After further thought, more thoughts on identifying racism.

Here are some of the comments to My recent apology to Mr. Carter post, re-posted on My Central Valley Tea Party:

"I'm a racist, you're a racist, he's a racist, she's a racist, wouldn't you like to be a racist too!
Apparently, anyone who believes in limited government, low taxes and freedom is a racist. Happily, I have been a racist all of my life!"

 And

"When racism was introduced to me, it was by a racist. So, when someone suggests racism he/she is a racist. How could it be anything else?"

~

Great observations, folks! The fact is, that is at least for those of us who are honest, we all notice skin color. I certainly notice, as have all the great photographers & artists we so justly revere. Yet, it doesn't color my response to people, other than the fact that I find women, no matter what their color is, to be beautiful.
As far as I know, that pretty much brands me as a "male chauvinist pig," by those who indulge themselves in branding people and judging them by the labels they've branded them with.

In psychological terms, this is called 'prejudice.' The person who brands others upon seeing them, 'judging the book by the cover,' is attempting to place them into a comfortable and predetermined category, with the simple & self serving purpose of making dealing with this person a matter of rote reaction.

Obviously, this is the "easy way out." It allows the brander to discount anything the brand-ee does or says as being "just part of the behavior" of whatever group they've generalized them into. It allows them to run away or identify as they choose, for their own comforts sake. As a friend once said, "Well, that's the way I was taught, and that's the way I'm gonna do it!"

So, do I accept Mr. Carter's assertion to me? Obviously, I do not. I do not brand him a "redneck, p-head cracker" anymore than I accept those who would brand me an "old hippy" because I wear my hair long and carry a sign in demonstrations. Yet I do understand that he sees others as racists, because it makes him feel better about his inability to talk them into following whatever it is he wants them to do.

Is James Earl Carter  himself a racist? I would have to defer on that judgment, since I have not met Mr. Caretr face to face, or spoken with him about this subject. I do not see his assertion toward my actions as strengthening any argument he might make against being judged by his own habit of assigning the label of 'racist' upon others, but I refuse to tar him with his own brush. That would be small of me, and I refuse.

I refuse the comfort of putting individuals into predetermined groups. When I walk up to folks at a Tea Party Action Meeting, I often get the old "What you talkin' about, Willis?" look. Being a loud, long haired, bearded fellow, I immediately know this means I need to show who I am with words, so those folks will actually see me, and not just pigeonhole me.

And that's okay, since that lets me do what I most like to do ... Help other folks grow.