Apr
27
You know, sometimes you just need someone else’s perspective. Another viewpoint to explain reality to you and show you things about yourself that you never knew. Things that even your friends won’t tell you, or don’t know. Heck, they’re probably guilty of it, too, and don’t even realize it.
Let me give a few examples of how my eyes have been opened…
1) I am a racist. More generally, I hate minorities. Yeah, really. I was shocked to find this out, but I guess it’s true. There are many reasons. For one, I don’t like Affirmative Action. I thought it was because a) it is itself racist and b) it is unconstitutional. (The Constitution does not give Congress or anyone else the right/authority to make decisions based purely on race.) It also casts a shadow over what people of color can accomplish on their own. But, apparently, anyone who wants to take special treatment away from the Black man (or woman, or any other minority) is racist. Just ask Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Rep. Maxine Waters, or any number of other “Progressives”; yes, the white ones, too, who are trying to atone for their own racism.
If that wasn’t clear enough, the fact that I voted against Obama and truly dislike what he is doing as President makes it clear that I am racist. I rationalized that my dislike was for the man’s far Left views/policies that are pushing the nation towards bankruptcy and a socialist takeover from within — assuming his weak stances on security and foreign policy don’t get us killed first. But, no, it’s because he’s Black.
Hmm, I wonder what liberals would think if they knew I dated a Black girl back in high school….
And, uh, let’s see…. Oh! Slavery! Yeah, us white guys are to blame for all that, so we should be making reparations to all the Blacks in America today to make up for it. Civil rights and Affirmative Action are just the beginning. Now, there are a few facts that always confused me about this. 1) That was over hundred years ago, so why exactly should today’s White Americans (who had nothing to do with slavery) pay today’s Black Americans anything? Sounds like reverse-racism to me. 2) Slavery was going on all over the world by people of all races long before American colonists were involved in the trade. Yet, slavery in early America gets special attention. 3) The slaves that came from Africa and Caribbean islands were usually sold to slave merchants by their own tribal chieftains! 4) Many Blacks in America are quite economically comfortable, doing just fine, and don’t need any handouts from the government via white taxpayers. But, that’s just my ol’ racist self trying to rationalize away my guilt and get out of taking responsibility, I guess.
It must be a selective kind of racism, though. The liberals don’t seem to care much if you have a problem with Asians (which I don’t,… or do I?) — unless they’re Muslim. Or, Japanese-Americans that were interned back in WWII. At least, I’ve never heard any liberals going on about discrimination against Asians. Of course, I’ve also never heard any Asian individuals or groups — unless they’re Muslim provocateurs like CAIR — complaining about being victims of discrimination in America. Why is that?
When it comes to Jews (who belong to the Caucasian “race”, btw), it seems that most of them are liberals. At least, in America. Yet, American liberals are the ones giving Israel a hard time and a bad rap — accusing them of being butchers, occupiers, etc. (Like they’re reading from the Palestinian playbook.) In fact, the last time I remember liberals expressing (feigning?) concern for Jews was when they claimed Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ would incite anti-Semitic violence. (Talk about your unfulfilled prophecies….) Except for the Anti-Defamation League (who see racism & discrimination everywhere), I’m tempted to ask why American liberals don’t complain more about white supremacists and other anti-Semites, when those racists regularly insult Jews and accuse them of all sorts of sleazy conspiracies. Why do they buy the pro-Palestinian rhetoric, for instance, and support anti-Israel policies? Confusion and moral equivalence by liberals? Ideological blinders? Jewish self-hatred? Nah, that’s not it. It’s probably somehow my fault and that of my conservative cohorts — especially the Christian ones — for fostering an environment of hate and social injustice.
2) I hate immigrants, too. This is apparently related to the racist thing. See, I thought I was just against illegal immigrants — regardless of skin color, nationality, or ethnic background. I thought that anyone who disregards our laws just by sneaking into our country, then takes our jobs, gets free education at our schools, gets free healthcare at our clinics & hospitals, etc., should be fined and/or jailed, then shown the door. Such people put added economic burdens on our society, especially with all those entitlement programs they tend to take advantage of.
Now, I don’t begrudge anyone wanting a better life for themselves and their families. But, I expect them to apply and go through lawful channels, which should be the first sign that they are willing to be law-abiding residents and, eventually, citizens. “It’s a privilege, not a right!,” I naively thought. That’s why I supported Arizona’s SB 1070 and related legislation in other states.
Alas, the liberals have made it clear that this really means I’m guilty of racism against the Brown man (and woman) and any other non-white who wants to comes over. I’m selfish and don’t want “outsiders” to be able to have the privileges I have as a U.S. citizen. That whole “illegal” thing is just a cover. I’m just mean.
Oh, lest I forget, apparently I am also somehow to blame for running the Spaniards and Mexicans out of the American South and West over 100 years ago. So, really, it’s their land, and whites like me are “occupiers”. Ask La Raza. I guess that makes me a racist and an illegal alien!
3) I hate the poor. Don’t believe me? It’s true. I don’t like Welfare or a number of other entitlement programs. By and large, I think they disincentivize people from taking responsibility for their own welfare. Sometimes, it’s just easier to sit back and collect a government check or three. It’s not that I don’t recognize that some people are born into a very destitute family situation. And, some people just find themselves with serious financial problems and need a helping hand. (Been there.) But, such help should be temporary rather than an ongoing way of life. Plus, it disturbs me when the government takes my money and redistributes it to people and for purposes that some Congressmen or other bureaucrats think should have it. Studies have shown that conservatives, and religious people in particular, give more to charity than liberals. (On average, of course.) Much of that charity goes to help the poor and underprivileged — and that’s even after Uncle Sam has taken its “fair share” off the top.
Thus, I thought that a) taxpayers should be able to decide what people and programs they aid with their own money, and b) the government can do more good by making economic decisions that would encourage entrepreneurship and help businesses, thereby giving them the confidence and ability to invest in growth, to hire and train more people, to fund scholarships for the poor, etc. More job opportunities mean less unemployed people being supported by the government and more people supporting themselves (and paying taxes).
At least, that’s what I deluded myself into believing. But, after reading and listening to liberals, it is becoming clear that I really just hate the poor. Or, at best, I don’t care about them. The above thinking was just a smokescreen and an excuse for not supporting government welfare programs with my tax dollars — or, at least, for griping about it, since I didn’t have a choice. I have learned from liberals that they are the truly compassionate ones, and they can do a better job of helping the poor by taking more tax money and redistributing it through various entitlement programs. Things have only gotten worse since LBJ’s “War on Poverty” started up, but that doesn’t really matter. Liberals assure us that the problem is mean conservatives — I guess that’s redundant — who get in the way and don’t let them pass more welfare legislation. If I was liberal, I would be able to understand the complex and nuanced reasoning behind such plans.
Until tomorrow…
