Racism: Alive and kickin'

There are but a few days left in the United States' recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, but the awareness raised during this time is has to carry over passed any designated amount of time and transfer into every day life without the presence of special recognition of one minority group looming.

This past Sunday, there was another incident that reminded us that the work being done this month (and that will be continued during Black History Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month) is very much still needed. On Sunday, a Houston Dynamo fan was banned for life for making racist comments towards an opposing player. Even more disheartening than the comments that one fan made were some of the comments that hundreds of readers have made about the story. This is just another awful display of ignorance on the part of the one fan in question and of those who made comments in support of that fan's right to freedom of speech. If any one of those readers were abreast to the situation then they would know that this is not a matter of ones right to The First Amendment.

(And by the way, that argument is mute in the first place. No one has taken away that man's right to free speech; he is still allowed to make all the racist comments his heart desires. The problem with people crying out for the First Amendment to save them when they have made ignorant and stupid comments and/or actions is that consequences like a lifetime banishment from a soccer stadium sometimes comes with the territory. Some places don't want to be associated with that type of behavior, and it is their right to make that distinction, too.)

Hispanic Heritage month is as much about minorities in general than it is for just Hispanics; the fact that there is an official recognition of one group is not just a victory for that one group of people but for all minorities who fight the daily struggles of intolerance and bigotry. Many people question the reasons why any recognition for one minority group is need, it is also argued that if equality is to be reached then no group of people should receive any special attention at all. While in a perfect world this would be the case, but as most of us know, and as this incident and some of the comments illustrate, the world is far from perfect. Those that make the argument against Hispanic, Native American, Black, or Asian heritage recognition most likely have not had to endure ignorance or racism as a part of their daily lives. For that very reason, time must be set aside so that those who don't know can have the opportunity to learn so that peace and equality can be achieved.