EVERYTHING IS NOT RACIST

Our nation is being torn apart not by bombs and guns, although it does seem that a lot of people are dying by guns, but we are becoming more and more separated by nothing more that words. Whether it is a result of our dumbing down to lives totally controlled by smart phones or our disdain for anything that takes over two minutes to get or even our complete surrender to 'white guilt', or 'LGBT guilt or whatever, we latch onto words that pit us one against the other.

One word that has completely lost it's meaning is 'racist'. Extremest of every color have convinced us we are all racist depending on the guilt trip they are trying to put us on. The true meaning of the word is; "having or showing the belief that a particular race is superior to another".  Now meeting that definition is truly deplorable and has no place in our world or anyone else's world. While vestiges of racism certainly exist and must be addressed, rooted out and dealt with by a christian society, it should never be used in a broad stroke manner to cast shame and distrust upon anyone who does not come within that specific definition.

An example of my thoughts on this misuse of the word would be simple. There is a super human being who I have come to love dearly and have found great friendship with over the years. My friend, Wylheme Ragland, is truly one of the greatest guys I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Now Wylheme is a retired Methodist preacher, community activist, historian, and may ever be faster than a speeding bullet, able stop trains or maybe even fly, and he is a black man. He lives on a one way street near downtown here in Decatur. If Wylheme stops me while I'm traveling the wrong way down that one way street and points out to me how I'm wrong, or even reports me to the police if I continue, he's not a racist. I was doing wrong, maybe even endangering lifes or at least disrupting the the peace of the neighborhood. I would have been wrong and in need of help and direction.

My point being that legitimate criticism of someone of another race is not always racism and we as citizens in common of this great country should always examine the rhetoric surrounding the charges of 'racism' by those seeking to further their own agenda.