Posted by Grammar Nazi at 216.104.228.119 on September 14, 2001 at 23:27:18:
Never before in my life have I been more ashamed to be a Caucasian American. I live in Chicago, and while we are geographically far removed from the actual tragedy in New York, Pennsyvlania and Washington, I see smaller tragedies everywhere I look.
You may have heard of the instance of a Muslim gentleman being attacked in a gas station by a caucasian with a Machete. A friggin' machete. Thankfully, he's ok, but that's not what scares me. What scares me is the overall regression of our mentality. It's like our mindsets have been teleported back to the early sixties when it was still fashionable to call someone a Nigger to their face. I'm sorry if that word offends anybody, but my fiance and I have been offended in like manner.
You see, my fiance is Muslim. Second generation middle-eastern descent. Up until tuesday, nobody seemed to have a problem with our approaching mixed marriage (except for her father, but over time I think even that has been smoothed out). Now, I have been called a "traitor" and a "terrorist sympathizer." Simply because the woman I love has high cheek bones and darker skin than I do. But even that doesn't bother me so much.
What really bothers me is what this is doing to her and her family. I have personally heard people call her a "sand-nigger" and "bin laden's whore" and things of that nature, peppered with the usual complement of "raghead," "camel jockey", and even people who think they're being cute with the simpsons references and telling her and her family to go back to the Quicky Mart where they belong.
I realize that things like this are probably localized and not widespread, but people, lets use the evil which has been done to us as a society to bring us together.
I used to think this country was a melting pot and that we were becoming colorblind, but now I'm beginning to lose my faith.