Racism in the "Age of Aquarius"

In this day and age, tolerance, political correctness, and cultural understanding are among the top issues folks keep in mind when they interact outside the comfort zone of their homes. Centuries of horrid crimes against humanity, justified by the mere tone of the victims skin has justifiably lead many to a distrust of some in our society's intentions. It seems that every day there is some racially charged headline in the news. From the Jena 6 incident of a few years ago to the controversial "N-word" discussion on The View last week, social equality is obviously still on the minds of many in our society.

Why is it that in 2008, 145 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, we still can not put the issue of race behind us? I feel that in order to achieve this goal, we must first come to an understanding of why racially inequal thoughts were ever sanctioned in the post age of enlightenment world in the first place. It may come as a surprise, but it was actually some of the more progressive movements of their times that lead many to hold their own ethnicity in higher esteem than others, and this includes the beginnings of the New Age movement. I am referring to, specifically, the relic from the 19th century, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. As a result of the industrial revolution, many European peoples saw themselves as more advanced than the darker races of Asia and Africa. Darwin's theory of evolution, particularly the idea of "rational selection," or survival of the fittest seemed to reiterate that view because it stated that only the most advanced lifeforms would be the ones that would survive. Thus, aboriginal people were looked at as inferior. This was the key idea in the justification of the slave trade. Although Darwin recanted his theory while on his death bed, it would still go on to fuel new age thought, European imperialism, and the slave trade. So it is my belief that in order to fix race relations in our country, both sides of the political spectrum, the right as well as the left must acknowledge its past contributions to our current problem.

In discussing race in 2008 one would be remiss in not acknowledging the elephant in the room, that being the historic presidential election coming up in November. For the first time in the history of our nation, a black man, Sen. Barack Obama, has secured a major party's nomination in a presidential race, a momentous feet to put it mildly. Living in the south, there is no shortage of racial skeptics who refuse to acknowledge the success of Sen. Obama merely because of his African heritage. I would implore these people to take a serious look at the issues. There is no shortage of legitimate reasons to favor Sen. John McCain over Sen. Obama, but the candidates' respective shades of skin should not even be acknowledged as a factor. I will get more into the election campaigns in future posts, but for now, I must stress only the most taboo issue in the race. Make no mistake, I think electing a good president who happens to be black would be a good thing for our country. It would allow much over-due healing to take place, and would force biggoted minds to acknowledge the equality of all Americans. I do not feel, however that voting for someone because of their race is any more justified than voting against someone because of their race. I strongly believe that the direction that a Pres. Obama would lead us in would only harm this country and drive race relations back rather than forward.

As we step forward into the uncharted territory that is the future, we have to ask ourselves if our actions will help toward giving our kids a fair future, or a presumptuous one that judges them based on first glance. My hope is that my children will always be able to be proud of their southern rural upbringing and cultural heritage while always acknowledging the cultures of their peers as proud and worthy ones as well. May all people be judged according to the content of their character, not the shade of their skin.