My son scares me on occasions with his questions, his conversation topics, and his obvious worldly observations. On those particular occasions I have to take a double take at my son and question whether I am talking to an 8 1/2 year old boy or a little adult. It makes me proud to think that my son is using his gray matter as God intended us to use it and it also makes me find humility when I have to say to him, "Son I really do not know that I can answer your question". As a parent, we tend to think a child is just a little person that is not as educated as ourselves.

On our weekend morning walks, we (my son, Susie the American Bulldog, and I) have a special 2 1/2 mile trek that we make around the neighborhood that satisfies everyone. We first walk past my rental properties so that I keep constant observations on their condition. On the way back we walk the creek that flows through the Willowbranch Park and watch the wildlife on the creek banks. Sometimes my son is quick enough to catch a painted or snapping turtle, play with it for a few minutes then release it back into the creek for the next week's capture. Susie gets to sniff new dog butts at the park.

The last portion of our morning walk takes us past the public basketball courts and two baseball fields next to the municipal library. In the morning hours there will be 30 to 40 coloured individuals playing basketball or cheering the teams on. You cannot help but hear the 'N' word used at each other at least once in every sentence at the top of their lungs. The music pumping out of their boom boxes containing lyrics of violence, crime, and the 'N' word again.

Our walks continued for 7 months then my son innocently asked me as we were walking past the basketball courts, "Daddy, why can't we use the 'N' word, they are using it"? I was for a loss of words since I always stressed in my child raising practice to my son not to use the typical 'Seven' bad words plus the 'N' word. The behavior by the coloured individuals at the basketball courts and in the neighborhood really punched a hole through my worldview of social behaviors that I had taught to my son which were considered bad behavior. My expected behavior must have been very confusing to him and hypocritical that he finally had to ask the question that carried the conversation topic for the rest of that walk.

The coloured community uses the 'N' word in their music and it is considered art and entertainment. Chris Rock and Chappell use the 'N' word in their comedy like it is going out of style and it is considered funny. The coloured individuals playing basketball use the 'N' word as a form of endearment and bonding. If the ‘N’’ word is used in the coloured community as a positive word why is it so bad when a white individual uses it? That makes as much sense as me telling Brian, a white person, you can call me 'Cracker' but Tyrone, a coloured person, if you call me 'Cracker' you will be using a surgeon to remove my foot out of your tail end.

It makes no sense at all but that is the beauty of Diversity. Every individual is sub-grouped and granted permission to perform behaviors and legal protections that another sub-group of individuals cannot have thus bringing racial harmony to the sub-groups. In the innocent eyes of an 8 1/2 child, diversity makes no sense. Children do not seem to make the distinction of race and the correlation to special behaviors and rights. They just see another individual to play tag or play soccer with. It is a real shame the Equal Rights movement has evolved into a full circle. First it was separate but equal in the 50's, then equal integration where everyone is treated by merit in the late 60's, and then evolving back to separate but equal.

One thing that I will never do is to instill ‘White Guilt’ to my son. I am not sensitive to racial discussions. I am an equal opportunity offender to all. Specifically to black and white relations or to any other race, I refuse to say sorry for past transgressions way before my time, dance around the racial issue with sensitivity, or hold any ‘White Guilt’. I have expressed my ‘Emancipation Proclamation From White Guilt’ to the world through Townhall in the past.

http://dmkooker.blogtownhall.com/2007/09/26/emancipation_proclamation_from_white_guilt.thtml

At the end of the walk, I finally told my son, "If the 'N' word is good enough for the coloured community then it is good enough for me. I cannot see any reason why not to use the 'N' word until the coloured community condemns the use of it and halts the use of it themselves. Yes son you may use the 'N' without discipline from me. Just be aware of the potential illogical consequences of its use by others."

It is very ironic that America has martyred Martin Luther King for his efforts in civil rights but America never learned the actual essence of his message; to not judge a man by his colour of his skin but by his character. One set of rules of life for all men.

For more articles on Dave’s Worldview

[Go to the main blog of Dave Kooker at http://dmkooker.blogtownhall.com ]

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