BORING

Is it even possible to talk about racism without being an incredible bore?

The racists, like the sexists, like the elitist, like the homophobe is very capable of seeing individuals, of seeing beyond their race, of even befriending them, and at the same time not challenging the history, the presumptions that the world has put on them.

Huh?

What is - "not challenging the history, the presumptions that the world has put on them." What the fuck does that mean? How does that translate into behavior? When I'm ordering Chipotle for lunch today - which I'm going to do in 15 minutes or so - how can I do it in a way that is "challenging the history, the presumptions that the world has put on them?" Because to be honest, most of my life is simply ordering Chipotle or returning calls or getting to a meeting or a game or work on time. What hell is this guy talking about? And more:

It's worth talking, not to me, but to black people who were really raised as minorities, blacks who grew up in white neighborhoods, and went to white schools. It's not the "Nigger, I hate you" stories that you hear--though there's some of that. Instead you get their white friends telling them, "they're not really black." Or you get their white friends consistently trying to set them up with the only other black guy\girl in the school. (I'm sure some gay cats who've worked in offices, have similar stories.) But these people were their friends, they weren't awful people. And they weren't moral degenerates. A lot of em were the sort of friends you'd want in the trenches with you.

If it's any consolation, I'm perpetually offended whenever someone tries to set me up with someone else - not that it happens a lot - and not because of race - but just because the person is always a person with imperfections and flaws and probably is a little weird and I'm like, "This is what they think of me?" I understand this is probably a problem with my own ego (although it's not like my friends have been setting me up with Anna Farris). Anyway, all this is a fishing expedition for racism. I don't say behind anyone's back "he's not really black," or any such ridiculous statements. I don't consider myself a racist or a sexist or even a homophobe, despite my liberal use of the term "homo." I don't think of races or sexes as inferior, although men are better at sports in general than women, as a fact, just like women get pregnant and men do not. I'm almost falling asleep typing this post. See, this topic is so frigging lame.

UPDATE: One other thought - and maybe this will explain where I'm coming from - I grew up as basically the only half Chinese kid in my school. There were a few full Asian kids, but certainly a very small Asian American community. But as for being offended when being "set up" - I would rank race on a scale of 1 to 10 as being about a 2 - if someone set me up with another half-Asian person simply because they were half Asian - it might be amusingly stupid, but I'd spend about a nano-second being offended, and make one joke about it and leave it there. But, however, if someone set me up with an ugly chick or even a way below average chick, I'd mull and be angry for about two weeks and my offended factor would hover around 8 or 9. I'd be horribly offended because I'm vain and feel like I should be able to do better. My point is this - by bias against ugly chicks is huge - at least 400% greater than my bias or any preconceptions about race. (And probably even closer to 800%). And ugliness is not something one can control - just like race. Some people are just born ugly or below average looking. It isn't fair. I know and everyone knows. Anyhow, enough. I'm sure I've offended someone.