The Hard Truth About Soft Bigotry.

Well, anyone who has been viewing this blog, only infrequently, should be expecting me to go off on Bill O'Reilly. Ok. So before I go on to the real point here, let me say that yes I think he is a racist. No, I do not think he is among the worst of the violent hate-mongering shithead brand of racists, but no doubt, boy is a racist. And that leads to the real topic, as hinted at in the title here, and that is the fact that this week I am way more disgusted with the O'Reilly apologists than him. Honestly. I say that the apologists (a) have no reasonable basis for minimizing such an obvious racist's obvious racism, and (b) are actually doing more to perpetuate the continuation of racism in America than the racist trash, like O'Reilly, who are too ignorant, and too deep into their prejudicial biases and bigotry to keep from saying such racist things in public.

Now I more than hinted at the idea I am about to express in my prior post dealing with "white victim hood." There, my point of departure had been the weird trend out there to pump up the (mostly imaginary) idea of reverse racism. In my discussion of that I mentioned how sick I am at conservatives and republicans changing the meaning of the word "racism." You can add "racist" to that.

Anyway, here is the definition of the word racism:

racism

One entry found for racism. Main Entry: rac·ism Pronunciation: 'rA-"si-z&m also -"shi-Function: noun

1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

2 : racial prejudice or discrimination - rac·ist /-sist also -shist/ noun or adjective


So here is my main point. If you can read that, and then consider the bigoted and prejudiced things O'Reilly said, and not conclude that O'Reilly had some deep and warped prejudices about black people, and therefore qualifies as a racist, you are missing the obvious.

The definition of racism or racist is not reliant on the ideas of violence, or hate or even mere disapproval. All that is needed, at minimum is prejudice (based on, likely, ignorance.) Prejudice against people from another race is the core idea behind racism, and is the core of what it means to be a racist; to hold (irrational, and or bigoted) pre-judged opinions about someone (or any grouping thereof) of another perceived race. That is the baseline kids. Do not add in some extraneous requirements like hanging nooses from a tree, burning crosses, actually committing violent acts, or advocating mandatory segregation, sending "them" back where the came from. All that other shit is just what separates the soft racist bigots from the hardened racist bigots.

Got it yet? Please for the love of God, start getting it. Otherwise the soft bigotry non-violent prejudicial racism is never going away. So please, do not excuse it. Now if condemning the malefactors is not your thing, at least do not excuse them who think that way. Instead please excuse yourself from their company, and if they come back and ask you why you are keeping your distance, then tell them something like . . . . "Well, you might not be the worst racist I have ever heard of/met, but you got a lot of prejudices and bigotry there. Now you don't have to change any of that on my account, but I do not associate with even them who are the softer kind of racist bigots, leave alone the really nasty kind."

Well, you don't have to use that specific line; that was merely for example. Point is, I do not see our society defeating the persistent softer brand of racism unless and until tolerance for it is wiped out. And we will never get to that much-expressed-desirable state where all people are judged only by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin, until soft racist bigotry is no longer considered an acceptable and tolerated way to think and act, in our society.

Makes sense, don't it?