Typical: the Commission for Racial Equality in the UK labeled an old Tintin comic book as racist, and sales of that obscure volume have skyrocketed in Britain as a result! It’s not that Britons are racist (well some are), but of course people are curious and the issue wasn’t handled very well by their government. The comic depicts black people with unkind stereotypical features (large lips, very dark skin, etc.) and silly/stupid behavior. Tintin was written by Hergé, a Belgian artist – and obviously the Belgian colonial history in Africa was far from commendable. But it was written in the 1930s for heaven’s sake! Back then, American mixed-race couples weren’t even allowed to wed, and Italian-Irish immigrants were considered “black”. People can still buy copies of Mein Kampf and the KKK has an official website, right? Yes we shouldn’t excuse the author’s racism, but probably the Commission for Racial Equality has bigger fish to fry than a dead Belgian cartoonist. Aren’t Indian/Muslim immigrants systematically mistreated over there, and Muslim doctors tried to blow up British airports? Focus! This reminds me of the Don Imus fiasco, “pro-Mexico” immigrant rallies, or the backlash over the Abercrombie T-shirts mocking Asians.
When the Imus thing was going down, I argued that it would be more beneficial for black Americans to keep their heads up and move on, instead of making a big fuss over one stupid shock-jock who said ignorant, unfunny, and hurtful things to a group of innocent women. Yes we all know what he did was wrong and it’s not fair to label people with negative stereotypes, especially over the bully pulpit of talk radio where your words can’t be challenged. But what do parents do when their kids have a tantrum? Do they yell back, argue with an obviously irrational child, and stoop down to that level? Well some might, but good parents (i.e. not Britney) give them the silent treatment until the kid cools down, realizes the futility of their actions, and should behave better to get along. Because that is how we have to deal with racist, ignorant, hateful morons like Imus, Richards, Coulter, and the like. We have to treat them like the children they are. They get rich from generating as much buzz/controversy as possible, pissing people off, and turning one man on his bother – so why should we play into their hands, glorify their actions, and further their agendas? They have shown to be incapable of rational adult discourse, and therefore their rhetoric is hollow – so they don’t deserve our attention and certainly not our ire (that is better invested in more important causes). Did Tutu, Mandela, MLK, Gandhi, or the Dalai Lama engage in emotional binges and angry diatribes against their oppressors? Of course not; they were above all that because their alternate message was understanding and compassion. As Lincoln said, if you befriend your enemy – have you not defeated him? Or you could be like all the prideful schmucks in history (like our current president) who prefer the path of fighting hatred with more hate.
I know we can’t afford to simply “ignore” all the racism in the world today, but we also shouldn’t over-react to less-significant events – especially when it plays to the racists and may negatively impact the equality/justice movement. After America had a fit over Imus, some right-wingers and free speech advocates came to Imus’ defense, as if he was the victim! Therefore the protest effort completely backfired: Imus was canned (albeit grudgingly by CBS) but is suing his employer for the rest of his salary, and there is a movement to get him back on the air. Have conditions improved for black America due to their outcry? Not a single iota. Maybe at best some people are more hesitant to make racy jokes around the water cooler if they think a sensitive black person is within earshot. The outcry might even make some neutral non-blacks more resentful against African Americans. Everyone has to endure injustice and prejudice every day, even some rich white folks. But if we have a tantrum each time our ego is bruised, we’ll stress ourselves to an early grave and no one would weep our passing. If you cry wolf too many times, people will eventually tune you out. So in that case you have just shot yourself in the foot and turned off potential supporters from your cause. Yes it is right to resist and not condone injustice. Sometimes people feel compelled to resist violently, like the Black Panthers, Viet Cong, or Palestinian militants. But if you fight back with pride and hate, often you do more harm than good. And if we waste all our energy on these faux-issues, who will be able to fight the more nefarious forms of racism, such as the US justice and education systems, unfair trade policies keeping billions of people in the Third World poor, sick, and suffering, or the ethnic cleansing taking place in at least two continents?
Same thing for the immigrant advocates who marched in the streets and protested the government’s obviously antiquated and failing immigration policies. Yes, they have a valid argument that Latino and other immigrants are getting a raw deal here. Yes, they have a valid case that some powerful people in the government and media are using immigrants as scapegoats to further their political-economic interests. Yes, they are right to be upset and call for reforms. But when they act like fools and wave Mexican flags while chanting “Viva La Raza!”, I don’t think that effectively communicates the message that immigrants love America, significantly contribute to America, and deserve to stay. It’s not going to sway the minds of conservatives or even undecideds watching in disgust on the evening news. People need to THINK how their actions will be interpreted by others before they act. I’m not saying that we should sacrifice our principles to avoid offending anyone, because no matter what we do, someone will disapprove or take offense. It’s not our fault and sometimes it can’t be helped, but sometimes it can. Look at the major reforms of the 20th Century: the civil breakup of the Soviet Union, the dismantling of European colonial empires, the rebuilding after WWII, the end of South African apartheid, the peaceful rise of China, and occasional reconciliation in the Middle East. They weren’t achieved through fury and knee-jerk irrationality, but rather careful planning, considerate compromise, and mature, respectful dialogue.
Unfortunately there is a lot of racism, injustice, and prejudice in the world. When one person is victimized, it affects us all. But each one of us must decide how best to combat the dark forces out there, and we shouldn’t just run with the crowd or media muckrakers. If we are wronged, will we shoot back with our own brand of vengeful anger? Or will we strive to find a better way? It might take more effort and sacrifice on our part, but the easiest course of action is rarely the best. Bottom line, do we want to get along or not? Because adding more ignorance and outrage to the fire won’t help.
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