White Fear, White Ignorance, White Guilt

Yesterday was a very trying day. I found myself in a political fight with a co-worker I used to consider a friend.  Normally we all pretty much agree on what is right. This time has been different in so much as Hillary was in the mix and now I find out John McCain as well. Follow me beneath the fold for how reasonably intelligent people are rejecting Obama. I have question, lots of questions.

The episode started in the morning when there was something a the TV about Rev. Wright and co-workers remark what a racist crazy jerk he is. Well couldn't let that pass. I don't feel Wright is crazy or a racist, he had a melt down at the Press Club and who could blame him, not me.

She added. Well he is racist against whites because Blacks aren't the only ones who have been abused, Grandfather's house was burned down because he was Italian.

Not the same thing and here is why. Your ancestors came thru Ellis Island, they were not brought here against their will in chains, crammed in cargo holds of ships. Your relatives were never sold on the auction block like livestock, or kept like farm animals. Your relatives eventually acclimated and got a hold of the American dream. Blacks have lived in this country since 1619, nearly 400 years and still have little opportunity. Your relatives were never hunted and lynched for sport, or forbidden to learn how to read or write, ride on the back of the bus, denied a decent education or used for medical experiments by the government. All of this was done to them for US, by WHITE people. We don't get to judge the validity of their grievances or their anger, we just don't. Nor do we get to use the experiences of our family to denigrate their very real suffering. We can witness in horror at what was done, we can have empathy, we can search to solve the issues of racism in this country but we can never ever understand the way they do, or be experts on their history or experiences in this country because we didn't live them.

Shut everyone up until that afternoon when I got an email from another co-worker, the one I thought of as a friend, someone I consider both smart and decent. It reaffirmed Wright was a racist etc. So I asked if she actually knew anything about the Reverend. She knew a little and she didn't trust Obama and as for me, I don't know anything about Blacks because I have never lived in THAT culture. She was voting for McCain. I was stunned, just stunned. She is right, I have never lived in THAT culture, trust me she hasn't either, whatever THAT means. She is very vocal about the war, bashing Bush at every opportunity, she is also very religious, Catholic like I am. We have a lot of things in common, raised our children on our own, both of us have children with seizures and a grandson born under less than optimum circumstance. She is also in her early 40's and I am in my mid 60's. Neither of the people involved in this, the other is barely 30, remember civil rights or so many of the things Wright talked about.

It is also possible she is voting for McCain just because he is pro-life, so much for the 500,000 or so dead Iraqi children, guess they don't count.
I believe she voted for Bush as well even tho she believes he is the devil simply because he is pro-life. Trust me I can argue that shocking piece of hypocracy 'til the cows come home and will relish every nanosecond of it.

I don't understand her distrust of Obama, her thing about THAT culture. I have never seen anything in THAT culture you aren't going to find in mine.  Is it fear and if so why. Is it fear that joins with guilt because the Black community bares our injustices with far more grace than we deserve? Or is it just plan old dumb as rocks ignorance. Lets talk. I really need how to combat this. She isn't going to convince very many people to vote for McCain because he is pro-life, when in fact he like Bush are pro-death.
But the Obama thing has me worried because that might get some traction.