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Cautiously, Words About Race

Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2021
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by AMAC, Robert B. Charles
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27 Comments
Race

Okay, let us start here. The modern world is jangled, or as Bob Dylan once wrote, “Tangled up in blue.” But that is where we are. And where are we? In a place where we fail to use our analytic powers. We listen to “smart people” tell us what to think. So, stop, and start thinking. If conclusions flow from assumptions – examine the assumptions. They are often false, especially around “race.”

Does prejudice exist, of course – since time’s beginning, Except if not learned or thoughtfully untaught. Do skin tints differ, of course – as only God sees fit to paint us, all in His image. Does race often align with family habits, cultural, tribal, geographic, ethnic, and religious differences? Yes, but not always. You see, skin does not define us, even if it may incline us to one or another choice.

And there is the key – choice. Most of life is about choice, not the color of skin—pull on that thread. If skin color is gift wrap, habits, culture, tribe, life pursuits are choices. Race does not determine who we are, except in our minds.

Wait, you say, but if I am black, the reactions of others can affect the ambit of my choices, in turn, my success. If others look down on me, expect less of me, or simply summon irrational dislike for me – parroting learned prejudice, then choices in my circle, in turn, chances of success, are more limited.

True, but go again to assumptions. BLM – like a similar, violent group by those letters in the 1960s – assumes race relations are static, that rather than teach equality (and assume God-given equality) between individuals, we must assume such understanding is out of reach, not possible, and do as Marx did, move to “equity between groups” which is promoted and measured by material leveling.

We are told to define ourselves not as individuals with equal potential in a nation striving to help us realize that potential, seeking to assure fair conditions for all (e.g., anti-discrimination laws, teaching respect, believing new understanding possible), but a shortcut: Redistribute resources – from one group to another – and think that fixes things.

Even assuming the worst pockets of prejudice, it does not. Rather it blocks the sun, replaces a chance for equal respect and dignity with government-pushed leveling of material position or outcomes (leaping to material equity, as if what lies between inequality and equality is just dollars).

In a way some find hard to accept, this misses the vital step – teaching, believing in, providing opportunities to prove our equality, skin aside. In a way, we have all missed the boat; imagining material leveling solves the underlying problem – false assumptions about skin-deep differences.

Race relations in America are complicated by objective factors, including geographic, cultural, economic, and crime demographics, which reinforce (on both sides) the idea of immovable inequalities or prejudices, suggesting equality is not worth reaching for, prejudice impossible to change.

This false assumption is tied to opinions long held by one group about another, intergenerational habits, more false assumptions. The problem is not just clutching past prejudice but passing it forward. Again, the assumption is that prejudice cannot change – and that is wrong.

Why have so many Americans unlearned prejudices, or rejected them, to fight in military units as tight and true as born brothers, stakes high? Or to solve big problems in civil society? Or in various parts of America, look past race to define neighbors by other differences, similarities. Do you see what I mean?

So why – and who – promotes the false assumption that equality of every born child is not entirely possible if only conditions or opportunities are presented to each equally? Answer: Those who benefit from silencing that idea, or using it as a foil to promote another, more personally (or emotionally) satisfying or profitable idea.

And who is doing that? In the white community, those who hold prejudices – that must be unlearned. In the black community, those who see value in sustaining a grievance culture, which benefit not equality among individuals, but themselves – materially or politically.

Put differently, ask what happens to every wealthy BLM leader, every political firebrand, if we pivot to equality of opportunity, people as all the same, teaching love not differences, emphasizing what we have in common as Americans, versus seeking money to settle past (re-elevated) race-based wrongs.

Ask what they really want – enduring peace and harmony, love and brotherhood, a lasting end to prejudice, making it a thing of the past, or benefit of an issue, money and emotional satisfaction of unending grief continued attention, money, prominence? In the quiet of the night, think on this.

What is the truth? What assumptions can we count true and reason from? We are all equal in God’s eyes. That is a good start. And how do we teach that? By pushing differences, big money settlements, collective and intergenerational guilt, resentment, anger, riots, group mentality? Or the reverse, truth of equal people, equal respect learned and then practiced, common mortality, that we all bleed red should center ourselves on ideals’ positive pull, not the negativity of difference?

We should – in a phrase – bleed red, white, and blue, not black and white, turn off the resentment, turn on love of humanity. You may say that is trite. But all the progress toward the ideals represented by our flag stems from belief in that ideal, stumble as we do toward it.
Progress comes from positive people teaching hope, rewarding those who learn it, not tearing down the miracle – true miracle in human history – of a place like America.

Yes, we are a bit jangled, divisions pushed by those sure they can get us to accept false assumptions. Do not accept them. Do not imagine equal opportunity is impossible or that race defines us.
Use the God-given gift of analysis, your feel for what is right. Trust yourself, and in that process, lift the dialogue. Rather than tangled up in blues, we can choose. That is why America is special. We are more than people of varying skin colors; we are Americans.

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Rich
Rich
2 years ago

I don’t remember the “race” issue being front and center in the Trump administration. Anyway, race is a condition of the heart. You cannot change my heart (or anyone else’s) by passing laws or pounding us over the head with constant racial garbage. If you continue to play up the racial card, people start to accept the information as fact because now we cannot seem to be able to do our own thinking. The socialist/marxist democrats use this tactic as part of their battle plan. We then do not actually see what other issues are vitally important to our country because it tears us apart. I personally will never accept any “brother” American to be racially discriminated against. We must stop this government racist ideology from destroying our country. We must start thinking critically folks and make up our own minds, and love one another as we love ourselves. The Bible has it right!

Karen
Karen
2 years ago

How about using our time to get America back where it belongs. Stop the hate. MAGA

Lynn
Lynn
2 years ago

So, if I’m a poor white from Appalachia or a white person from a NYC housing project or a recent white immigrant from another nation, but I attend college with rich non-whites, I’m still the oppressor? Of whom? Yes, I spent many years of my early life in NYC housing projects, in case you wonder.

JOHN
JOHN
2 years ago

RACE is whatever the Democrat/Socialists say it is at any given situation. They control division and ideology manifesting HATE. The basic division it this: If you are Caucasian (white) then you are the root of all that is evil in the world.
The NEW, NSDAP ad their propaganda machine has repeated BS over and over so many times weak minded people believe it…..

Madpatriot
Madpatriot
2 years ago

I find it so unsettling that in this day and age that people are still so ignorant as to what the color of ones skin is!! It is what is in ones heart and mind that matters and what they do or do not do with that is what makes the difference!~! One can chose to sit on their back sides and take from all of us in welfare or they can get an education and get out there and work…whatever it takes, 1-2-3 jobs to get it done…that is the American way! I detest all that are trashing the wonderful nation that we built over the years that America has been a nation! We have shared and given and given and given in so many way to the world so they shouldn’t have one bad thing to say about us! Yet our own government is trashing us worst of all with the evil of the Democratic goal of communism in this country!!!! OUTRAGEOUS! They have no idea what they are doing and who is getting so angry and what will happen if they do not stop their insanity against all that we are and we were and are meant to be by the grace of God, faith and our founding!!!! Patriots, we MUST take a stand—whatever that means to save this nation and freedom at all costs! We are strong and we will NOT accept the trashing that the Democrats are forcing upon all of us and we will not take the insanity of those that are forcing this evil through lies, schemes and back room deals with the enemies of freedoms! They need to be tried for treason to America and all of us!

William Clark Smith
William Clark Smith
2 years ago

Mr. Charles never ceases to inform and stimulate to the deepest levels of analysis, perception and understanding. To pursue grammar and syntax completely obscures the purpose of his presentation. Thank you for your incredible insights Robert.

PaulE
PaulE
2 years ago

Racism suddenly became a major issue for the Democrat party after the 2016 elections and Trump got substantially more Black and Latino votes than any past Republican. That set off warning bells in the Democrat party, that they could no longer take the Black vote for granted. So in additional to the phony Russian collusion narrative and all the other sh*t the Democrats starting throwing against the wall hoping to get get something to stick, suddenly the Democrat party began claiming racist this and racist that. Which is rich considering the Democrat party’s long history of bigotry and racism. The Democrats tried anything and everything to try and scare or motivate the Black vote to return to the Democrat party until the Democrats could import enough illegals into the country to make the Black vote far less important to all future elections. President Trump confounded the Democrats again in 2020 by further increasing the percentage of Black and Latino voters who found his message more compelling than the Democrat’s message of socialism. That is a major part of what HR1 / S1 is all about. Doing away with pesky elections and just having those that count the votes always win the vote. So the racist rants from the Democrats, with absurd claims of systemic racism around every corner, went into over-drive after Biden was sworn in. It’s as transparent a Democrat ploy as you can get.

The reality is people are people. Whether they are Black, White, Brown or anything else. Everyone is deserving of equal respect and an equal opportunity. That doesn’t mean everyone ends up in the same place. Everyone has different talents and skills and personal drive to succeed or fail in this life, depending on the their personal abilities and how you handle adversity. Life is what YOU choose make of it.

Frances
Frances
2 years ago

We are one race. Human. Made in the image of God Almighty. He loves diversity so he made us with many genetic possibilities, eye shape and color, hair, height, body type, and of course, skin color, but we are all human. One Race, One Breed, One Species. Just gloriously diverse.That is what we should teach all the children. The God’s Honest Truth.

JOHN
JOHN
2 years ago

We The People do not HAVE a problem with Freedom of Speech. We Do have a problem with saying what IS TRUE and being punished for it!

james michalicek
james michalicek
2 years ago

Race is the elephant in the room. We must not discuss it. But it makes you wonder what America would would be like.

George Washington's Admirer
George Washington's Admirer
2 years ago

Well said Patriot Will. Very well said. Spot On!

Carol
Carol
2 years ago

This person is one of the best writers I have ever read in my 81 years. I am so sick of people who only criticize how he puts his sentences together? Again Mr. Charles has hit the nail on the head. In my profession (health care) I have worked both here and overseas. I tried to tell people after I returned to this country 1992 about the prejudice I saw in other countries. I was never questioned about anything I have done up until recently (since the current regime) and I have never encountered the mess I am seeing in this country. If we give in and do not continue to fight this terrible marxist regime here where will the peope go who are trying to flee marxist oppression in their countries (Cuba comes to mind)? Please hear what I am saying now. I am becoming more prejudiced in my old age because of the demonrats pushing their agenda in my face daily! They do not care about black/brown people or any of us who have worked all our lives and have put our lives on the line to help others all over this world. We are ALL being used as pawns in their ceaseless quest for POWER and I have really had enough of this sewer manure that is being thrownout by the media as TRUTH? I really feel that Mr. Charles has it correct. I just finished reading about his experience running with the horses and I found it to be profound on FREEDOM. Thank you for letting me still be able to put out my true observations on this wonderful country that is being drug to the bottom of a dark pit by all the “useless idiots” who keep voting these demonrats in and do not vote responsibly (really analyze what they are doing). God bless those like Mr. Charles who are unafraid to say it like it is. Carol

Cayce
Cayce
2 years ago

I will never forget the progress this country has made in race relations. I am a child of the 60s and 70s and was caught up in some of the Civil rights painfulness but I will never forsake the intentions and gains we made behind it. No we are not perfect by any means but we have made strides that are currently being torn away. I’m on the dream side of MLK.

Ron Sample
Ron Sample
2 years ago

Great article. I think most people feel this way but they’re drowned out by all the “noise” of those who feed off causing discontent.

Steven J Moore
Steven J Moore
2 years ago

The writing of this article is TERRIBLE!!! Ever hear of run-on sentences? This article is FULL of them!
Other than poor writing, the article is fine.

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