Because Most Americans Are Cowards

Thanks so much for this articulate and eye opening article on such a painful subject. As a white guy, who always belonged to the ethnic majority in all the countries I every lived in, I must admit it was always hard for me to understand the feeling of being discriminated against.

I agree perfectly that racism is cowardice. I have frequently identified feelings of fear when interacting with people of ethnic minorities, who are always tainted with a criminal disposition, by default. I also frequently identify this attitude in people around me.

I'm not an American, and have lived in America only briefly, but this problem is actually not limited to America. You can see the same phenomenon in other countries, even those enlightened European countries (I currently live in France) where racial relations are much more relaxed, there a lot of mixed couples and a great emphasis is put on equality. Beneath the surface, in day to day dealings between people, in small talk or offhand remarks, or even looks that people give each other on the street, racism is always there, and it's because we're cowards.

I think that this essay could use a good deal more thinking through. Having the upper hand and preferring to retain it is not lovable, but it is not the same as cowardice. Having a badge, a gun, and a bad attitude is quite orthogonal to cowardice. There are undoubtedly bad-ass racists who are as brave as you want them to be.