When Intelligence Fails...

The whole Reverend Wright situation made me think again about the whole “race” issue. I don’t really think about “race relations” all that much because I never see the “race” part of it. I have friends of many different races, religions, and other “defining” markers. I don’t think of my friends as being one attribute. My friend Garret is Garret, not black or homosexual. Do the attributes of my friends really matter in the whole scheme of things? Yes, because some characteristics design the person, and other no, because some characteristics would not change the person if they were altered.

We all wish that race was not an issue for anyone in this day and age. I personally do not understand why it is an issue now or ever. I may be naive, but the human mind is generally the same from on person to the next, and the blood that courses through our veins created in the same manner. Skin “color” is simply pigmentation of the skin, not a measure of the person.

Cultivation of the person (morals, values, etc.) is what I have found to be important in life. So why do so many things seem to revolve around skin color? Is there a certain lineage that makes one being better than another? Is there a purer bloodline in one race or culture? I found these questions easy to field, the answer is no. There is no “birthright” that makes one person superior to another. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses that help shape who we are.

So going back to the good Reverend, I can not help but wonder why he must interject race into the equation. Congratulations, your skin color is different than mine. I fail to see how you could state that I am somehow evil due to my skin tone. What if I was the same person, but my skin tone was darker? Would I still be evil, or would you change your opinion of me? What is the defining line you use when you judge my character? Is it my personality, my education? Could it be that you prejudge who I am simply because of the amount of pigmentation in my skin? I mean no disrespect, but that does seem a bit shallow and dim witted to me. Then again, I could be missing something. Could the good Reverend be correct? Maybe race is a factor and I have not received enough education to understand this concept. Perhaps the amount of or lack of skin pigmentation affects the body adversely.

For some reason, even writing such idiotic statements has made me feel less intelligent. So let us get back to the heart of my argument. The amount of pigmentation in ones skin does not affect the function of the mind, nor the morals and values of the individual. Therefore, to bring race into a conversation about the merits of a person is to be racist. Simply put, I do not care what “color” you are, if you are judging people (group or individual) due to their skin pigmentation, you are shallow indeed. I venture to say you may be racist.