We are living through some very disturbing times. I was reading this morning about a mob of about 50 young African American men marching in the streets of Peoria, IL. They were reportedly yelling “death to whites” and shouting at people that were in their yard looking to see what was going. Of course this came from the media and the assumption is that what they report is factual and can be trusted as truthful information.
The idea that we have a racial hatred being spewed so brazenly on the street of this country bothers me greatly. Of course there are many racist whites and as far as I am concerned, ignorance breeds contempt, and of course more ignorance. What bothers me even more is that you are not seeing any of this reported on the major networks. In fact, there are reports that angry mobs are on the rise in many large cities. Stores are evidently being broken into, passengers on buses are being accosted, and others are being terrorized in this country.
We should be concerned about this and we should be vocal. However, the reality is that we will see it and, for the most part, just shake our heads in shame and disgust and do nothing about it. Unfortunately there is not much we can do about it, or is there? We can certainly share the latest entertainment images across all of our favorite social media sites, but let’s not create awareness amongst each other of the social degradation that this country is experiencing. Oh no! That would not be proper Facebook etiquette! The truth is, we are choosing to hide our selves and our families from the reality of the times. I don’t write this blog entry with any intentions of causing pain or upset, but only to create awareness.
Two ways to look at it are: 1. We are on a one-way path with no return, so why not just enjoy our lives for now and hope things get better. 2. Create awareness among our friends and family and be aware of the severity of the situation.
We have elected officials that say they care, so maybe we need to hold a candle to their feet? We can see if they flinch when the heat is applied? And if they flinch, spread the word and expose their weakness.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. touched on this topic 4 years prior to his death. He discussed the question of what African-Americans should do with their new, dearly fought for freedoms that were now found in laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He concluded that all Americans blacks and whites must unite in order to fight poverty and create a new equality of opportunity. What a shame to see the grotesque head of racism whip it’s ugly tail the other direction and begin to cause more pain and agony in this great land.
We all need to follow the path of peace and higher consciousness and be an example to others, but we must remain aware of the hatred whose rancid blue veins have crept below the surface of the soil of this globe for many centuries.
So we have clear choices… we can be the proverbial ostrich and put our heads in the sand, or we can fly high like the hawk and be watchful and knowing. It is a choice.