I agree ....UNLESS you are in a position of power. Personally, I am young (turned 30 some months back), black, very well balanced, and very successful (t.y.J). If I went to some local barbecue, and the person behind the grill called me some silly name, I would laugh! If I went to the local library, and some old dame behind the desk said that porch monkeys are not allowed in, I would simply take my card, get into my benz, and go find another library that is more accomodating. Then laugh over the incident with my pals (basically, if a rat calls an eagle a mouse, should the eagle fret and wail?)
However, if a cop pulls me over at 1 a.m., and he is a gent who has been known to make overtly racist comments, I would be genuinely terrified. Why? Not because he has a gun, but because he has a badge that confers to him real authority. Sure, I could probably mount a strong legal defence, but needless to say he could, at the very least, seriously mess my day.
Thus, while I would not register nor care about a racist comment from most members of the public, there are certain groups of the population that would worry me, and one of them would be police officers (another important group would be doctors, particularly if it is a surgeon I am due to go under anesthesia and the knife. I would pay many times over to go to a doctor who doesn't feel I am a banana-chumping monkey, as would you if you were in those same set of circumstances).
I personally feel people take modern racism too seriously ...most true racists are uneducated dregs of society ...the vestigial remains of those whose only release is trying to make themselves feel better by washing an entire group or ethinicity (there's nothing as pathetic as say skin heads ranting against jews ...just a bunch of poor good-for-nothings who think painting some swastika on a synagogue will solve things). I've said before that calling me the 'n' word has the same emotional impact as calling me a chocolate-speckled nightingale wearing a pair of rubber wellingtons, i.e., apt to make me laugh. Particularly if the person doing the name calling is wearing a frayed wife-beater and torn levis.
However, if a cop did the same I would be very worried, and for good reason. Unlike the barbeque guy or the librarian, the police officer/surgeon/ decision-maker has real and tangible power. It may be the power to simply tie up my time, or the power to do real damage or cause actual loss, but it is power.
That is why such a person, if a racist, has the ability to confer 'physical, societal or financial loss.' Easily.
As for this cop ...add rank stupidity to his charge. As another FReeper said, he is too dumb to be carrying a gun.
I agree with you.
I don’t want people facing prison for what they say. Let them be free to mouth off as they want. That’s the best way to let others judge them, and treat appropriately.
A hidden NAZI is more dangerous than an open, loud-mouth variety.