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Re: Don Imus
I'm pretty optimistic about race relations. We've still got a long way to go before things are perfect, but they're pretty damn good when compared to just a few decades ago or other countries. People focus so much on the negative that they can't see the forest through the trees. Let me put things in perspective:
(1) Not that long ago, blacks couldn't sit in the front of a bus, drink out of certain water fountains, were expressly prohibited from eating at certain establishments, etc.
(2) Just a decade or so ago, an interracial couple wouldn't be able to date openly in many "progressive" areas of the country (let alone the "other" areas) without facing ridicule or worse. I'm in an interracial relationship and I don't ever feel any hostile attitude (okay, save when I visit South Carolina or certain areas of NOLA).
(3) Not that long ago, pop culture was divided between "black pop culture" and "white pop culture." Moreover, there was no mainstream Latino pop culture. Now, it's impossible to separate most aspects of pop culture along racial lines.
(4) For those of you who think racism is bad in America, I suggest you travel. Go to Afghanistan, where you may be beheaded for converting to Christianity. Go to Iraq, where they are not exactly tolerant of outsiders, or even insiders who belong to the wrong "set." Go to the former Yugoslavian republics.....ask them what they think of their neighbors who look just like them. Oh, if you think Western Europe is different, go to just about any place and see how much they love the Turks, Algerians, etc. Or, take a detour to Ireland, where white guys are killing other white guys because some worship a guy in a funny hat and others don't. Or go to Asia, where the Chinese hate the Japanese, the Koreans hate the Chinese and the Japanese, the Malaysians hate the Chinese (their anti-Chinese laws make Jim Crow sound like fun), etc.
So, while we've got a long way to go, we've also come a long way.
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