Picture this: Some big entity in power is setting up a race. The first team consists of only white rabbits, and the other team consists only of black hares. I chose these 2 animals, because they are inherently equal, as far as their natural abilities. They have their differences, but they are both highly capable of performing and winning races. When we look at the track that the white rabbits have to go through, they have some obstacles - some big, some small. But it's perfectly reasonable to think that some of them, maybe even all of them, can finish the race; they just have to want it and work hard. Then we take a look at the track that the black hares have to go through. This one is a little different. There are more obstacles, bigger obstacles. They're all over the place - so much so that it's not likely that all of the black hares will finish the race - not because they are weaker or less motivated than the white rabbits, but because the obstacles are astronomically challenging. It is likely that some black hares will get through the obstacles if they work extra hard, but even if they do, it's still likely that they will not cross the finish line before the white rabbits do. Who knows? Maybe even one extremely strong, fast, and intelligent black hare will come out on top and beat the whole race, making everyone say "Well, if that black hare could do it, why couldn't the rest of them?" - even if most of the rest of the black hares are far behind everyone else.
The race begins. We see a few black hares doing a great job, working extra hard to get through the obstacles. We also see the white rabbits working hard to get through their obstacles, but remember they have fewer obstacles, and their obstacles are smaller, even if there are obstacles that they have to work hard to get through. The results are in. Quite a few of the white rabbits made it through to the finish line, and quite a few of them did so rather quickly. But only a couple of black hares made it to the finish line, and it took them a longer amount of time to do it. The white rabbits at the end of the race are very tired. They worked hard, and they did a great job - showing some real motivation and skill there. However, the couple of black hares that finished the race are exhausted. They worked extra hard to make it through those extra obstacles, and they truly have a lot to show for it. Only a few white rabbits didn't finish the race, while most of the black hares didn't finish. Most of them showed some real strength and motivation - just not enough to finish the race. Only a few animals on each team lacked drive and slacked off. Do you think this race was fair? Do you think the results are skewed or reliable?
Look, very many white people, and even the occasional minority, (There are always outliers to every rule.) will deny the existence of institutional racism. Sometimes your view of the world depends on how you were raised, what obstacles you went through in your life, and what other experiences you had on the way to where you are. For white people, it's really hard for a lot of us to see systemic racism, because we aren't the targets of it. How can we say a problem doesn't exist, simply because the problem doesn't affect us, or because we unknowingly benefit from it? It's easier to see the problem when you're the one who is suffering from the consequences, which white people aren't going to readily experience on a day-to-day basis. They might experience prejudices from other people sometimes, but they will never experience racism on an institutional level.
But the point of this blog entry isn't to open anyone's eyes on institutional racism. Either you believe in it, or you don't, and I'd wager a lot of conservatives deny it even exists. So I'm not here to change your mind on that. What I am trying to explain here is the mindset behind what liberals are trying to do for minorities. We're not trying to offer a helping hand or aid to someone who wouldn't otherwise make it out there in the world; we are trying to level the playing field. We realize not everyone is going to become a successful, rich person who loves their job as a CEO of some huge corporation. You have to work hard for that, want it, and make it happen for yourself - no matter what color you are. We aren't trying to make everyone equal in the end; we're trying to make everyone equal in the beginning. Everyone should start out with an equal chance of finishing the race, if at all possible. And then those who work really hard and have the intelligence, drive, and skills will finish the race. Whether you believe in systemic racism or not, THIS is the goal that liberals are trying to accomplish. We don't believe that minorities can't accomplish goals by themselves; we recognize that the system has given them extra obstacles to overcome on their way to success, and we believe that is not fair. If we have our way, everyone will start out with a clean slate. Is that such a bad goal to have? Is that not a noble cause to be a part of? Or does that just threaten you, because then you, as a white person, will be forced to fight fairly in order to reach your goals? There's a reason most minorities are liberal. They are not racist against themselves, and they don't want pity or help. If we liberals are just racist and don't believe minorities can make it on their own, then why do so many minorities agree with us and stand on our side?
Hopefully you now understand the goal of liberals, and how it's not racist or unrealistic to want everyone to start out with a clean slate with the same obstacles (for the most part, I mean; everyone has their own, unique obstacles in life). We realize not everyone will finish the race. That takes drive, effort, intelligence, skill, talent, and many, many more things. We realize that everyone will, naturally, have a different number of obstacles, and those obstacles will be of different calibers, based on personal experiences and upbringing. But that's not the goal. If you start out with a clean slate in a leveled playing field, (apart from the obstacles that we, as a system, can not control), then after that, you're on your own, and you're the only one who can make your dreams come true,. And that's how it should be. Now, if you believe we all already start out with a clean slate in a level playing field, then that's another debate for another day.
The first picture is where everyone starts out. The second picture is what conservatives think liberals are trying to do - take away from one to give to another. I'm sure that's what some liberals want, and even that picture appears to be pretty fair, since now everyone has a chance to see the game. As for the third picture, this is what most liberals want and is the most fair to everyone - remove the obstacles, or at least level them out. They all must work hard, save their money, and pay for a ticket, but at least now they all have the opportunity to see the game.
