Bigotry; The Covert Evil

Bigotry. Insidious, divisive, evil, hateful.

I have seen bigotry in so many forms in my lifetime, projected toward so many different groups.

We all know the generalizations about all the gouprs chosen to be hated in this country. In no particular order it includes; Irish, Germans, Chinese, Blacks, Women, Polish, Italian, Greek, Latinos, ‘City People’, ‘Rural people’, Gays, Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Jews - you name it – they have been maligned.

I marched and carried signs in the early 70’s against discrimination. I was threatened, and assaulted by radical whites for my actions. At the time I had a close friend who was also persecuted by radical blacks ….. because we were friends, and shared a college dorm room.

We, as a country have made incredible headway into reducing, at least, OVERT bigotrous actions.

But somehow in the process, I am seeing something I have never seen before.

We have devolved in the last few decades, into an open maligning and generalizing, derogatory comments by the media itself. I have not seen this in my lifetime, and do not recall hearing of it ever in this country.

Now the white male is a joke. A punchline. All are portrayed in Movies and print, as imbeciles that can’t be relied on. Lying, cheating, Neanderthals, that can't help themselves.

This country was run by white males for 150 years.

But then we listened to women that wanted the right to vote, and the MAJORITY of white males agreed to put it to a vote, and end Women’s Suffrage. The Civil Rights Movement – with great Black leaders like Dr King, and Medgar Evers, White men listened, and then voted to end racial discrimination, and segragation.

MANY of us marched side by side, and fought – and died for Civil Rights. In Mississippi, two young white men and a black man were killed.

Does the white male deserve a medal ? NO!

Do we deserve sweeping comments that lump us all into klansmen? No.

Those that are NOT bigots, deserve the same respect, and dignity that they fought and died to help others have.

We stood up for you. Who will stand up for us?


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