Racist.

It is a word that is deeply troubling.

For a white person to be accused by a black person of that vile belief is extremely troubling. How, as a white person, who has never been accused of it respond? The old "some of my best friends are black" line just makes you sound and feel stupid. What is the correct response, if one exists. The Best Man at my wedding was black (he was), Does that suffice? Hardly.

I'm from the camp that aspires to the creed that, yes, we are different. Just as an hispanic is different, and a homosexual, and a white guy from Louisiana is different. I will form my opinion of you based on, as Dr. King said, the content of your character. I base judgement on the the content of your personality. If you are an asshole, regardless of ethnicity, I want nothing to do with you. If I find you to be lazy or arrogant, I will deal with you on a professional level, but will not bend over backwards because of the color of you skin.

I recently dealt with this issue. The fact that the word was thrown out, at me, with no proof was staggering. I don't look at myself as racist. But what is racist? My friend whom is black said that pretty much all white people are racist, they just don't know it. While discussing the issue, me saying I wasn't, him believing in his heart, that all white people prejudge blacks, asked an interesting question, that question was "what if I brought home your daughter?". An interesting question to say the least. I answered that it wouldn't matter if you had good character and treated her well. How would I really feel? Does anyone know the answer to that question until they are faced with it?

Charles Barkley's wife had a quote to this effect, (she's white) " the only people who have trouble with our marriage is white men and black women. It's an interesting quote in that it's basically true, to a point. The older generation, be they white or black, is appalled at the notion of inter-racial couples. More so on the white side. That said, a child who attends a largely African-American school who has one white parent and one black parent will be discriminated against by the students.

I'm ranting. A question though, am I a racist for criticizing Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton? What about O. J. or Rae Carruth? I sing the praises of Condi Rice and Colin Powell, who in the eyes of some blacks are "Uncle Toms". Am I racist? I guess it depends on who you ask.