systemic racism is the source of everything right now.

Ferguson, MO and the shooting of Michael Brown

5 children we deported to Honduras were murdered.

Gaza

Compton School Board so fears its students, it arms its cops with assault weapons

White people whining that they can’t use the Washington Football Team’s racist nickname

My feed at this very moment is full of examples of systemic racism. And yet virtually none of the conversation is actually about race. It’s about the police or immigration or war or guns or political correctness or militarization or detention centers or zionism or school shootings or football or traditions and all the while we are being told that people deserve it or we need to not be so sensitive.

A boy who was shot 6 times had to deserve it.

Native Americans must love the Washington Football Team.

All of this is just political correctness. Right.

The favorite pastime for those of us in the privileged white America is to wade into the weeds and talk about the intricacies of each of these things, asking each other “what would you do?” if you were in that situation.

But only from the white guy’s point of view.

We never reflect and carry the burden of being the target of abuse. Or we spend our time complaining how ridiculous it is to be asked not to be racist.

Seriously, considering all of this other stuff; all of these conversations we’re avoiding about our role in some really disturbing things done to minorities; it is objectionable to be told that we should stop being racists? There is a long history of our Native peoples objecting to the Washington Football Team’s nickname. And yet, we can’t be bothered to respect a whole nation of people we massacred centuries ago enough to listen to how they feel?

Our indifference to the very dignity of every human being means many of us consistently break our Baptismal Covenant. We are sinners and must repent. And it is this sin of racism that underlies it all. This isn’t just about a nickname, but the very respect we show to other human beings. Especially the ones left out to bake in the hot, Missouri sun for hours. No ambulance, but caution tape. Don’t help him / keep away from him. And whatever you do, don’t record what we’re doing to other people who look just like Michael Brown. Oh, and tradition!

 

I’ve long appreciated the musical treatment of the subject by Atom & His Package.