Race….What is it good for? Absolutely….

With only a few days to go before one of the single most important Presidential elections of our time, I have begun to ponder the status of our great country. This Presidential race has been a “heck of a doozy” as Palin might say, and had it’s fair share of laughs, disagreements, and finger pointing. Heck, even the posts on our humble website have indicated how divided our country is on particular topics. I want to say that I may disagree with people’s ideologies, but I still respect their right and reason to choose what they want to believe in. But before I run off on a tangent, I want to pull the focus back to something that has been irking me for days…

Since the civil rights movements of the 60’s, our country has grown in ways unimaginable years ago; and yet recent events have proved that we may not have grown as much as we’d like to think we have. It’s safe to say that looking at our potential Presidents, there is a great difference between them (and I don’t mean ideologies). For the first time in our great nation’s history, we may see the first African American President! Really engage this concept for a moment…what does that say about our country? That is what makes the United States of America such an incredible place to live and support. It seems as though the possibilities are endless in a country that continues to evolve as time passes……

and then I read reports in the news that shatter this image of a country; that through the baptismal fires of the Civil War, the inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr., the heroics of Rosa Parks, and the leadership of Abraham Lincoln have made this country the envy of all the nations in the world.

I think most people in the US claim that racism is dead, a relic of a forgotten time. But I disagree, I think we have evolved into a different mindset, “blind racism”. That is racism that is thought and processed but not acted upon in fear of disturbing the status quo. There’s a particular article in GQ Magazine (yes, I know.. strange source), that my friend turned me onto that hints to this particular sentiment. It is definitely a must read and in essence is a sociological project showing the differences between races and the hesitance people have at mixing friendship with color. So what exactly am I getting at….

Last week it was reported that a group of neo-nazi’s planned to assassinate Barack Obama after slaying 88 african americans in Tennessee. The moment I read this, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Is this happening in the United States!!!? Would someone honestly think of or even attempt to do such a thing!? OK, that seems a lil harsh, to pick two crazed skin heads from the south and claim that we still have a resounding race problem in the U.S.

But please check exhibit 2: Ashley Todd (a McCain aide) scratched the letter “B” into her cheek and tried to claim that an African American man mugged her and mutilated her in the name of Barack Obama. Simply, that is a disgrace. I question where our morals are. Where is our dignity. It’s a shame that all those years of hard work, of personal sacrifice by various civil rights leaders and things like this continue to happen around our country. Not to mention the inflammatory racist remarks sprouting up around campaign speeches and town hall meetings. It scares me, that a country with such prowess and the envy of the world still resorts to such deviant acts in an effort to undermine what we stand for. Also, I do not believe that Obama deserves the Presidency simply because he is black. (So please don’t start that argument). I am simply voicing my opinion.. and my hope that our country right’s itself. That we can grow compassionate and unite as one.

I feel that these past 8 years have divided us more than we can truly realize. We have lost faith in our Government, in our standing in the world, in our economy, and in ourselves. I do believe we need strong hard change.. whether it comes from black or white.. it doesn’t matter. I also, think we should all take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves how far we’ve come.

With only a few days left before the election, all I can do now is wait… wait and hope.. that our country continues to grow.. continues to evolve and continues to be the beacon that our ancestors flocked to.