Bjcorbin's Blog

As a white, middle aged man it is tempting to say nothing about many of the controversies that have swirled around in recent months. Unfortunately, some of those issues have hit close enough to home that I’ve needed to interpret and explain them to my kids. In the midst of these discussions, there have been aspects of the current culture that I simply couldn’t make sense of, which is what ultimately compelled me to say something here. Let me preface my remarks with the disclaimer that I am not a racist. I realize that is a fairly worthless declaration, as few people would be willing to admit such a thing to themselves or to anyone else. Nonetheless, I am confident that it is true. I believe that every human being was made in the image of God and, therefore, reveals something unique about who He is. I believe that every life is precious and that every person is worthy of dignity and respect. Because my father was in the military, I was blessed to grow up in a more integrated culture than many people of my generation and to travel to other countries at a young age. This fostered a deep appreciation for the diversity of peoples and cultures that exist beyond my own. I have always believed that the “melting pot” aspect of American society has been one of its greatest strengths. But, despite all that, I am still a Caucasian man, of European decent and, as such, it seems pretty easy to lump me in with all the slave traders and plantation owners who have come before. Of course, in so doing, one would really be no different than a neighborhood watchman, who decides to follow a young man simply because he’s black and wearing a hoodie.

I remember watching my young son experience this phenomenon some years ago. He was about nine years old and we were driving in the car with his best friend, who happened to be black. This was in the season before the 2008 election, and his friend asked him who he was going to vote for. I smiled at the idea of nine year olds having a political discussion and thought about how innocent they were. But, my amusement quickly dissolved when his friend angrily accused him of being a racist for saying that he would vote for John McCain. This was especially shocking to me because these boys had been best friends for years; they’d slept over at each other’s houses and gone to same church since birth. But, in an instant, all of that history was erased because of a dissenting opinion on who was the best candidate. Little did I know that this would be a precursor to many adult discussions that would soon follow, and that I, too, would be accused of the very same thing, by people who should have known me better. Never mind that I’d never voted for any white candidate with the ideology or inexperience that candidate Obama brought to the table, the presumption was that my real issue had to be with the color of his skin. Once again, I risk that accusation by calling into question the way some of these issues are being handled today.

It seems to me that we’ve changed our definition of what constitutes racism and that, along the way, it has become essentially unacceptable to insinuate that a person of color could be a racist. A good example of this occurred during the Trayvon Martin case, where it seemed imperative for the media to portray George Zimmerman as a Caucasian man. Of course, when pictures of Mr. Zimmerman were published, journalists had to concede that he was also of Hispanic descent; but they steadfastly maintained that, for all intents and purposes, he should be considered a white man. I could find no good reason for this charade, other than the idea that a person of ethnic descent couldn’t possibly be motivated by issues of race. In truth, George Zimmerman is as much Hispanic as our president is black, but that doesn’t mean that he was somehow incapable of the racial profiling he was accused of. No race of people has ever completely defeated the very human tendency to distrust those who are different than they are, and, in some cases, to hate them for it. The idea that only white-skinned people battle this issue is the very essence of racism.

In the latest national incident regarding race, a white player for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles was caught on tape using the “N” word. To be sure, there is no good justification for what this man did. He has rightfully been shamed and disciplined for his foolish and insensitive behavior. While many of his teammates accepted his apology and seemed ready to move past this unfortunate incident, others have claimed to be so offended that they cannot continue to be in the same organization with him. At this point, it is unclear whether he will remain a part of this team or any other. As I’ve watched these events unfold, I can’t help but wonder at the hypocrisy of it all. Without a doubt this man has heard black players on his team use this term on an almost daily basis in the locker room. Every facet of the Hip Hop culture (e.g. movies, music, comedy…) continues to popularize, promote, and even romanticize this word. Thanks to rappers from Ice-T to Jay-Z, this is how young black kids are taught to refer to themselves and to each other. And after hearing this word all around him for years, this man is now facing the potential loss of his career because it came from his lips. Again, my intent is not to defend Riley Cooper’s actions; he was wrong, and there should be consequences for that. But is it the word that has so offended his teammates or is it the color of the man who said it? Why is that word worth millions when Kanye West shouts it from a stage or raps it on a CD; yet costs millions when we find that it’s passed across Paula Deen’s lips (privately) sometime in the past?

Some might suggest that it isn’t the word itself, but the intent of the person using it, and that would seem to be a valid point. But, if that’s the case, shouldn’t this football player’s three year history with the team outweigh his foolish words in a moment of drunkenness? I’ve heard no one claim that he has any record of behavior that supports the idea that he is a racist. If this were just the latest in a long line of incidents, then, by all means, show him the door. But, if the sole piece of evidence is a twenty-second cell phone video, the (career) death penalty seems a little severe. After all, Dr. King’s dream wasn’t simply equality for people of color; it was that we would reach a point where a man’s skin color wouldn’t matter more than the content of his character. Is Riley Cooper really a racist or is he a foolish man, who in a weak moment used a racist term? I don’t pretend to know the answer, but I would suggest that either one of those is a possibility and that the answer ought to make a difference in how this incident is ultimately resolved.

I personally hate the “N” word and am thankful that most of my black neighbors and friends don’t use it around me. I know the disgusting origins of this term, and it’s mind boggling to me that anyone who knows that history would tolerate its use. I don’t blame anyone for being offended by it, but if we really hate this word why won’t we let it die? There are other racial slurs that I heard as a kid, which have long since disappeared from the vernacular. If you used one of those words around my kids today they’d have no idea what you were talking about. But, even though they’ve never heard me utter the “N” word, they know exactly what it means, and it wasn’t introduced to them by a bunch of rednecks. If we can agree that this word needs to become extinct then there must be an outcry from within the black community against its many prominent and influential members, who continue to champion and profit from the use of this vulgar term. On the other hand, if the problem isn’t so much with the word, but with the race of the person using it, then I would suggest that our problems are much more profound and harder to fix. Either way, I pray that God helps us to find a way to live together in peace.