Guest Post – Why I Call Out Ism’s

Today’s guest post is by Mitch Mitchell, affiliate marketer, blogger, and website creator. You can find his random thoughts on the internet here, and his twitter here. Enjoy!

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Recently I was having a late lunch with a friend of mine when he said something interesting to me. He said he thought I had a lot to offer people, but worried because I’m always bringing up racism whenever I see it.

I told him that I felt it was my duty to call out racism, and any other isms, when I come across it. I said that without someone doing it that it allows that person to continue doing it, and it destroys any possible opportunity to have a discourse on the subject and possibly change people’s perceptions on things, if not their minds.

I pointed out to him my displeasure at consistently seeing lists of top bloggers or top social media experts or top whatever and not seeing any black people on the list. Being black, that irks the heck out of me. It makes it seem like there aren’t any black people with any competence, but even worse, it means that those people never have the opportunity to be seen as leaders, to be called upon to speak at conferences, or have the opportunity to earn the income they deserve because of their achievements.

I pointed out how in the middle of June there was an incident where a young white male university student with a lot of liquor in him went on a racist rant against an Asian student just because the guy didn’t want to hang out with a really drunk guy, how it was caught on tape, how it was posted to YouTube, how it caused a major stir in the community including getting the press and media into the fray, and how the guy and his friend, the participants in the bad behavior, had their world rocked, apologized, got the video removed by a very gracious guy who said he didn’t want to ruin lives, yet overall nothing changed, no seminars came up, no classes on diversity no discussion later about it, and how that was a consistent response to racial issues in America.

I pointed out how terrible it was that so many people were against gay marriage because of a misunderstanding of their own religion that makes them think gay people aren’t really “mentally right”, how the vote in favor of and subsequent of the signing of the gay marriage bill came via a 33-29 decision, where the lone Democrat that voted against it is for civil rights for all, being black and Latino, except gay people, stating that because he’s a Pentecostal minister he just couldn’t go against his beliefs, while two Catholic Republicans crossed over and voted for the bill because they said religion or not it was the right thing to do.

I said that when bad things happen related to the idea of one small group of people, no matter who they are, end up being cheated out of equality that one shouldn’t turn their heads away from it. I said that I grew up in a time when interracial marriage was illegal, when in some states black people had separate and “unequal” access to restaurants, hotels and even water. I grew up in a time when I saw the worst in people when a little boy got Aids from a transfusion. I grew up in a time where women still don’t earn the same as men. I grew up in a time where a state passed a law saying any Hispanics that police “believe” might be illegal can pull them over and ask them for identification, no matter what’s going on.

Then I said if I don’t call it out when I see it, who will?

He then said he got it; and that’s why I call them out.