ANDY FREDERICK
No one takes blame for racism
When 1 heard of the rioting
over the death of a young
black boy last week in
Brooklyn, I was reminded of a song I
used to sing in elementary school.
“Who Took the Cookie From the
Cookie Jar?” wasn’tjusta song, actu
ally . It was also a game. The students
would take turns claiming it wasn’t
they who took the cookie from the
cookie jar, but someone else. That
would go on for a few minutes, and
then the teacher would decide it was
time for the song to end, and so it did.
We never did find out who took the
cookie. But I know it wasn’t me.
Of course, it was just a simple
children’s song with nothing evil or
insidious about it. But the song does a
dam good job of illustrating the prob
lem we have with prejudice in this
country.
Most Americans have been fight
ing racism for years. Or rather, most
of us say we have been. Although
many of the stereotypes are gone, the
hale remains.
Americans think the problem stems
from those who still insist their race is
superior to all others. The reason
prejudice remains, then, is that we
have been unable to reach those igno
rant red-necks.
I’ve exaggerated just a lad. But, in
essence, that’s how the problem of
prejudice is perceived: The world is
divided into two parts, liberals who
arc blind to race and religion, and
bigots who hate everyone different
from them.
If only that were the case. But it’s
not that simple. The problem is that
no one wants to accept responsibility
for prejudice.
“I’m not the one with the prob
lem,” people think. “It’s the other
guy.” And that’s reason enough to
hate him.
In a Brooklyn neighborhood Aug.
19, acar driven by a Hasidic Jew went
out of control and hit two black chil
In essence, that’s
how the problem of
prejudice is per
ceived: The world is
divided into two
parts, liberals who
are blind to rare and
religion, and, bigots.
who hate everyone
different from them.
dren on the sidewalk. One was killed.
To many, the incident was cause to be
sad. For for many others, it was an
other reason to hale.
There had long been tension be
tween blacks and Jews in the Crown
Heights neighborhood in which the
accident took place. Then, the child
who died became fuel for the fire, and
the flames of hatred burned out of
control.
Hours after the accident, a Hasidic
man was murdered. He was not in
volved in the accident, but police
believe his murder was an act of re
venge. A black teen-ager has been
charged in the killing.
Rioters also looted two stores, set
fire to one and threw rocks and bottles
at police.
The rioters have reasons to be upset
They always do. But where docs it get
them? Where docs it get any of us?
The racial tensions don’t end with the
blacks and Jews in Crown Heights.
Today it’s blacks and Jews, tomor -
row it will be Hispanics, then it will
be whites, then Chinese. We all give
lip service to love and peace and
unity, but when push comes to shove,
we push and shove.
Many blacks do not like the way
they are treated by whites. The whites’
prejudice is wrong, they say.
But many of the blacks in Crown
Heights hate Hasidic Jews and think
their hate is justified. Hasidic Jews
hate blacks. Why not? I’m sure they
have their reasons as well.
Now a black child is dead, killed
by a Hasidic Jew. Blacks are out
raged, and whites sit on their sofas
watching the rioting on television, or
in their lounge chairs reading about it
in the newspaper, and they hate the
blacks for rioting.
Thai makes blacks hale whiles lor
their prejudice and Hasidic Jews hate
whites for not dealing with blacks,
and Christians hale Jews for killing
Christ, and whites hate Mexicans for
taking their jobs, and Chinese hate
blacks for being uneducated, and so
on and so on and so on.
Meanwhile, all of us claim to abhor
prejudice. The solution, we say in
unison, is for the other guy to stop
being so hateful.
Who look the cookie from the
cookie jar? Not me. It was someone
else, and 1 hale them for it. And they
hate me. Same reason.
All of us want, but none of us arc
willing to give. Oh, we all think we’re
doing our part, but someone else keeps
screwing things up. Thai’s a great
excuse to hate.
And we wonder why prejudice still
exists.
Frederick Is a senior news-editorial ma
jor and a Daily Nebraskan photographer,
arts and entertainment reporter and colum
nist.
-- I
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