Prejudice is a Multi-Cultural Event

After reading Wiley Hilburn’s commentary this Sunday, I felt compelled to share my own observation about an example of racism in Louisiana.

I was recently in a waiting room which happened to be occupied with an overwhelming majority of people of non-white descent. As I sat silently, planning out the rest of my day’s tasks, three young people in their early twenties of non-white descent began talking about the recent elections.

“Now we’re going to be flooded with Iraqis. They’ll all be wanting to move to Louisiana now.”

Puzzled, I tuned in one ear a little more closely to catch the rest of the conversation.

“That’s right. I can’t believe we’ve got an Iraqi in the Governor’s Mansion. That makes me sick. And you can blame the Republicans for that one.”

I tried very hard not to laugh out loud.

It seems prejudice is not limited to whites after all. Nor to the “hard right”. It is most often accompanied by ignorance as well. But then, aren’t the two synonymous?

By the way, thank you, Wiley, for pointing out that the only two non-whites ever elected to the Governor’s Mansion in Louisiana were put there by Republicans, not Democrats.

[Letter to the Editor I sent after reading this]


P.S.: I'm back