Black and white

Racist. The word gets tossed around very loosely these days. And it seems that if one person of one color looks at another person of a different color the wrong way, then it automatically makes them a racist. Perhaps, with this post, I too may be adding to that problem, but quite honestly, I dont know what else to call it.

When the whole Don Imus mess happened, the NAACP came out and said...

"The Imus controversy has had the unexpected but refreshing effect of reigniting an American conversation about race and the coarsening of our society. We want to extend the conversation to include the prevalence of bigotry, misogyny and homophobia which cheapens our society, denigrates our population, and marginalizes our people. Whether it comes from so-called `shock jocks', rappers or the non-famous, it has to end, and the NAACP stands ready to assist in the dialogue and the solutions."

Thats all well and good and one should applaud any national organization, especially one with such power and influence, for coming out with such a statement. Things are wrong in society, and they need to be addressed and changed. But, if we were to actually take a look at other quotes made by the NAACP, exactly what message are they trying to send?

In official statements concerning the firing of Don Imus after his comments about black female basketball players...

"The NAACP commends CBS and MSNBC for removing Don Imus from their networks and also recognizes that further action is needed."

And...

"The announcement by CBS and MSNBC that they will no longer carry Don Imus' show is a welcome first step in removing this scourge from the airwaves."

Again, sounds good. But in an official statement concerning the firing of Isaiah Washington after his comments about a homosexual cast member...

"If he's being let go because of that incident, I'm not sure the punishment fits the crime."

So, is the NAACP saying that its okay for a black person to say hurtful and disrespectful things about a homosexual, but its absolutely horrible for a white person to say hurtful and disrespectful things about a black person? Or are they saying that homosexual comments are acceptable, but racial ones arent, regardless of who says them? Im confused.

To further my confusion, the NAACP just came out with this comment about Michael Vick...

“As a society, we should aid in his rehabilitation and welcome a new Michael Vick back into the community without a permanent loss of his career in football. We further ask the NFL, Falcons, and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country."

So again, according to the NAACP, it should be applauded and commended that a white person should lose his job (and rightfully so) for comments he made against black women, but we should be horrified that a black person could and should lose their job for homosexual comments, dog fighting, animal cruelty, and killing dogs in barbaric fashions.

Is that racism? I dont know. But what I do know is that, in certain situations, the NAACP is definitely not color blind.

-- DBW --