RACISM SUCKS............

I HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS UNDERSTANDING RACISM. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS CRUEL AND STUPID AND HURTFUL AND EVIL AND BASED ON FEAR AND ALL THAT STUFF. BUT THE THING THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY IT EXISTS AT ALL. I NEVER REALLY HAVE UNDERSTOOD THIS AS LONG AS I HAVE LIVED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE COLOR OF SOMEONE'S SKIN, OR THE VARIANT SHADES OF THAT COLOR, HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT AND HOW WE SHOULD PERCEIVE THAT INDIVIDUAL OR, FOR THAT MATTER, A WHOLE RACE OF PEOPLE.

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND, I AM WRITING FROM ABSOLUTE IGNORANCE ABOUT WHY PEOPLE ARE ETHNICALLY AND RACIALLY PREJUDICE. IF I DISLIKE SOMEONE, IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE AN ELOHSSA, NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK OR HISPANIC OR ORIENTAL OR WHATEVER. THE CONCEPT OF HATING SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY ARE DARKER-SKINNED THAN ME OR BECAUSE THEY COME FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY AND SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, IS SIMPLY BEYOND MY ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND.

I REALIZE THAT I AM ONLY REPEATING WORDS AND RE-ASKING QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SPOKEN OR ASKED THOUSANDS OF TIMES BEFORE I EVER CAME ALONG. BUT THIS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT TONIGHT, SO THIS IS WHAT I AM WRITING. SOMETIMES I WRITE THINGS TO JUST "THINK OUTLOUD" ABOUT THINGS THAT TROUBLE ME, NOT TO RECEIVE SOME PREDETERMINED RESPONSE FROM THOSE WHO READ MY WORDS.

I SIMPLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TINT OF SOMEONE'S SKIN HAS TO DO WITH THAT PERSON'S CHARACTER OR SIGNIFICANCE OR WORTHINESS. I FIND THE WHOLE SUBJECT VERY BIZARRE AND NONSENSICAL. IT IS IRRATIONAL AND UNINTELLIGENT. IT BORDERS ON THE FRINGE OF COMPLETE MENTAL INSTABILITY TO ME.

IS RACISM AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE THE TARGETS FEEL INFERIOR OR TO MAKE THE RACISTS THEMSELVES FEEL SUPERIOR?? OR IS IT A COMBINATION OF BOTH?? AND IF IT IS, WHAT SENSE DOES IT MAKE?? BECAUSE, IN THE END, HOW IS ONE PERSON INFERIOR OR ANOTHER PERSON REALLY SUPERIOR BECAUSE OF WHAT COLOR THEIR SKIN IS?? THIS IS THE PART THAT MAKES MY MIND WANT TO SHUT DOWN WHEN I CONTEMPLATE IT. HOW IS ONE COLOR OF SKIN SUPERIOR OR INFERIOR TO THE OTHER??

WHAT ARE THESE INSANE THOUGHT PROCESSES BASED ON?? WHAT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR ADHERING TO SUCH LUNACY?? WHERE DID SUCH STUPIDITY COME FROM?? PEOPLE ALWAYS POINT TO HITLER AND NAZI GERMANY AS THEIR EXAMPLE OF EXTREME RACISM. BUT HITLER's ARYAN BULLSHIT ONLY LASTED A FEW YEARS, RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR CENTURIES!!

AND, IN MY ASTUTE IGNORANCE, I CAN FIND NO SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION FOR ITS EXISTENCE. I DOUBT IF I WILL EVER COMPREHEND IT. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, WELL-MEANING PEOPLE WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME, "YOU HAVE TO LOOK PAST THE COLOR OF A PERSON'S SKIN, AND SEE THE PERSON INSIDE."  BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS STRANGE, BECAUSE I NEVER SAW THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN AT ALL. I JUST SAW ANOTHER HUMAN BEING JUST LIKE ME. ANOTHER SOUL, IF YOU LIKE, WHO LAUGHED AND CRIED AND WORRIED AND HOPED AND WANTED TO BE LOVED AND ACCEPTED AS MUCH AS I DID.

SO, I HAVE LIVED MY LIFE IN IGNORANCE AND CONFUSION. SHAKING MY HEAD AND WONDERING WHAT ALL THIS STUPID HATE IS ABOUT. WALKING THROUGH LIFE, NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT HUE AND HAIR TEXTURE HAS TO DO WITH ANYTHING. UNABLE TO FATHOM THE MOTIVATIONS AND SMUG SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS OF BIGOTRY. INCAPABLE OF COMPREHENDING HOW ANY PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS CAN MAKE ONE HUMAN BEING LESSER THAN ANOTHER OR HOW ANYONE CAN BE SUPERIOR MERELY BECAUSE THEY ARE PALER THAN SOMEONE ELSE.

OTHERS WITH A FAR GREATER COMMAND OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE HAVE SAID ALL THIS BEFORE, WITH MUCH GREATER CLARITY THAN I AM CAPABLE OF EXPRESSING. MANY HAVE DIED IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO SAY IT. MANY MORE CONTINUE TO SAY IT EVEN TODAY. YET, I BELIEVE THEY ALL SHARE WITH ME THE SAME CONFUSION AND DISBELIEF THAT ONE INDIVIDUAL COULD EVER SEE HIMSELF AS SUPERIOR, OR ANOTHER AS INFERIOR, SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF SKIN PIGMENTATION.

(I think I've said enough...........................)