RACE & RESPECT
An open letter to a friend.
This post came my way via social media from a friend.
“If you want to kneel for the anthem, consider donating your legs to the veteran, who lost his, so he can stand in your place.”
Robert*,
Although our ideologies are miles apart, I know you to be a thoughtful and sensitive person, fully capable of reason and logical thought. I also consider you to be a friend, and not just in the sense of someone with whom I’m loosely linked on social media.
With that in mind I’m asking you to please consider the implications of your words above…
I’m ashamed of my behavior.
A racist prick is what he was. Misogynistic too.
Women were all “girls” to him. Mexicans were lazy. Blacks were lazy and stupid. Who knows what he thought of my group.
We were professional colleagues. Often when it was just us in an office together he would vent his hatred, his racist views, his misogyny, his horribly wrong ideas about others we worked with or cared for.
We were both doctors. Medical scientists. …
Let’s take the concept of privilege and extend it to all.
Straight. White. Male. — I’m almost completely unassailable, just with those three factors.
Add to that mix: slightly above-average height, tolerably OK appearance, reasonably intelligent, neurotypical, able-bodied, not significantly overweight, homeowner, native English speaker, possessed of a solid education and profession, financially stable.
Oh, and I live in California in a community that’s atypically accepting. It is peopled by many who support healthy lifestyles and benefits from good weather and clean air and water. I’m almost perfectly healthy physically and have no diagnosed mental illness.
That quite a list…
RACISM
I’m trying to grow and evolve.
When this story started getting popular …
… I was challenged by multiple readers.
The challenge came primarily in the form of a question.
When confronted by expressed racism, what do you do now that’s different from what you did in the past under the same circumstances?
The way I hear it … Hey Burg! What have you done to become more actively anti-racist?
For me, responding to racism is now a three-step process.
Hear the racist out (briefly).
So much racism is covert. I want to “out” racists, hear their views and know without a doubt where they are “coming from.” …
How to move from merely “not racist” to “anti-racist”.
A life-long learner, constantly evolving, who contributes positively to society. That’s what I aspire to be.
I’m focused now on moving from non-racist to anti-racist as I learn, grow and engage. If you’re on a similar journey, please read on.
Wiser, more experienced minds than mine have defined “anti-racism” as
“the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies and practices and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and shared equitably.” [1]
It’s not enough to be “not racist” [1]
That’s because a “not racist” posture is passive. It does nothing to build solutions to problems caused by racism. It merely identifies you…
I’d be happy to read your views and your reasons for them.
When I posted this story …
… a hate deluge erupted. Most of it flowed on another platform.*
An article that should have invited discussion, debate, reasoned responses, and perhaps some heat, instead sparked an angry conflagration, a maniacal book burning equivalent.
Death threats, promises of physical attack and sexual assault, racist slurs, bigoted comments, and shouted incoherent rants filled my inbox. So did multiple suggestions that I leave the country or not express my opinion.
Thankfully, positive comments came my way as well. So too did several hundred “thumbs up likes” of support.
What I did not see was…
The ongoing battle to understand ‘chosen for further distribution’
TOPICS/TAGS: EQUALITY, BLM, RACISM, WHITE PRIVILEGE, ANTI-RACISM
Date Published: April 4th, 2021
In a Publication: Equality Includes You
Story Duration: 3 minutes
Comment: All my recent stories about racism have been ‘chosen for further distribution.’ That’s simultaneously gratifying and disheartening.
TOPICS/TAGS: HUMOR, SATIRE, WRITING, THIS HAPPENED TO ME, WRITING LIFE
Date Published: April 13th, 2021
In a Publication: The Haven
Story Duration: 4 minutes
Comment: Relatable rollicking rant.
TOPICS/TAGS: WRITING, WRITING LIFE, THIS HAPPENED TO ME, IDEAS, LIFE LESSONS
Date Published: April 26th, 2021
In a Publication: Inspired Writer
Story Duration: 7 minutes
Comment: “Chosen for further distribution” almost instantaneously…
LOL, LMAO, PMPL, LMFAO, ROTFL, etc
The pub “Doctor Funny” is actively looking for new writers
Do you write funny?
If so, then “Doctor Funny” is the place for you. https://medium.com/doctor-funny
And you don’t have to be a doctor to write for us, just funny.
What “Doctor Funny” offers:
- An honorary doctorate-level degree of your choosing with every submission … NOT! (But, your mother will still be so proud when you get published here.)
- A small but growing colony of committed loyal readers — or maybe even royal leaders who should be committed — and that’s never a bad thing. (We’ll roll out the “read” carpet for your stories.)
- Free and timely medical care — edits and suggestions if you…
T.H.U.G.
I’m no poet and don’t I know it. But, I am a COViDIOT.
A few weeks ago when the story below stained another writing platform in addition to this one it generated an unusual deluge of hateful effluvia.
After reviewing the hate mail received, I reviewed the article.
It is not hateful or hate-filled. It’s stern, serious, and at times scolding, but it’s respectful. I was more than a bit taken aback by the heat and the hate its straightforward words spawned.
So, what am I to do with the hate?
Given that I’m beginning to explore my inner poet…
Sorry centigrade fans. It’s only funny in Fahrenheit :-)
“Doctor Funny” wants to know how to grow.
Share your ideas about how “Doctor Funny” can grow up to be stronger and healthier than it already is.
We want to reach more readers (good for our writers right?), better support our existing writers and attract new voices. So tell “Doctor Funny” how to do that.
When I founded “Doctor Funny” my niche vision was funny writing by “doctorate-degreed” people. Not to be elitist, but to be different, to occupy a space here that no other pub did.
Now I’m wondering if that vision is entirely correct. …
Michael Burg, MD (AKA Medium Michael Burg)
Putting “MD” & “um” in Medium | Top Writer x 5 | Writing about lots of stuff | “Doctor Funny” pub owner | “Relationalable” | ER Doc in remission | mburg1955@gma
