For the most part we have no idea what we are talking about in the US. One time Michelle Obama was asked about her personal experience with racism, and she replied she was in a Target store once and someone asked if she would get an item for her from a top shelf. Keeping in mind she is fairly tall, somehow she interpreted this as racist because she assumed the customer asked her to retrieve the item because she’s black, with the further assumption that black people have such jobs. Being tall myself I’ve been asked many times in stores to get items from top shelves and I’ve always been more than happy to help old or short people or people in scooters. Even if they assumed I was a Walmart employee, I never felt insulted by the idea.

We cannot Imagine No Racism because certain people cling to it out of need. Obviously I don’t know the presenters of your program but I bet my life experience is different from theirs, and probably markedly so. Just as there are some Christians who need there to be sinners so they can feel extra holy (re-read Roman’s 9:20-23- if you believe Paul, God Himself has the same mindset), there are lots of well-off white Americans who need to believe we are a society of racists, and they are therefore really, really special and extra good because they profusely admit their shame and seek forgiveness by the admission itself, as contrasted with the average moron, and by putting Diversity bumper stickers on their cars.  They live in a world where they are anointed to declare others racists without really defining what it means to be so, and those they accuse are too stupid to know their stain- “Wow, I never thought I was a racist, but those wealthy and educated people keep telling me I am.” In the years we spent in south Alabama I met a total of one true racist- he was such an oddity I made sure ______ (my wife) met him, kind of like going to a museum.

The Imagine No Racism powers should ask me to speak!!