Bigotry?

Far and above being politically correct, we must first be honest. The divide is not going to be narrowed until people face their fears and prejudice. Fear is an important human nature. Sometimes it is let go to a point where the object of the fear becomes such a focal point in the lives of people, the world becomes divided in the contradiction of what they know is right and how they actually feel.

In the wake of the firing of Juan Williams, I have looked inside myself to try to analyze the fears I have and search my heart for validity. It is human nature to react to fear and be anxious when put in positions which they are vulnerable.

I do not consider myself a bigot. I have always had love and respect for all races and creeds. But there are situations where a certain time of place injects fear and anxiety. Unfortuntely those times and places sometimes are inhabitied by people of a race or religion not my own. That does not make me a bigot if I feel aprehensive.

Like Juan Williams stated, when he boards a planeand is confronted by passengers in Muslim garb, it triggers memories of one of the most heinous crimes on humanity to ever exist on our own soil. At a party, a gathering, or on the street one may not think twice about a Muslim in their presence. The same goes for for entering the domain of certain races and nationalities known for gang wars and crime. When one walks through such a neighborhood, he fears that he might be mugged, or God forbid, killed.
The neighborhood can be inhabited by blacks, whites, Chinese, Hispanics, Muslims, ad/or whites. The fear is not based on the people themselves, but the location and history the place presents. Murderous people and violent criminals come from within all races and creeds. In certain places known to be inhabited by the likes of skinheads, black panther radicals, Muslim extremists, KKK, ethnic gangs, etc, it is not strange to feel afraid. It does not call for the label of bigotry when one honestly states he suffers fear and anxiety in such places.

A black man may feel more anxious in an area where there once was a history of violence at the hand of white radicals and KKK, even though it had not happened for quite some time. Airports trigger the fear of hijackers and terrorists, and the sight of a group of Muslims may exhasubate that fear. A sweating, obviously nervous white man typical of the characters portraying hijackers in movies will also raise the hairs of angst in any normal person. A Russian speaking businessman clutching a breifcase can cause people to be uneasy from memories of the cold war and media portrayal of them as killer spies. Even though one has not experienced directly the riots and life in "the hood" where gang members flourish, movies and television keep reminding us that it exists. Would you not feel threatened at the sight of Hispanic, White, or Chinese people in gang GARB as you proceed down the streets known as their turf?

Fear is a human emotion. There are people in our lives who may at one time or another trigger this fear. It does not automatically mean the fearful are bigots. The real bigots are the gangs and radicals who induce fear.

Marian Beatty