Demonizing the Right as Racist in the Wake of the Trayvon Martin Shooting

Of the many names that get thrown at those on the Right, the one that only brings sadness to my heart and soul is the accusation of being a racist. Having lived in Mill Valley all my adult life, I’ve never been personally accused of being a racist. But because I align myself with conservatives, and generally with the Republican Party, by default the Left would think I was certainly a racist at heart. 

Maybe I don’t know it, maybe I don’t’ feel it. But certainly by being a conservative means that I must be a racist. Right? Being called a homophobe, an insensitive grouch, selfish, mean, heartless or a war monger are all labels that roll off my back and do no harm. But accusing those who are conservative as being racist is not only destructive but simply wrong.  And even more to the point, sad.

I once heard the conservative radio talk show personality Dennis Prager say, “Blacks in the United States need to know, take away the small number of nut cases, the grand majority of white Americans want nothing but the best for the African Americans.” I nodded my head in agreement and could also hear the affirmative nodding of the rest of America. Aside from it being morally the right thing to yearn for, the success of black America will mean success for all America.

If a black person is wronged by another black or white person, most Americans want to see justice. A black man wronged, be it an insult or an act of violence, pains all conservatives with a conscience the same way it pains a knee-jerk liberal. One of the many differences in the liberal and conservative is that the conservatives does not think in terms of white and black. The conservative is more likely to think in terms of right and wrong.

The Trayvon Martin case bring to light many issues. A young man appears to have been killed for reasons that make no sense. This could have been avoided. The facts are not in yet to make a legal judgment, but that’s not stopping all in the public to form their own opinions and conclusions.  Again, take away the small percentage of wackos, and you will discover that conservatives feel the pain for the loss of a life. Pain at what might be an unjust killing. Like all Americans, those on the right desire to search for the truth of the conflict, and promise to deliver justice if the young man was wrongly killed.

White Leftists will not acknowledge it, for it’s in their benefit to continue to demonize the Right (Republicans) and hang on to their monolithic Black vote. They need to perpetuate the continued mantra that Republicans are racists. Yet in my heart of hearts, I have little doubt that the majority of conservative white America wants nothing but the best for all of Black America.