I know that’s not a popular headline, but it really is true. The word “racist” has officially become cliche as it has become so overused that it means nothing anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I know there are racists, and I know the things some people say are racist. I know that we can neither segregate nor legislate ourselves into a racist-free society. But, when the people crying “racism” become as misled as the boy who cried wolf, it might be time to rethink our use of the word.
This week, two stories caught my eye that told me we have gone too far in a very bad direction.
White-free Vacations
Yes, you read that right. There are actually groups of black women who want to take vacations outside of the United States and away from white people. Unfortunately, the author of one article on this subject still believes President Trump referred to African countries as s***holes. He didn’t; it’s a lie. The person who made up the lie has confessed to it and told why he did it. But, these women, and many more like them, would rather internalize everything the media tells them until they actually believe the rest of the white world is against them. We aren’t, and neither is our president.
What many fail to address is the blatant racism of these women. They are so full of angst against white people that they want to separate themselves. Have we not already proven that “separate but equal” is a farce, something that can never be accomplished? You are either equal and you act like it, no matter how one person makes you feel, or you aren’t and you don’t. It really is that simple. Quit acting as if every white person you encounter is a racist out to get you, and you will actually find that very few (if any) white people are racists who are out to get you.
The Racist Coin Toss
Let’s be clear, I do not believe that Shani Davis believes a coin toss to be racist. I think he is smart enough to know what every junior high student knows–a coin toss is the fairest way to decide something between two people because no matter who you are, your chances are equally 50/50.
I am sure that what he means when he cries “racism” over a coin toss is that the coin toss never should have happened. He believes he was entitled to lead our nation into the Olympic ceremonies because of his accomplishments and because he is black. He isn’t angry at the coin; he is angry that there are others who are as equally qualified as he is. That doesn’t make the coin toss, or the decision to have one, racist. That makes Shani Davis racist. And, not only racist, but sexist, too, since the person who won the coin toss was a white female named Erin Hamlin.
Davis, it seems, believed he should be the sole bearer of the flag since the games are in the month of February, which is America’s Black History Month. Well, he got his wish. He will in fact go down in history as someone to be remembered, as one of the many contributors to the term “racism” becoming a moot point.
Because, truly, if everything is racist, then nothing is.
