Saturday, August 17, 2013

The Difference Betwixt Black and White



The Difference Betwixt Black and White
While Oprah Winfrey wined about being racially profiled over a designer purse she was told she couldn’t afford by a shopkeeper in Switzerland, Jase Robertson took it in stride as he was profiled as a white trash homeless street bum wandering into Trump International Hotel in New York City.

Opinion
By de Andréa
August 17, 2013

One will more likely see others as others see themselves. 

In light of all the recurrence of racial tensions in the U.S.  One must pause and think, just who are the racists?

Duck Dynasty’s star Jase Robertson admittedly looking like white trash as much as Oprah looks black, was kicked out of New York City’s Trump International Hotel after a staff member apparently thought he was homeless.  Robertson laughed it off and said he was likely the victim of “facial profiling.”  Note, he didn’t say, “racial profiling”

Robertson and other members of his family were in New York City promoting the fourth season of their hit A&E reality show.  The network put the family up in the swanky Trump hotel across from Central Park.

Apparently one Trump International Hotel staff member was not accustomed to seeing a fully bearded guest wearing camouflage pants.

Robertson said “I asked him where the bathroom was and he said, ‘Right this way, sir,’” Robertson told the hosts of the television show ‘Live with Kelly and Michael.’ “He said, ‘Right this way, sir,’ as he walked me outside, pointed down the road and said, ‘Good luck.’”

The TV show hosts appeared stunned by the story – but Robertson smiled and said he took it in stride.  “I think it was a facial profiling deal,” he said.

Robertson’s brother, Al, told Fox News the family is getting a good laugh out of the case of mistaken identity.  “He assumed Jase was some homeless guy,” he said.  “This is not our first rodeo — which is another reason I stay beardless.”

Ironically, it’s not the first time the men of the Louisiana family have been mistaken for homeless people.  “One time, we were in New York City and people put money in Willie’s coffee cup,” he said.  And then there was the time, “Dad was speaking at a church, and one of the members showed him where the homeless shelter was.”
 
The Robertson’s said they were “absolutely not offended” by the incident and said they loved staying at the Trump Hotel.  “We were laughing — wait until the Donald hears about this,” he said.  And for what it’s worth, they hope the staff member doesn’t get in trouble.  “He was just as nice as he could be — escorting Jase to the park,” Al said.  “And honestly, if I was in his shoes — I’d have done the same thing.”

THE BOTTOM LINE: What a sharp contrast between the reactions of two television stars.  Oprah sporting an Afro hair do, the more well known of the two stars, although maybe not as well known in Switzerland,  automatically assumed the profiling was because of her race and it likely was, but I am talking about the reaction of the victims here, not the perpetrators of the profiling.  Robertson didn’t automatically assume the profiling was because he looked like white trash.  He said he thought he was a victim of Facial Profiling because of his beard, not Racial Profiling because he was white.

The equal reaction to this would have been if Oprah had laughed it off by saying the profiler probably was not use to seeing someone with this much curly hair.

Is it blacks, or African Americans, as they seem to prefer, still’ living in slavery?  Or is it really the white race that still thinks of them as slaves.

Should I refer to myself as a ‘White European American’ instead of just an American?  Why would I do that, even though my parents were not even born in America?  I doubt that Oprah or most African Americans can even trace their heritage to any ware except America, then why do they separate them selves from the rest of Americans by calling themselves African Americans instead of just American. 

Could it be because they are in denial of having kept themselves in the bondage of slavery and by blaming white society for the hatred and shame they have for themselves that they don’t have to face the truth.  They should be proud that they as a people survived the horrible treatment by the ignorance of a historically dominant supremacist society.

Is the problem with racism, how African Americans think European Americans perceive them’, or is it how they perceive themselves.  It is just psychology 101 my friend.  If you an American?  Then see yourself as an American

I hope this is taken in the context in which it was written...

Thanks for listening – de Andréa

Copyright © 2013 by Bottom Line Publishing -  Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.

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