Prometheus 6

It's one thing to write using euphimisms...it's another to reason as though the euphimisms were accurate descriptions.

Hate and Hope in Charles County
The Only Answer to Racial Tension Is Individual Understanding
Sunday, October 22, 2006; B08

Racial tension in Charles County has been the sleeping giant for years. Recent hate crimes here have sparked emotions in people of various ethnic backgrounds. As an African American woman who has lived in the county for more than 26 years, I am disheartened by the idea that there are persons who dislike me not for my actions but for the color of my skin. It saddens me even more to think that young people who didn't live through the pain and promise of the civil rights era are engaged in such hateful acts.

When I saw the graffiti on the church building and the property of my fellow residents, I cried. I shed a few tears for the victims and for the perpetrators' families, but mostly I shed tears for the years lost in a struggle to rid our community of prejudice.

'Racial tensions', huh? Tell me, how is "individual understanding" different than "personal responsibility" (which resolves itself to "it's your problem, YOU fix it")?

This thing reads like it was pulled out of a file cabinet: "Print RR15-slash-B from the Racial Reconciliation file."

We need to talk to one another. To the man next door. To the woman down the street. To the person waiting with you for the shuttle to Metro. To the person in front of you at the grocery store or the cashier ringing up your purchases. Seeing these people as individuals -- and listening to their stories -- will allow us to break down the stereotypes we have.

sigh