No Health in Us

Just another attempt by a well-meaning old white guy to talk to other white guys about racism. Let’s see how that works out for me.

… WE HAVE LEFT UNDONE those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us …

— from the General Confession, Book of Common Prayer, 1662 (Anglican Communion)

I’m atheist, by the way. I needed you to know that.

“ I’m Not Racist!”

EVERYWHERE I WANDER, I HEAR THE white person’s anxious mantra:

“I’m not racist, I’m always nice to blacks!”

And my eyes roll back in my head like the fruit on a one-armed bandit after you’ve plugged in your food allowance for the month and are just getting the rent cheque changed into tokens.

I’m not especially Boomer-woke-guy, but years make up, somewhat, for innate wokelessness, that sense common to all Boomers that back in my day, and pry the CDs out of my cold, dead hands, and get a university education so you can get a well-paying job. Age has given me perspective, just not around those things.

But when you say “I’m always nice to the blacks,” I cringe, because I know what that looks like. Awkward culture signaling; you extolling Spike Lee or explaining how…