Post Racial Society

The above title is a bad joke. A post racial society is real as hobgoblins, fairies, and world peace. I used to believe in a post racial society. A person changed my mind. I was on the NJ Transit a while back, full of my ignorance. I was reading a book. It was called Breakfast of Champions. It was written by a looney guy. I love him...

As I said, I was on the train reading my book, when a complicated and offensive scene played out in front of me. An African American woman, or black depending on what she would refer to herself as - I don't like to push labels, was sitting on the train with a few bags and her coat. She was reading too. I was sitting diagonally behind her. Then a guy came on the train. He was Caucasian, or white depending on what he would prefer to be called. He sat next to the woman, whom we'll call Maggie. Maggie was reading. I was reading, and Dirt Bag - the white guy - began to notice the title of Maggie's book. It was Decoded. It was written by a guy who wouldn't like it if you called him a looney. His name is Jay Z.

Then dirt bag opened his mouth. Sounds came out that people who speak English would interpret as this;

"Jay Z is a bad influence. He grabbed that mike from Taylor Swift. He's a fucking N***er!"

I bleeped that word. It's bad. I really dislike it. However, just so we're all on the same page, n***er is a term for a human being who is black. It is a mean thing to say. It is like saying F***ot! That is a term for a male homosexual. Also, it should be noted that it was Kanye West who grabbed the mike from Taylor Swift, not Jay Z. All I could say at the audacity of that statement was, "Holy, shit!" Maggie responded by calling Dirt bag a, "cracker."

He didn't like this very much. He began to spew many ugly things about Maggie because her ancestors were from Africa. Maggie began to get afraid of Dirt bag, and I won't lie, I was worried for Maggie too. I stayed seated. I would get up, but not yet.

"Leave me alone Mother Fucker," Maggie said. "I just wanna read my book. Get your dumb racist ass away from me!"

Dirt Bag called Maggie a "N***er!" He also told her that her people were second class citizens and he enjoyed watching them clean toilets, along with the Puerto Ricans. He also screamed he was going to kill her.

I stood up. I didn't say anything because I was scarred. I put my body between Maggie and Dirt Bag. He didn't like that very much.

"Get out of my way," he said. I remained mute. Maggie looked terrified. Dirt Bag was screaming. "Move now or I'll kill you too, f***ot!"

I'm a bit fem. I come off as gay. I should have told you that earlier. I was also wearing a pink shirt. So it goes.

The train stops. We've made it to New York City. The doors open, and Dirt Bag begins to slowly walk away. He never took his crazy eyes off Maggie and me. He left. Maggie and I walked each other to the subway. She said, "thank you. I like gay people."

I said,"Thank you, I like everybody except Dirt Bags."

My story is hauntingly true. Maggie was real. Dirt Bag was real. My shirt was really pink. It teaches us a lesson. People are really racist. Lets point out all the racist things that happened.

1. Dirt Bag refereed to Jay Z as a N***er.
2. Maggie called Dirt Bag a cracker.
3. Dirt Bag talked about Maggie's ancestors coming from Africa.
4. Maggie called Dirt Bag a racist like she wasn't.
5. Dirt bag called Maggie a N***er.
6. Dirt Bag said Maggie's people were second class citizens.
7. Dirt bag talked about people from Puerto Rico negatively.
8. Dirt Bag called me a f***ot. (I consider this racist. Some people don't. They can choke on bleach)
9. Maggie told me she liked gay people.
10. I liked everybody but Dirt Bags.

A study came out where white guys, latin guys, and black guys had the exact same resumes. They all applied for the same job. The names were things like, Henry Smith, Darnell Jackson, and Mario Sanchez. According to the person who told me about the study, the white name got the interview every time. So it goes.

Scenes like this play out every day in New York, and I'm sure they play out in the rest of the world too. It hurts my ears when I hear white, privileged men in suits say on T.V. that we've moved past racism. We haven't. The divides are stronger than ever, with everybody holding some kind of prejudice. Even I do. I'm not proud of that. I strive to change and realize I will always fail. I met a man named Dan Daily. He had white hair and glasses. He was an actor. He told me something powerful.

He told me that, "there are tapes that play in our heads everyday were alive. The tapes are put in our brains by our parents, family, environment, religious beliefs, and peers. They are in there by the time were five. The rest of our lives is us learning to ignore the tapes. It's learning to look past our preconceived notions, and accept people for who they are. It is a constant issue to get past our individual tapes, and at the end of the day you will always struggle. You will also fail. The only conciliation is you never stop trying."

I like Dan Daily for this. He got it right.

I don't think this blog will change anything. I can only hope that the people who read this will cringe the next time a person says we live in a post racial society. I also hope people will accept that they have tapes, and will also strive to ignore them.  Will it work? Who knows?