This and That # 10

I may have mentioned that I buy the local newspaper most Sundays. Coupons for the little lady, sports section for me. Sometimes I read an opinion article or two.

The paper always seems to have at least one major story describing the awful, racist country we have created.

A few months ago this gem was published.

"Fifty years after the federal Fair Housing Act banned racial discrimination in lending, African Americans and Latinos continue to be routinely denied conventional mortgage loans at rates far higher than their white counterparts."

Twenty-five paragraphs later, yes, 25, the authors share a minor detail with us:

" Credit score was not included because that information is not publicly available."

Oh. Do you think that might account for the discrepancies the authors are complaining of, rather than rampant, systemic racism? The authors didn't bother to ask the denied putative purchasers they interviewed for their credit scores. Their answer might have killed the narrative. How such garbage gets published is a mystery to me.

You might wonder why I would read a forty paragraph story about a subject of little interest to me. The answer is that I love this country and as soon as I read the headline I smelled a rat. I was not at all surprised to find it. This happens far too often.

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I watched some of the NBA playoffs. The things these men are able to do are, to me, astonishing.

I wrote about Lebron James once before. He was complaining that no matter how rich a black man gets he still has to struggle against racism and rarely gets any respect.

He is a truly amazing athlete. And, to all appearances, a nice enough guy, like most people, in my experience.

He is also a prime example of what I mean when I suggest that white privilege is really in the heads of people of color. White people know better.

I would encourage Mr. James to think about all the respect a few other really rich guys get, because after all, if you are rich and white you are automatically afforded it. White privilege and all.

I notice Donald Trump getting all manner of respect, all day, every day, in the press. Is that the sort of respect you want Mr. James? You know, the kind that comes, in your victim's prism, automatically because Trump is white.

Perhaps you would enjoy all the respect the incredibly rich, incredibly white, Koch brothers enjoy.

"The Kochs are our homegrown oligarchs; they've cornered the market on Republican politics and are nakedly attempting to buy Congress and the White House". (Emphasis added.)

Mr. James, having a great deal of money does not earn you respect no matter your color. 

In my experience it is more likely to earn you a great deal of contempt and jealousy.

You might earn more respect, since you seem to feel deprived of it, if you placed your right hand over your heart during the playing of our national anthem rather than linking arms with a teammate and appearing entirely disinterested, as you did last night.

You are no doubt familiar with the saying that we reap what we sow. Try showing some respect to the people from whom you want it. That strategy often works. Good luck.