We Are All Racists

I doubt if you will agree with me but I think every single person is racist to some degree. I would even go so far as to say that I would be offended by someone who isn’t a bit racist. The President’s choice for Supreme Court Justice, Sotomayer, has the country talking about racism and it is a discussion that needs to be had. But people need to be realistic when talking about racism and realize that it is embedded in each of us.

What is racism? Webster’s on-line definition is: 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. OK, based on that definition I will repeat myself and say that I believe every one of us are racists. And we should be.

It begins in childhood with children’s attitudes about their families. I am sure that somewhere right now there is a little kid arguing with a playmate and as the argument becomes more heated one of them will say the classic line – “My Daddy can beat up your Daddy”. Oh the way it is said may have changed and families may be a lot more dysfunctional than when I was a child but I bet that the attitude that a child’s father and family is better than someone else’s is still alive. And it should be, for what parent wouldn’t want their child to love them and be proud of their family?

As a child grows up and begins to leave his front yard then the circle widens from just his family to the block he lives on and then to his community, town and even state. From “My Daddy can beat your Daddy” we change it to “My town’s team can beat your team”. (Go Magic!) But what does this have to do with racism?

Since the 1960’s government has tried to put an end to segregation and to have our nation racially integrated. But it hasn’t worked. The truth is that people feel more comfortable when they are with other people that share their same traits; racially, financially and idealistically. That is why people voluntarily segregate themselves into distinct sections of a town or state. Are these people racists? Maybe, but they simply prefer to be with other people of similar backgrounds.

Now if a child lives in a segregated community are they being racists if they say that their Dad can beat someone else’s father who just happens to be of a different race? No. Nor is the sport buff who states that their community’s team can beat another community’s team (of a different race). Again, no. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your family, community, city or country. It would be silly to say that a patriot, who flies an American flag, and believes that their country is better than China is a racist. They don’t dislike the Chinese as a race, they just believe their country is superior to China.

So this brings me to the statement made by Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayer “"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." I admit that at first I was offended by this statement. I also agreed with the Republicans who are arguing that if a white man said he was better than a Latina woman he would be automatically disqualified. But then I had a second and third thought on all of this.

I soon realized that Sotomayer’s statement is nothing more than an expansion of the old “My Daddy is better than your Daddy”. Perhaps not the wisest thing to say but she is simply expressing her pride of her family and community. Is she a racist? Yes, just as each and every one of us who is proud of our family, town and accomplishments is also a racist if we happen to live in a segregated community. And it is that pride of a family or community that inspires and encourages people to grow and achieve more. And Sotomayer has done just that.

So yes, Sotomayer is a racist in the same sense that all of us are racists. Her unfortunate quote should not disqualify her. Republicans need to forget what she said and concentrate on what she has done and how she has ruled in the past. Is she truly determining her rulings based on the law and not on race or gender? Because if she has a pattern of making judicial decisions based on race then her nomination for Supreme Court Justice should be blocked.