I'm not racist. I have black friends.

In Beyond the Beats and Rhymes, Byron Hurt runs into a young male who enlightens him on the difference between “sisters” and “bitches.” I remember relevant stories from my time in Mississippi almost constantly while in class, and when I heard this young man speaking about the arbitrary classification of women, the reasoning was almost identical to the rednecks that tried to explain to me the difference between a “nigger” and “black person.” From my understanding of what they were saying, a “nigger” is a person of African descent who does anything of which you do not approve, most often related to fashion or speech as if it was some sort of legitimate and elaborate philosophy on race. This discussion was always preceded by them saying “nigger” and my subsequent request that they not use it in front of me. These southern gentlemen would then become immediately defensive as if to show off their deep nature, saying almost verbatim, “Oh, I’m not racist. I’m friends with a lot of black people. There is a difference…” While these examples are obvious, I think it reveals something about racism and its manifestations today. The vast majority of people know that making blanket derogatory statements about women or another race is offensive, but it seems their “loophole” has been to recognize that there are exceptions to their claims: “I’m not talking about all *insert category of people*, just the ones that *insert property here*.” When they recognize exceptions, they are no longer making “unfair” generalizations. Instead, they imply that the benefit of the doubt has been given before judgment, making them realists as opposed to a sexists or racists. At least, that is what they seem to believe. I greatly enjoy reading the New York Times and watching Fox News so I thought I would provide a few related media stories and ask if you agree with my interpretation of modern racism in light of the recent Herman Cain events.

Last month, I read an article in the “Opinion Pages” of the NYT that pulls this idea together perfectly called “The Cain Scrutiny.” It outlines the controversy surrounding Herman Cain and his affair with Sharon Bialek, a blonde white woman. In class, we have heard how this was the worst nightmare of many southern whites throughout slavery and Jim Crow. In the article, Ross Douthat, the author, points this out and notes how conservative media giants, who are popularly tagged as racist, such as Rush Limbaugh unexpectedly supported Cain in spite of the allegations. If you are not familiar with Limbaugh, he is the same guy who claimed that Michelle Obama was booed at a NASCAR race last month for, and I quote, “uppity-ism.” In addition, if you have not seen Ann Coulter on Sean Hannity discussing “why our (conservative) blacks are so much better than their (liberal) blacks” in terms of how much she loves Herman Cain, it is an absolute MUST watch and the perfect example of what I am talking about. Throughout all of these and particularly the Ann Coulter interview, these people believe that publicly announcing their support of Herman Cain proves their open-mindedness. Regardless of whether or not it is true, these people are hilarious.