I Hate This Part of Texas

NASCAR aside, the previous post was, if nothing else, about the solid undercurrent of hatred and bigotry that forms a nearly constant background noise to our country. I think the actions of the British guys on Top Gear indicated that they did not have any serious understanding of this. To them, it was a mildly obnoxious prank, playing on the stereotypes of the South in good natured fun, for which they would take some verbal abuse, make some jokes, and in the end, create some amusing tv. I think in Britain, it would have been.

Constant Commenter Nick responded, in part:

All very amusing, in a tense and skittish sort of way, but to generalize it to all of America is, again, ridiculous. If I drove through certain Parisian neighborhoods with cartoons of Muhammed on my car, I would expect a similar reaction. Except, I think, I might actually be killed.

Nick, the only reason they weren't killed, that I could see, is that they managed to get back to the highway and remove the paint before the truck full of 'the boys' caught up to them. They were chased from that gas station. The owner called her boys, who came with a gang, and threw rocks at the film crew, pursuing the whole lot by vehicle back to the highway.

From that, should I then generalize that French society and French people have a long way to go? Mankind as a whole has a long way to go. And society is riddled with idiots, and bigots, and all around stupid people. So, let's call idiots and racists and bigots what they are, please, and stop over-generalizing to entire societies, nations, religions or ideologies based on isolated examples.

Yes, society is riddled with bigots and idiots, and that's my point. The actions of the english gentlemen indicated that they didn't really expect a truly violent reaction. That they expected maybe some wordplay, some tense moments, some “don't come round here no more” and that's it. I think the level of threat, as well as it's promptness - this happened at the first place they stopped after leaving the highway- truly surprised them. And it doesn't surprise us, does it? Because we know how Americans are.

That's what resounds to our shame. Because we, as Americans, OWN that. It's part of America; if you feel pride when you see us sending men to the moon, or opening up new vistas of wilderness, or building awe-inspiring structures, then the shame of knowing that a fair number of our fellow citizens are slack-jawed yokels with a violent streak is part of the package too.

Normally it's just kind of suppressed. Left to be unacknowledged; to be one of those dirty little secrets. In instances like this, when it bubbles up in an undeniable fashion, most people prefer to think of it as an aberration. It helps them to maintain the illusion of American exceptionalism.

But it does bubble up, repeatedly: Here's another lovely case where not only did some good old white boys beat a mentally disabled black man (by inviting him to a party where they ridiculed him and made him perform tricks) but many people from the town (including the jury) cast the black man as culpable, saying that he should have known better. Go and read it, it's perfectly disgusting.

These are not exceptional cases, but is, as we are perfectly aware, standard fare in much of the country. The reason I generalized it to all of America is that it does exist, pretty much throughout America. My brothers-in-law here in America's Heartland are not only unrepentantly racist, but also anti-semitic and perfectly willing to beat on strangers. When I first visited my wife's hometown bars, she assured me that were I not with her, I would likely have been beaten as a matter of course.

These behaviors should not be so typical in a country that fashions itself as moral beacon for the world. and it's at least partially because we look the other way; a good shaming needs to be part of the treatment to flush this shit out of our system.

Americans can be exceptional. We have been exceptionally brave; exceptionally generous; at the forefront of knowledge and a world leader in so many things.

We are also exceptionally introverted, exceptionally anti-intelligent, exceptionally xenophobic, exceptionally racist and stupid and violent.

And we, all of us, need to own these things before we can admit that somehow, they must be addressed. Ignorance and violence is no future.