| OPINION
| November 5, 2004
Guest Column
Fight the War
The war on racism has created
more racists than it has eliminated
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| The Shorthorn: Daniel Worthington |
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The war on racism has been a monumental
failure for America. The negligible results of the war do not justify
its staggering economic and sociopolitical costs to the American
people, not to mention the unconstitutional attacks on our civil
liberties.
Millions of taxpayer dollars are spent every year to crack down
on racial discrimination. Textbooks are unnecessarily revised to
include more minority pictures. Government task forces are established
to deal with hate crimes and promote racial unity. Even UTA brandishes
an affirmative action program that deadpans for 390 pages.
The reality is that racism is as much a problem today as it was
20 years ago. Despite all the resources spent on “educating”
America, we are moving backward. The minority income gap has grown,
and inner city schools are becoming more segregated. Worst of all,
black sitcoms have shamefully regressed in quality from the hysterical
Cosby years. These are sad times.
Futile attempts at stamping out “hard” racism, such
as workplace discrimination and profiling, have further diverted
already limited funds from health services and education. Anti-racist
claims that “soft” racism — the Washington Redskins’
name, for example — will lead to “hard” racism
are not only unfounded but also absolutely absurd. The truth is
that “soft” racism has resulted in zero American deaths
in the past decade.
In addition, the war on racism runs counter to the American ideal
of equality for all. It is, without doubt, disproportionately detrimental
to white people. Ninety-nine percent of the time, charges of racism
are levied against whites, even though white people only comprise
65 percent of the population.
Also, putting pressure on media outlets to ban the use of inciteful
language like “wetback” and “darkie” is
essentially an attack on our First Amendment rights. For many racists,
telling ethnic jokes and boycotting Japanese cars are forms of personal
fulfillment that harm no one, serving only to disparage and create
an atmosphere of intolerance.
The war on racism, like the wars on drugs and terrorism, has drained
American coffers without an equal return. In fact, the war has created
more racists than it has eliminated.
The fight against racism cannot be won. While minorities like Chris
Rock, Dave Chapelle and George Lopez have capitalized on racism,
true racists are left to suffer from the un-American, debilitating
effects of our anti-racist policies. Sound fair?
Nigga, please. It is high time we all unite against America’s
unjust and spiteful war on racism.
— Richard Doan is a political science senior
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