When Can We Put Segregation Behind Us?

I read an article yesterday that was promoting a new book, "Searching for Whitopia: How the Whiter Half Lives" by Rich Benjamin, and although I agree with the basic idea of what Rich is saying in that there exists a definite line dividing race, I believe he himself is part of the problem. When discussing race, it's amazing how touchy a subject it is. There are only roughly 40 years between today and the Civil Rights Movement, so I understand that in the big picture it hasn't been all that long that "whites" and "blacks" have been equals. But an all out attack on "whites" because of the unearthed and ongoing problem is an utter disgrace and essentially more of the status quo racial tension building.

The problem exists in the recognition of the problem. The incestuous profiling of other human beings is so detrimental to the very idea of equality that we are only further putting ourselves, as a nation, back years that we have already fought through. It's bad enough that the generations of today are influenced by the older generations that we learn from while growing up, but we must stop spreading that racist propaganda and segregated way of thinking if we hope to ever weed out discrimination in this country. The idea that Rich Benjamin, a dark-skinned man, is attacking "Whitopia" for segregation is an absolute hypocrisy and an adverse train of thought.

The fact is, "whites" and "blacks" are equal in nature, but they will never be so in this country, "the home of the free," if we continue to acknowledge racial distinction and blame each other for the ignorant thought process of the minority of the population (and I don't mean minorities as in the racial way, I meant as the minority of the population; as in not the majority). Last time I checked, not all white people wear white hoods or tattoo Nazi symbols on the back of their shaved head. But according to Rich, all of "Whitopia" does. He even slightly touches on the idea that largely black populated urban areas are not the safest places to live, and yet he doesn't understand why people move away from those neighborhoods and head toward suburban and rural settings for peace of mind and sanctity.

The existence of crime-infested low-income neighborhoods is a result of failed government policy rather than the heavy-handed middle class, ignorance rather than self-education, escapism rather than fortitude, and anger rather than understanding... all negative characteristics which will never net a positive outcome. If black people in general think that the election of the first African-American president will help them out of unfavorable situations, then they are sure to be disappointed. Time and time again, I hear how “Obama is going to help us out because we are his people.” We are all his people. He’s Our President, not just a representative of blacks. So put your hand back in your fucking pocket and take some goddamn responsibility for your life and stop blaming white people for your "suffering."

**That’s right Henrietta Hughes, I’m talking to you. Obama is not going to help you because you’re black and he’s black and you bought a house you couldn’t afford because somehow you couldn’t find a job for six fucking years and now you’re broke as shit and homeless. You’re lack of ambition is Your problem, not Our problem. You’ve taken enough of our tax dollars and pissed them away on God knows what. Not our fault. Not Obama’s fault. Deal with it.

The constant complaining about the racial divide is setting this country back decades and is making Martin Luther King's dream a never-ending night of tossing and turning in the sheets. Believe it or not, there are a lot of white people, such as myself, who want to see the equality between men and women of all colors, shine with a glisten of a freedom we all deserve. I despise living in a world surrounded by racial acknowledgement rather than individuality. We are not equal in abilities by any sense… that is in actuality what makes us special individually. But we are all born equal by rights, rights that should not be denied to us based on the color of our skin. Nobody deserves special treatment. You get from life what you put into life. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but a necessary lesson all the same.

*Disclaimer: I am by no means a racist. I am a human being. I am a human being who is aggravated by the eternal existence of racial division in a country that deems itself the "land of the free." No other country has the racial discrimination problems we have here in America, donning this The Great Hypocrisy of American History.