‘Toon and text by John Auchter
Telling the wife of your boss at a dinner party that she is a racist is not a career enhancing move. Turns out, people don’t like to be called racist — even if they are.
Let me explain. Many years ago my boss at the time generously hosted a holiday dinner for his three employees and their spouses. I was sitting next to his wife and in the course of conversation she mentioned growing up in Grand Rapids and her not-so-positive experience with school integration. She had some lingering issues and asked me my assessment.
In a very academic (maybe even Aspergerian) way I told her, yes, I thought she was racist, but qualified it with my mini-thesis on what that means: There are three degrees of racism. First degree is a negative view of somebody else because of their race and openly acting on that negative view (think Archie Bunker). Second degree is a patronizing view of somebody else because of their race (think of kindly people of previous generations, “I feel sorry for colored people.”) Third degree is simply letting a person’s race affect how you treat that person, however small that effect may be.
I told her, like most Americans (including myself), she was probably a third-degree racist. Only the very young and the exceptionally pure are not racist. Still, it didn’t go over well. Also, I had a hard time hiding the fact that I really didn’t care for the mutton that was served, so that didn’t help.
If you are ever faced with a similar situation, my advice would be to avoid rolling out a mini-thesis. And if you can’t deflect the issue altogether, have a discussion instead of forcing a “teaching moment,” which is what I tried to do with this week’s cartoon. How’d I do? (If you feel compelled to call me an idiot, please qualify with what degree.)
John Auchter draws cartoons. Lots and lots of them. You can find them at his incredibly popular website auchtoon.com.
I’ve often thought that in regards to this issue, there are two types of people – racists and bigots. Your analogies above proves my racist thought, as most people are whether they want to admit it of not. Bigots are those you list in the first degree – and worse.
I learned many years ago that the biggest racists are of the liberal mindset.
The KKK, Jim Crowe laws of the south, blacks to the back of the bus, slave owners, and many other items from the past and the future come from liberal democrats.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton qualify as modern day black overseers of the days of slavery.
Black overseerers on southern plantation kept the rest of the slaves in line and under the whip.
Today the blm and other modern day liberals try to pin the cause of slavery on the white race and the south.
They ignore the fact that slavery began thousands of years before America was “discovered”
Columbus.
Arabs have been in the slave trade business for thousands of years.
If you read the Bible in the Old Testament about Joseph and how his brothers sold him to Arab merchants instead of killing him.
It’s Little Jim again.
Jim III , most of your comment is pure nonsense, illogical, and irrational.
You’re kidding right? Just because you were not the first slave holder doesn’t mean it’s ok. Quoting the bible doesn’t make it ok. The “cause” of slavery was southern white man’s greed. Your whole reply smacks of racism. Fits right in with your new leader’s mantra. By the way, I don’t read fiction!
John, here is what you wrote: “Only the very young and the exceptionally pure are not racist.”
No. Regular old and impure people who live and work with people of other races usually are not racist. Where do you live and work? Are you separated from people of other races? You only can feel racist if you are separated. Are you just not sure whether you are racist, because you do not have much contact or experience? So you worry that you might be racist?
I can give this example, from my own life and experience: White American musicians live and work with African-American musicians every day. No racism exists. Many white musicians wish they were black, because of the great black traditions and contributions in American music.
Mutton! Yuck! Baa! Who would serve that at a Christmas party?
John Auchter ~ I’d say you are no higher than a third degree idiot. People’s perceptions are influenced by their experiences, most if not all black people have encountered racism so many make the assumption all whites are racist which isn’t exactly racism, it’s stereotyping and stereotypes exist because their is some truth behind them, which doesn’t make them right.
I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt but I only waste time on people that don’t afford me the same benefit on certain occasions.