There's a lot of talk out there about ending racial discrimination, but I implore everyone to reconsider. If we stop discriminating against people based on the color of their skin, the racists will have won.
Let me explain.
If I don't rightly assume that an African American can dunk a slam ball, or that a Chinese American is good at the maths, I am depriving them of value. People need to be seen, not ignored. A color blind world is, by definition, a blind world. If everyone is equal, then no one is. It is by our skin that we excel and differentiate ourselves from the normals (whites).
Let me speak plainly. I am a white man of considerable privilege — due to my whiteness. If we stop discriminating against each other, I lose all that privilege. And that's not good, because I can't dunk or do math. It's the only thing I have to help me get ahead in the world. This is the same for many whites. We need the things that make us different, because without them, everyone is the same, and the racists will have won.
When I visit my local Red Lobster, I see color everywhere. The lobsters are red. The African American cook is black. The Latinx waitress is brown. That's a good thing. Our world is a rainbow, a miraculous creation of shared ethics with each color to be enjoyed in its own way. Ending discrimination might sound good, but it takes away all the color. It turns our life black and white — or gray and gray, rather — and reduces us to merit alone, which is good for no one.
Judging people based on their races and drawing state congressional maps as a way to use racial division for political gain is the heartbeat of our democracy. And I love democracy.
Do you want the racists to win? Because that's how you get there. I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in a world where I can't treat people differently based on their skin color. Do you?
California transplants Steve and Timpani try to be the perfect Texas hosts for Brittuni's visit, but Steve quickly realizes he needs a sensible vehicle now that he's about to become a dad.
