Can't we all get along? (Yes, if we communicate)

Are we all racist? No. Next issue... Racism is taught, handed down from parent/guardian to child. You are not born racist. In fact, you can be a racist, then through education, transform into a non racist... In today's world of over over-hyped political correctness, we jump to the conclusion too early that someone is racist, without exploring the issue at hand. Why? Because race is a subject that makes us uncomfortable, much like being in 5th grade & hearing "The Sex Talk" for the first time or debating the existence of God. The key is communication.

Recently, Mark Cuban was the next social figure to land in the political correctness hot tub because he said if he saw a black male in a hoodie, at night, he would cross the street...The second half of that comment was, if he saw a tattooed white male on the other side, he'd cross back over...That's not racism, that's either instinct or at worst prejudice. However, it's easier to throw out the term racist, because 9/10 times, that ends the conversation, but that benefits no one and just kicks the race can down the road. Maybe, if there was a word to describe White people (other than cracker or honky) that had the ramifications of other racial slurs, more progress would have been made by now.

For example, in college I went to a house party and when I arrived, I was the only white person there. My blood started pumping, fear started creeping in, I got some awkward looks, but five minutes later, everything was OK. The party was great, and I had a good time. Why? I opened the doors to communication, set aside my initial fear, and used my brain. I wasn't invited to the party to be murdered, I was invited because they wanted me there...Conversely, later that same year, I went to a Country & Western Bar, where I spent the entire evening trapped against the wall, paralyzed with fear and unable to have a good time.  I allowed my initial instinct/prejudices to over ride my brain, paralyze me with fear, and shut down all communication skills... 

I know I paraphrased Rodney King's comment in the title & this being the 20th anniversary of OJ is a completely separate issue, but both events polarized this Nation, and to this day, debate rages on with both issues. That, however, is a good thing. Communication is the key to solving all problems. If we continue to bury our heads in the sand every time something hits the news that makes us uncomfortable, what gains do we make as a whole? We stop evolving as a species and create larger divides among us.

This year, California has become one of the first states where the White race is the minority. The Nation as a whole, is expected to follow in the next 30 years or so...Now is the time to have open, dyadic communication, resolve the ills of the past, move forward, and educate the future leaders of this Nation, so that instead of seeing a spike in racism as 2043 approaches, our children grow up only reading about it and asking why we were once so stupid...