What if?

What if all this talk about racism is actually creating more racism and resentment rather than reducing it, continually picking at the wound so it won’t heal?

What if it’s fear that’s pulling the trigger rather than ‘systemic racism’ that we keep hearing about? 

What if we are being manipulated by a small group of very visible people whose existence and power depend on perpetuating racism at every opportunity rather than making attempts to end it?

What if the claim of racism creates an excuse for lower standards and entitlement?

What if the claim of racism diminishes the efforts of all the people of color who studied and worked hard to be where they are today?

What if we are assuming that what we see in the news is much more widespread than it actually is?

What if we are taking a few tragic incidents and applying them to entire groups of people?

What if the media (left and right), who are in the drama-creating ratings business, is orchestrating our assumptions about racism? (or anything else, for that matter if we don’t bother to fact check)

What if we are adding fuel to the fire by passing on misinformation, lies, and half-truths through email and social media without learning the whole story?

What if we are basing our own beliefs about racism on misinformation and assumptions?

What if we have lived our entire lives without making any effort to understand the history of racism and the devastating effects it’s had on generations of people?

What if people quit flying because of their fear of a plane crash, when the chance of that happening is one in 11 million? What if people quit living their lives because of the fear that ‘systemic racism’ would harm them if they stepped out in public? What if law enforcement were afraid to do their jobs because of the fear that many people assume they are all racists and are out to get them at every turn?

What do you call the actions of people of the same ethnicity who kill each other at much more alarming numbers? And why don’t the media and our leaders make a greater effort to address this more rampant tragedy? Why aren't people marching in these neighborhoods? 

What if our biggest problem is not racism, but the fact that we just don’t know each other in our communities? 

What if we’re all being played by fear, guilt and hype and led by the nose to a place where we would not recognize our own country any more? 

What if we all said no to that, and focused on righting any wrongs we see and making our own neighborhoods and communities the best they could be for everyone?