tonymcewing's Blog

Most of you have heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. In a nutshell, every time the boy would shout "wolf!," the townspeople would run to his rescue, only to realize he was joking and there was no wolf. Finally a wolf does show up, but when the boy cries out for help, no one shows up to save him. Any guesses what, or should I say who the wolf had for dinner that night? The moral of this story is quite clear. More on that later.

Very recently, Republican presidential candidate John McCain used the phrase "tar baby." He was answering a reporter's question about divorce at the time and responded in part, "we are getting into a...tar baby of enormous proportions." It created quite a stir in some quarters. For those who are not aware of where that term comes from or what it refers to, here's the deal. "Tar baby" is a metaphorical phrase that refers to a sticky situation made even worse when one attempts to solve the problem. Tar, after all, is sticky. It actually originated from a fairytale of sorts called Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit. I won't get into the details of the story because, more important to our discussion here, is that the term eventually devolved into a racist and derogatory reference to black people. Senator McCain apologized for his use of the phrase and said it was a bad choice of words, even though clearly, the senator's usage of the term had no racial overtones whatsoever and he was obviously using it in its historical context to describe a "sticky situation."

I won't get into whether it was indeed a bad choice of words or whether Senator McCain was right to apologize. However, I will say there is nothing I have ever read about McCain's past or present that would lead me to believe he is a racist. In fact, quite to the contrary. As far as I can tell, he is a decent and rather honorable man--well, about as much as you can expect, given that he's a professional politician. The murmurers out there who suggested that the Senator's use of the term "tar baby" might have been some kind of Freudian slip uncloaking deeper, darker attitudes about blacks, in my opinion, are not only off the mark, but woefully misguided. And that brings me to my point.

As an African American man, I know first hand what racism and discrimination are, what they feel like, how devastating and destructive they can be, and why it is imperative that we do whatever we can to obliterate them whenever and wherever they exist. But I believe we are equally obligated not to manufacture racism and discrimination where they don't exist. There's still plenty enough of both out there to eradicate without making it up. In fact, doing so is terribly counterproductive in the greater battle against injustice because, in the long run, painting a picture of racism or discrimination where there is none, diminishes our ability to combat it when it does rear its ugly head. Remember the boy who cried wolf? Eventually, people will stop listening. Are there folks out there who won't vote for Barack Obama simply because he's bi-racial? Or Hillary Clinton just because she's a woman? Or Mitt Romney strictly because he's a mormon? Of course. But just because people choose not to vote for any of these candidates doesn't necessarily mean they are racist, sexist or anti-mormon. Perhaps they actually disagree with them on the issues that really matter. What a concept!

So why do people raise the emotional red flag of racism so quickly, even if it isn't there? If someone is truly convinced discrimination exists in a particular situation, I have no problem with the person bringing up the issue, even if it turns out later to be a mistake. But I have a serious beef with people who use the battle cry of racism and discrimination primarily for political or monetary gain, knowing full well their motives are not pure. I can certainly understand the temptation. It is a powerfully effective weapon. Since most people don't want to be thought of as racist, they will often back down from their accusers just to avoid that odious label, even if they really aren't racist. People who cry discrimination irresponsibly do a great disservice not only to themselves, but to the many who have fought, even died, to stamp out injustice, and to those who have truly been victimized by it.

It may sound cliche, but we really have come a long way since W.E.B Dubois, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Susan B. Anthony and other great leaders who struggled valiantly for civil rights progress and equality in this country. And yes, we absolutely still have a long way to go to achieve some of the wonderful ideals Dr. King talked about in his "I have a dream" speech. The fight against injustice, racial or otherwise, is a noble one. But it should also be a fair one. Manufacturing injustice where there is none, can be as devastating to those accused of it as real injustice is to those victimized by it. There is nothing "noble" or righteous about the perpetrators of either. I enthusiastically support those who decry discrimination and injustice wherever they find them. Just don't be the boy who cried wolf.