Op-Ed: Where could the racial tone in America lead?

Racism seems to be an underlying theme in American politics and it will not dissipate. As more and more comments come out to stoke the racial flames, one has to wonder where this could lead.

Cracker. That was the first racial slur I ever heard. It was a slur aimed at me by a black girl when I was around age 9. 9-years-old was a very educational time for me. That year I learned the consequences of my birth and the color of my skin. I am white, therefore I was responsible for the slavery of blacks in times before my grandfather was a twinkle in my great grandmother's eye. I was responsible for the very thoughts and actions of Jim Crow. I was responsible for the poverty that all the black children around me had to live in. Because of the color of my skin, I was racist, hateful, and evil. Now that is an education! Growing up I was taught no different. The blacks were owed and I had to pay up because I am white and cannot help but to be bigoted, idiotic and racist. In college I was further forced to learn the downfalls of being white in a minority world. I was not to challenge a minority, or smile at them without first telling them how sorry I was for the horrible things I had done to them. Like being born. These lessons have come back to me in this past Presidential election, and I have watched in deep sadness to find out that all the lessons being taught to whites to be tolerant, loving, and understanding of blacks has not been deemed enough by people in the black community who cannot let their own prejudices die. And now I am told that because of what they went through before I was ever born, I must endure their constant hen pecking. This attitude concerns me. In black congregations across the nation, people like Jeremiah Wright, are still preaching that the white man is trying to eradicate the black man. That whites are still holding back the black man. During the election any opposition to Barack Obama was deemed racist, and that was that. If he did not win the election it was of because of the racists. Cynthia McKinney was not allowed to enter the congressional building because she did not have an ID, and because of that the guard who did not know her on sight ( For shame!) was a racist. Recently a racial incident flew out of control between a black professor and a white cop, and while it would have just been a two man "comparison contest" the President of the United States made it a racial debacle for calling the white cop stupid. We all know how this ends. They have a beer and Professor Gates offers to get Officer Crowley's kids into Harvard. Life goes on. Now Governor David Paterson has gotten in on the race baiting by accusing the white controlled media of racist tactics that lowered his approval rating. I am sure there are many examples I have missed of a black leader blaming the white community for all problems incurred by individual black men and women. Which brings me to my point, the leaders who are still crying racist are teaching children, like the little girl who called me cracker, to hate whites. This cycle is perpetuating and it is spinning out of control. When we were in the midst of election day I thought about the tense racial atmosphere and looked back at history to the Rodney King beatings. What would happen, I thought, if Barack Obama did not win. The worse case scenario, there would be a race riot. I am a worse case scenario kind of girl so I was ready to pack my kids up and get to a safe house in my city. I thought that if race riots happened they would stay out of my area, but my city was heavily populated by whites in between Youngstown and Warren which was heavily populated by blacks. The major route connecting the cities was about a mile from my home and ran past the mall. I know at this point some people are thinking, what a racist for thinking this could happen. But you could not be more wrong. See I listen to people when they speak, and the representatives of the black community have made it loud and clear to me, they will fight back. They have in the past advocated violent actions, completely going against the urgings of one great black American, Martin Luther King. You combine the "whitey is racist" attitude with the popularity of Obama and then have him lose, well that is was not going to be pretty. The election is over, he won, and there was nothing more than a disappointed cry from the opposition. As it should be. But now I have a new worry. The President is in danger, and it is clear to me that if something were to happen situations could get out of hand. According to a new book, the President has 30 death threats a day. There is even a death threat waiting for him in Indonesia, even though the police there dismissed it as nothing. And now again I am thinking, what would happen if the President were assassinated. I know it is not a pretty thought, but like I said I am a worse case scenario type of girl. I think that if the President were assassinated, not matter if it happened in Indonesia, or in Africa, or in Peru; no matter if it was a black man or a brown man or a yellow man, it is going to be blamed on the white man. Jeremiah Wright might say it was a deep conspiracy like what happened with Aids. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would stoke the flames for all they are worth, because they would stand to gain more worth. Patterson and others would be at the mics saying " I told you so." And I am afraid that it would start a nation wide race riot. All it would take is one bullet from a person wanting to reap the benefits of the political, it could be anybody fanatical from the left or the right wing of the American political spectrum, to believe it could be a proper means to an end. It could completely tear apart racial relations in the country. Most of all it could lead to the death of President Obama and innocents across the nation. We as Americans need to be wary of the implications of the constant race baiting. Gov. Patterson and those like him who cast their shame into the waters of racism perpetuate the hate. White Americans who use the racism of some black Americans as an excuse to be bigots further their opinion. This cycle of racism is going to bring this country to a screeching halt and possible an end.