Local view: Divisive racial language sparks violence

A wound will never heal if you keep picking at the scab.
This country doesn’t need more Al Sharptons, Jesse Jacksons or Eugene Robinsons. Nor does it need more Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermans.It needs more Martin Luther Kings. Ever since I could read well or watch TV with any comprehension, Dr. King was one of my heroes. You don’t have to be black to admire a great man doing great things. And he did it all with nonviolence when his contemporaries were doing the complete opposite. They didn’t succeed, but he did. His speeches had a profound, emotional effect on me. They still do. More so as the years go by.I’ve often wondered why more boys aren’t named Martin. Is it because we’re forgetting Dr. King? Sure, he has a holiday in his name, and it’s a great honor. But is that it? Look at the way we are today. Have we forgotten everything the man taught us?Many, many are guilty of pick, pick, picking at the scab to make sure it never heals. Some will go to ridiculous extremes to see racism where it doesn’t exist. They’ll point out politicians, with disgust, who have too many white supporters, as if just being white is an evil thing to be equated with membership in the KKK. A person has no control over which ethnic group they’re born into.These same people blame whites for every ill today and throughout history. Some very bad things have been done to minorities by whites, but don’t blame all whites for the actions of a few bigots. By the way, bigots come in all colors.And our elected officials, from the president on down to mayors, including, sadly, our governor, have said some astonishingly irresponsible things that may have perpetuated violence against white police officers and police in general. Why? To go along with the mob mentality? To gain support from voters? To pad their legacies? Shame on them.If the cop who shot Philando Castile did what it looks like he did, he should spend the rest of his life in prison. But you can’t logically blame everyone in law enforcement for the actions of a few any more than you can blame an entire ethnic group for the actions of a few. And nobody hates a bad cop more that a good cop.The president and others have said some pretty things, now, a little late. Will the deaths of those innocent cops sit heavily on their hearts? Will they feel a sense of culpability? Or will they just sluff it off, move on, and forget about it? I don’t know. Ask them.For too many years have I listened to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to believe they speak from righteous anger. If race relations suddenly, by the push of some magic button, became peaceful and loving, they’d be out of work and a lot less rich.It’s regrettable we have to walk softly and watch every word when talking racial matters. Those liberal hypocrites who say, “We are always ready to embrace the diversity of opposing views,” also seem to always be the first to scream “racist” at you. And, sometimes, an accusation is as good as a conviction. People have lost jobs and reputations and have become outcasts.But we can’t allow ourselves to be bullied or intimated. We must not.There are things that can be done to help with racial disparity, including a national voucher system. Education is key and a cure to so many ills. Role models like the president can help, even if I disagree with much of what he says and does and even if I don’t agree with what I infer from Eugene Robinson, that President Obama is the best thing since the invention of the light bulb. He is still a good role model.One more thing that’ll help: For God’s sake, stop picking at the scab. Let it heal. Gord Harteau is a writer in Duluth.A wound will never heal if you keep picking at the scab.
This country doesn’t need more Al Sharptons, Jesse Jacksons or Eugene Robinsons. Nor does it need more Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermans.It needs more Martin Luther Kings. Ever since I could read well or watch TV with any comprehension, Dr. King was one of my heroes. You don’t have to be black to admire a great man doing great things. And he did it all with nonviolence when his contemporaries were doing the complete opposite. They didn’t succeed, but he did. His speeches had a profound, emotional effect on me. They still do. More so as the years go by.I’ve often wondered why more boys aren’t named Martin. Is it because we’re forgetting Dr. King? Sure, he has a holiday in his name, and it’s a great honor. But is that it? Look at the way we are today. Have we forgotten everything the man taught us?Many, many are guilty of pick, pick, picking at the scab to make sure it never heals. Some will go to ridiculous extremes to see racism where it doesn’t exist. They’ll point out politicians, with disgust, who have too many white supporters, as if just being white is an evil thing to be equated with membership in the KKK. A person has no control over which ethnic group they’re born into.These same people blame whites for every ill today and throughout history. Some very bad things have been done to minorities by whites, but don’t blame all whites for the actions of a few bigots. By the way, bigots come in all colors.And our elected officials, from the president on down to mayors, including, sadly, our governor, have said some astonishingly irresponsible things that may have perpetuated violence against white police officers and police in general. Why? To go along with the mob mentality? To gain support from voters? To pad their legacies? Shame on them.If the cop who shot Philando Castile did what it looks like he did, he should spend the rest of his life in prison. But you can’t logically blame everyone in law enforcement for the actions of a few any more than you can blame an entire ethnic group for the actions of a few. And nobody hates a bad cop more that a good cop.The president and others have said some pretty things, now, a little late. Will the deaths of those innocent cops sit heavily on their hearts? Will they feel a sense of culpability? Or will they just sluff it off, move on, and forget about it? I don’t know. Ask them.For too many years have I listened to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to believe they speak from righteous anger. If race relations suddenly, by the push of some magic button, became peaceful and loving, they’d be out of work and a lot less rich.It’s regrettable we have to walk softly and watch every word when talking racial matters. Those liberal hypocrites who say, “We are always ready to embrace the diversity of opposing views,” also seem to always be the first to scream “racist” at you. And, sometimes, an accusation is as good as a conviction. People have lost jobs and reputations and have become outcasts.But we can’t allow ourselves to be bullied or intimated. We must not.There are things that can be done to help with racial disparity, including a national voucher system. Education is key and a cure to so many ills. Role models like the president can help, even if I disagree with much of what he says and does and even if I don’t agree with what I infer from Eugene Robinson, that President Obama is the best thing since the invention of the light bulb. He is still a good role model.One more thing that’ll help: For God’s sake, stop picking at the scab. Let it heal.Gord Harteau is a writer in Duluth.