Use the Term 'Coon' To Attack People

I've noticed a growing trend among people in the so-called black community to attack a certain type of person with which they have disagreement.

What I've noticed is an increase in the use of the slur "coon" to attack black people who hold a certain type of view on particular political and social issues.

So, I see "coon" used in a couple of different ways. But, before we get to that, let me start with the word's definition. It's a derogatory term (obviously) used to attack black people who are perceived to be against the interests of the majority of black people. It is sometimes, for example, used to attack black conservatives. More recently, it has been used to attack black people who do not do everything humanly possibly to serve the interests of black people as perceived by the "conscious" and "scholarly" black community leaders.

"Coon" is a dangerous and ugly term. What I find particularly ironic is that most of the people who use it are the same ones who call for black unity. Is this to say that we can only be united if we agree on 100 percent of the issues? If so, this seems like a nonstarter to true collaboration.

People have to be able to come together to solve issues. However, it seems counter intuitive to the true spirit of collaboration when some are deemed "coons" basically because they do not agree on every single issue.

Next time you see someone call another person a "coon" you should ask a few questions:

• What do they really mean?
• Is the slur based on a true large body of evidence, one incident, a few incidents?
• Is it used to create dialogue, to call attention to something significant, or is it a petty and one-dimensional ad hominem attack designed to hurt?
• Does the person attacked have a reasonable position?
• Is it done because the person using the slur lacks the ability to articulate a coherent and reasonable counterpoint?

I believe "coon" is an ugly slur that needs to largely be put to bed.

Think before you slur.

You Won't Have Obama to Blame for Racial Sins

President Barack Obama

I doubt that anyone, even the most loyal fans of President Obama, will tell you that he has been what you would consider a perfect president. Of course, have we ever had a perfect president in the history of our union? Think about that and let me know, seriously.

I started to think about that as I read a CNN analysis piece that focused on race relations worsening during the Obama presidency. This headline, of course, popped up in my Facebook news feed (along with probably items from the hundreds of pages I have come to "like" during my time with a profile on the social media giant.

I digress.

Have race relations worsened under Barack Obama's presidency? A majority of those surveyed (CNN and Kaiser Family Foundation polling) said, "yes" -- rather emphatically so.

I get why some would feel this way. So, the poll suggested that "racial strife" is getting worse. Poll results further indicated that tensions among Americans of different ethnic/racial groups has increased. About 64 percent of Americans believe this to be true, including 67 percent of whites, 65 percent of blacks and 55 percent of Latinos.

Is it worse? I can appreciate how some people would see it that way. The real question is: Why is it worse (if that is what you believe)?

I do not believe it is worse. I believe that it is simply been brought from the closet to the front porch. Regardless of how you feel, the sentiments of the Tea Party and Black Lives Matter (not necessarily to equate the two, but to make a bigger point) were always there. Certain incidents, however, opened the door for individuals affiliated with these two movements to become more activist and vocal. For the Tea Party, you could argue it was the election of Barack Obama, the first black president. For Black Lives Matter, it appears to be incidents involving black people and the police.

The growing power of social media and video have given certain movements more power than they could have had in even the 1980s.

But, none of this is about Barack Obama. Feel free to try and ultimately fail to link it to the Obama presidency.

The headline of the article I linked, above, asks an important question about who will be blamed for race relations in the post-Obama era. It's a good question, indeed. Because, if you're foolish enough to believe racial issues will vanish once Obama leaves the presidency, then you were probably foolish enough to believe it started the day he became a viable presidential candidate and after he took office.

As Billy Joel once famously sang, "We didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning ... No, we didn't light it though we tried to fight it."