Racism and Stupidity

In a span of 24 hours we saw two instances of both, at both sides of the Atlantic.

First, a group of white public school educators posing with a noose, looking like they were having what looked like the time of their lives, in what looks like a public school.

Second, someone innocently posting a photo of a man and a woman holding a dressed up chimpanzee with a caption, in reference to Prince Harry and Meghan on the day of the birth of their mixed race baby.

Of course, he had jumped through hoops trying to explain himself and to apologize.

Offensive

But honestly, I don't care about any of these or the people involved. But both has caused such a ruckus with lots of people being shocked, outraged and outright offended. Once again because we live in the Social Media Age and nothing goes by unnoticed and uncommented on.

A World Divided

And both have also once again divided a nation, if not races, ethnicities and the world, with a group on the other side defending the "offending party", one who in his moment of insanity tried to be funny at the expense of a prominent royal family and the other, smiling at a camera for a photograph they though at the time was just a light moment, and innocently shared by email. Oopps, until they realize that they have to explain the context of this, if ever it goes outside of their small email group.

It is Not the 1950s Anymore

What I don't understand is why people with so much to lose do not pause for a second or two, to think about what could happen when they try to be funny at the expense of others or while posing so animatedly with 'something' that is for sure not amusing at all.

Here's a tip, the safest way to be funny is always to do so 'at your own expense'. And in everyday life, to use a little common sense if you do have some.

But I guess these and other such foods for thought, always comes to mind only in hindsight, and sadly sometimes never.

So now, we find another group of people given the boot or otherwise penalized for being stupid, racist and/or both.

We Are All Racists

Yes, you read that right, we are all racists, I don't understand why some still would not accept this. We all think the race (or ethnicity) we were born with is just ever so slightly if not a little better than another. And we all sometimes or at least one time, lumped or thought of lumping a race of people into a single generic stereotype. We cannot help it, we have been fed all these growing up or we have experienced it firsthand ourselves.

We Are All a Little Stupid

And yes we are all crazy stupid, at times.

But, the real issue is when you are one or the other all of the time, OR BOTH at the same time.

This could also mean you are just not a very smart person or you are an obnoxious I don't give a (bleep) person. And of course, you could be a special breed and be both.

Then really there is no excuse and no justification for this. And also no justification for defending their cause. Hence they are suffering the consequences of their own actions.

So let us all take heed. We could get away with being racist or being stupid but surely, hardly not for both.