Foot Schleppen

By J.M Zurak

Dearest wife of mine.

I am writing this email as a result of learning something about you today because of actress Janeane Garofalo

My dear, you are a racist.

Funny thing, according to her so am I.

Why, you might ask?

Well because we went to the Charlotte, NC tea party.

Now according to Ms. Garofalo, and this is something until now I did not know,  those who went to these tea party’s did not go because of taxes, or government bail outs, or dissatisfaction with government overspending.  According to the astute savvy political philosopher Ms. Garofalo, (and remember when a former Code Pink, Ralph Nader supporter speaks we all should listen very intently) we went purely to vent our racist tendencies.

On Keith Oblermann’s show she said when talking about the tea party protesters;

“Let’s be very honest what this is about. It’s not about bashing democrats, its not about taxes,  they have no idea what the Boston Tea Party was about, they don’t know the history, this is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up. This is just a bunch of tea bagging rednecks. And there is no way around that.

Then she went on to say not only are all conservatives and Republicans are racists,  they are also against all immigrants.

Only one thing perplexes me in attempting to apply her statement in our life, and I suppose in hindsight it is a pretty important point and I guess this is why I am so confused. Maybe I will need to get her to comment on it, but here is the rub;

You’re black and I’m an immigrant.

My wife’s opinion of the President’s Policies

As a result of this what does this all mean? Does it mean I’m really a bigot against black people and you’re a bigot against immigrants. Or perhaps there is something far more menacing occurring within our psyche. Perhaps she is right, as she explained later. Perhaps we have a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome, and we have come to appreciate most what despises us. Or perhaps it’s a pure loathing thing, and we hate what we are?

Perhaps you hate that I was born of hard working immigrant parents who made a life for themselves and their family in Australia. Actually, you would have to be bigoted against your own family as well, because your mother was born in Canada of Jamaican linage. Wow, you’re a double racist.

But I don’t wish to digress too much because Ms Garofalo statements are confusing me and my relationship with this country as well. I moved to the country firstly one because I loved its deep powerful history, but also because I fell in love with one of its daughters.

Ms Garafalo calls me a racist, but I am pretty sure I knew you were black when I married you over eight years ago (or in Hollywood circles eight years would be four scores and seven affairs ago). I looked at our wedding photos again just to make sure, and yep, you where black then too. And just for the record I know you knew I was an immigrant. After all we were married in Australia.

Just for the record let me state that I love that you’re a black women, but let me also state that is not all you are. If all I saw was that you were black that would be a shallow, if not racist statement. I am not foolish enough to ignore the essence of your beauty and grace that comes with being African American. But I also  would be foolish not to want to learn from your American life experience as a women of color. But I also know that is only part of your story.

I could ask according the likes of Ms Garofalo is that all I am supposed to focus on? Am I to only see your beautiful brown skin and nothing else? That of course is nowhere near the truth because everyone of all races are far more diverse and complex.

After all we are all a product of our complete life experiences, but we are also a product of how we interpret these experiences.

Furthermore, and this is what most ignore, when we couple those two factors with a deep appreciation for study of the world around us, it is then we come to realize our full potential as well rounded human beings worthy of teaching the next generation. That is what you are my dear wife, and that is why I love being married to you.

My dear, despite all your life’s challenges you have become a  fantastic pillar of your community. A strong mother and a gracious loving, very intelligent, free thinking citizen of this proud nation.

I hope and in fact know that you love me for the some of the same reasons.

I recall our life together and the different times we have felt a level of racism around us because of our marriage. Ms Garofalo is right in that that. There are still racism in the country. However the worst of its evil wrath we felt was not in the “Redneck” South, but rather it was all up in our face when we lived in South Florida, (which ieveryone knows not the South.)

Again I am confused, because after all Ms Garofalo is such a savvy political commenter.  She has been featured in Huffington Post, and on Moveon.org and of course on the rating powerhouse that is MSNBC. She even made it on the “evil” Foxnews once or twice, and yet when I look over the photo’s we took of the tea party we went to I don’t see anger the race baiting she talks about so passionately.

I think back at the feelings being expressed by the approximately 2500 people at the rally we attended and throughout the day and sure there was some anger, and yes even some disdain. After all it was a protest. There was a lot of intelligence and a lot of humor too, which made the event very enjoyable.

You were a big hit because of your sign. I spent half the day talking photos of people taking photos of you.

But the events focus was the increase of debt. Yes the protest was focused on the President, but does that not come with the territory of being the President. Yes, I am sure everyone is aware that he is black, but I think the point was we are focused on his character and his policies, unlike Ms. Garofalo that seems to be still stuck on the color of his skin.

Again, in looking at the photos there was a lot of signs focused on the democratic Congress, and their ineptitude. According to the rhetoric of Ms. Garofalo are we then attacking Madam Speaker Pelosi because she is a women, Congressman Barney Frank because he is gay, and Senator Leader Harry Reid because he older then most of the tea party participants.

Or was it exclusively because we the protesters think they are incompetent? (Please liberal media don’t ask yourself that question, because then you might have journalistic work to do. And I don’t think that is in your job description.)

In thinking back to the last eight years I like to think when they were attacking the record of the former President Bush it was purely about his policies. ( I know it was when I disagreed with him) But with the way the liberals are attacking our right to dissension perhaps it was because President Bush was a conservative, or it was because he was a republican, or maybe a Christian, or a Texan or shock of all shocks because he was white.

I look at the protest we were at and they were really a passionate but peaceful gatherings, despite Ms. Garofalo diatribe that they will become violent. I know this to be so because I took a photo of a dozen police officers who had nothing to do during our protest but pick their noses.

Shedell, so in writing this I have to conclude despite the great mind that is Ms Garofalo I don’t believe we are racists after all.

But, because of this conclusion perhaps I need to know ask why Ms Garofalo said what she said. There has to be a reason.

After pondering it for a while I have a theory, so just follow me for a moment.

Have you ever know someone who for example who liked to say a lot of stereotypical statements, and brushes them off as funny. For example, I worked with someone who would say a lot of gay jokes, which weren’t funny to tell you the truth. I used to wonder why he always said them and I concluded that people  like him commonly say that type because they might be homophobic, but perhaps there is another reason. Perhaps this work acquaintance was not homophobic, but is rather afraid he too was gay. Perhaps he did it as a defense mechanism.

So following this bit of rhetoric, perhaps Ms Garofalo made that statement not because she thinks we are all racist, but because deep down she really, really despises bl…..

Naw, wait a minute. That would not be a fair thing to stay. After all making a blanket statement like that without any cause or fact with just be plain irresponsible and is totally inappropriate, now wouldn’t it?

Perhaps if I was on national television, that would be diffeent. After all that would be perfectly acceptable place to call people racist without cause, now isn’t that right Ms Garofalo?