Racism -- a little off the topic of sports

Has anyone heard the word "racism" or "racist" bandied about recently....?
Or maybe a better question is whether there's been even a single day in the past decade when you haven't heard at least someone use those terms -- generally in a negative or accusatory fashion.

Here are just a couple thoughts on my part....and of course any mention of racism steps into an area where I KNOW that I might come under severe criticism for what I say - as I know there'll be a plethora of "experts" who will have opposing opinions, and label me the bigot and racist for saying the things I say.
But the big difference is that anyone with an opposing opinion is welcome to do their own blog and post their own opinion, and I will allow that!!
So I think I have already pre-emptively proven who is the better person and who has the more open mind and can tolerate opposing opinions!

Anyway -- let it be known that I am white and not Black - so my opinion comes from a certain "white-ish" perspective....although I do have two children who are Black and have had at least a little experience observing how people treat others who are of differing race.
Therefore I believe my situation gives me the standing to comment on race as we deal with race differences in our household every single day!

First - I ran into a colleague - one of the guys I have known the longest in the Peoria area - and he's a fine, successful professional and businessman who grew up in South Africa, and was of a race that was considered inferior. He also married a "colored" woman of South Africa and experienced the racism of Apartheid first hand before coming to America three decades ago. As an adult, he and his wife after coming to the US - have been back many times to South Africa and still has family there.
I asked if he had been back to see the World Cup. He said that he had not and related a story that I found extremely interesting....something I will bet most of you have never heard!

During the Apartheid years, this man and his wife experienced severe bigotry because of their race and skin color because they were NOT considered WHITE....but -- neither one of them is an Afircan Black - so now that the South African whites are the minority - they still face severe discrimination. As it turns out the ruling South African Blacks are just as bigoted and just as racist and still treat those who are considered "colored" (of mixed race, Indiana, middle eastern, etc..) with severe discrimination and sometimes cruelty.
Thus, my colleague says it is virtually impossible for he or his wife to get a visa to return to South Africa....they are NOT WANTED there...
They have been able to accomplish it via travel through other countries where their race is stated differently on the visa request but that entails needless travel across the world to other countries.
When they appear to try to get a visa in the US, they are challenged about their race or mixed heritage and they are told they will not be given visas as it is now the policy of the nation (RSA) to keep them out - they are considered inferior and not wanted!
Believe it or not -- even a Black American citizen would be looked at as an undesirable race and would have a hard time getting a South African visa.
Talk about racism.....

He went on to say that he hears crap about racism in the news and everywhere here in America, and he just doesn't understand it....he says the US is so, so, so much less racist than most of the rest of the world. He spoke of literally hundreds of thousands of native Africans who are murdered & slaughtered in the open name of racism. And they are being slaughtered NOT by whites but by other Black Africans who are simply of a different tribe...

Thus I am convinced that even though we hear endless rants and complaints about racism here in America, there are numerous reasons why I think it is whining of a significant order...

-As I said, racism in many if not most other countries is worse - and often far, far worse.
Places like Iraq, Bosnia, North Korea, Rwanda, etc...you'd better not be out in public & too open about what your race is...(or tribal affiliation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide
http://www.rense.com/general29/silence.htm
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/04/genocide_in_south_africa.html

-People who become LEGAL immigrants....the people who leave their native land, become naturalized, and become Americans...always say the racism was far worse where they came from -- be it the middle east, Africa, most European countries, the far east, etc..
In fact they often cannot understand what all the fuss is about here in the US. People of any race here in the US can get jobs, buy a car, own what they want, join the military, marry who they want - even outside their race, and do just about anything they want without discrimination.

-then lastly, since I have two Black children and we take them out, take them to a predominately white church, athletic events where they are in the extreme minority, and a school where they are in the extreme minority...etc...
YET -- not once have I ever seen or even seen the hint of a discriminatory act or racist act toward my Black children....
NO - quite the opposite, they are routinely, wherever we go, treated special and treated like superstars....people fawn all over them and show nothing but love and special attention towards them.
I can't say that all we have seen is representative of how everyone else in the world acts, but over enough time now, I have to say I have never seen the racism...never, and I would certainly know it if I saw it.......
Maybe they're treated better than most Black children because they have white parents, but I have, in my opinion, enough evidence to draw from, that I believe that's not it. I simply believe in this theory...
That the vast majority of people will treat you fairly and without bigotry and bias.....but if you look for it hard enough and believe it's out there lurking behind every tree, then you'll see everything as racism...

If you get up in the morning believing everyone you meet is going to treat you with bigotry and racism, then I suppose everywhere you go, that's what you will see.
But if you get up in the morning and believe you are created equal with everyone else by a loving God who loves us all equally, and act upon that premise, then you will not see much evidence of racism.

I don't know everyone's story so there are some exceptions -- so I have concerns for any and all racism that does exist in America. It is wrong and should be condemned. However, most of what people label as racism are just tough times that face all of us of every skin color - but some decline to face that fact and deal with it. Instead --- they play the race card. some clearly do it and continue to do it for their own personal and political advancement -- and I think you know who I mean. The guys who are always having their face all over TV every time an issue hits the news that remotely involves race or people of a minority.

I think since I have children who are Black I have a little more freedom than most to speak freely on this topic. (and yes, we do tell the kids about their race and Black history) I have been there and I have seen enough to draw my conclusions that racism is NOT as prevalent as some loud-mouthed activists would have you think.
Racism likely has nothing to do with most riots that happen at football games, or arrests that happen in cities, or basketball superstars who bolt one city for another, or dissatisfaction with the president no mater what color he is - so why do the race-activists always try to cash in by claiming racism!!

I am left with one comment that came direct from one of the great early Black baseball players and quoted in Ken Burns' baseball documentary...
"I'm pleased God made my skin black. I wish He had made it thicker."
......Curt Flood
http://home.earthlink.net/~sscutchen/baseball/Quotes/baseball_one_liners.htm