Dylann Roof, the flag, the new $10 bill and so on…

I’ve been stewing over the thoughts in my head these past days since the killing of nine innocent people in their place of worship – a place which is sacred, and should be safe and free of hate.  This is of course not the first race-related tragedy to occur in recent years and I’m not going to go off about my feelings regarding police violence, etc. But what’s foremost in my mind lately is the reactions I’ve seen from the media, my friends and strangers on social media.
One sentiment I’ve heard a lot of amidst the back and forth is one that seems to cut to the heart of the matter.  It’s not about gun control or keeping tighter tabs on people with mental illness, or whether it’s inappropriate for the Confederate flag to still be a thing.  It’s the question of “fixing” racism.  And my question is this: can it be fixed?
Ok, let’s narrow it down to white on black racism for simplicity’s sake.  And let’s keep it in America for topical purposes.  This country was birthed by religious freedom, and fed on the blood of people from a far away continent who didn’t know and didn’t care about most of the world outside their lives.  But the English, Dutch and others ripped them from their homes to supply a labor force to build the New World.  And what a great new world it is.  Let’s forget the slaughter of native people and the forced labor we picked up on the boat ride over.  Let’s shoot off fireworks and sing a song at baseball games that glorifies war.  Let’s continue to observe a national holiday for the Italian explorer, conqueror and slave driver that didn’t actually discover this country in the first place.  And when we’re feeling a little shameful, let’s dedicate the shortest month of the year to remember black history.  I think putting Harriet Tubman’s face on the $10 bill is great, but I also felt pretty awesome the night Obama got elected.  These things don’t mean shit.
So how do we “fix” racism?  I don’t believe we can. Straight up. Idealistic me says it’s a lost cause. This shining city on a hill we live in is built on the corpses of not only native people and slaves, but their hopes, dreams and lineages that never had a chance.  And although the smarter ones among us know better, the ingrained idea that people of color are lesser than white people is just that – ingrained. It is passed down through generations and never gets diluted, no matter how many black presidents get elected or how many black heroes find their way into our wallets. In fact, I’d bet that it only fuels their ignorant fire. (Did you read the comments on Obama’s twitter account when he first launched it?)
So people are talking about gun control.  Another laughable debate. This country was born of war, it shall live in war and damn you if yer gonna take ma friggin’ guuns away! [insert sound of spitoon ricochet here]
And people are talking about mental illness. But only after the fact. Columbine. Sandy Hook (?). Denver. etc.  And even if you have gun control or stricter background checks, how the hell do you think that would stop some sociopath from getting a gun anyway?  Unless we become a police state a la George Orwell, I don’t see how we can predict hate crimes. Let alone prevent them.
Going back to Columbine, I have to say that my strongest feeling at the time and one that NOBODY else even dared to mention was the parents’ culpability. Klebold and Harris were still legally their parents’ wards at the time of the Columbine killings. Sure, a lot of other factors may have been involved and their psychosis most likely fed off of each others’.  But I guaranfuckintee you that if their parents had been held criminally responsible for their sons’ actions, a lot more parents would pay a lot more attention to the behavior of their offspring.
Now, Dylann Roof is 21 years old, therefore not legally his parents’ responsibility.  And I will admit that I haven’t read all the articles out there regarding his racist behavior, although I can’t avoid the photos of him posing with the stars n’ bars, wearing an aparthied-era badge on his jacket and all that. But I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say it’s a good bet his parents are maybe a little racist too.  Or maybe just good ol’ southern folk who don’t think there’s anything wrong with the Confederate flag… or that haircut.  Fair enough.  But even if you yourself are not capable of the level of unsubstantiated hatred it takes to wipe out innocent lives based solely on the color of their skin, you should at least be sentient enough to suspect that your son might just be.  And if you’re not, well maybe you shouldn’t have had a son. At the very very least, you should not have given him a fucking gun for his birthday.  And now that he has done what he has done, I think you should fucking hang and burn in public to atone for the actions of the monster that you created, but more importantly to set an example for any other parents who either passively or actively condone such hatred.
Am I reacting to hate with hate?  From one point of view, yes. But my hatred comes from reason. You cannot judge a person’s worth by his or her DNA. But you can judge them by their words and actions.  Black lives matter. White lives matter.  But some lives are worthless. Meaning that they do not contribute to the betterment of society.  Execute the killers.  Castrate the rapists.  Lynch the lynchers.  Let Dylann Roof suffer at the hands (and other appendages) of his black prison mates.
I don’t think we can fix racism.  Not in my lifetime.  But maybe we can eventually eradicate the stupidity that breeds it.  As long as we hold the hatemongers fully responsible for their actions… and inactions.