Annette John-Hall: Locating the line between ignorance and racism

My recent column pointing out the dog-whistle politics of race, which has color-coded the presidential campaign, apparently struck a nerve.

I knew it would.

Race is always a thorny issue. Most folks hope that if they don't talk about it, it will go away, like a nagging ache. What I've learned is that you bring it up at your own peril, lest the messenger gets accused of the very thing she writes about.

I get why even thinking about race can be emotionally burdensome, especially for those old enough to remember segregation. Fact is, the despicable history of racism in this country has caused many African Americans to view the world through a racial prism.

So when we hear terms such as lazy and food-stamp president used to describe the nation's first African American president; when we see an entire movement crop up solely to question President Obama's citizenship (back to Kenya, anyone?); when the commander-in-chief is the target of unspeakable disrespect (a Photoshopper's dream subject), well, excuse me for peeling the skin off of an intention that, for some, is far more sinister than simply taking issue with the president's policies.

And it's not only black folks who feel that way.

A white reader from Chester County wrote: "We all know the stereotypical words 'stupid' and 'lazy.' " Talk about dog whistle!!! ... Where are the editorials attacking this out and out racism?"

But far more readers chastised me: "That's right, a racist under every rock," wrote one in an e-mail. "What about the white girl being threatened by the black teacher over a Romney shirt? Analogizing it to the KKK. If a black student wore an Obama shirt and was similarly threatened, you, the mayor, NAACP, the black community, would be marching. It would be national news. But for the white girl, nada."

Plenty of you accused me of ignoring Samantha Pawlucy's story because Pawlucy is white and her teacher, Lynette Gaymon, is black.

I blogged about the incident last week. Nevertheless, here's what I want to stress: everything that's racial isn't racist. There are times you just have to separate the racists from the idiots.

Like Todd Akin, the "legitimate rape" congressman from Missouri. Idiot. Like Arkansas legislator Jon Hubbard, who wrote that the institution of slavery "may actually have been a blessing in disguise." Ignorant. And just as ignorant are the people who vote for them.

Also topping the stupidity list: teacher Lynette Gaymon.

It didn't matter if Pawlucy was black or white, Gaymon was completely out of line for muffling her student's right to express herself.

If I'm Gaymon, I'm applauding my students simply for engaging in the political process, and I'm working hard to create a classroom where diverse views can be heard. After all, isn't that what we should be urging our young people to do?

The problem is that our assumptions about race infect our attitudes before any dialogue can take place. Why is it that we always feel that we have to take a side when so often our experiences should be more unifying than divisive?

Should it be so hard for us to understand why the parents of murdered Florida teen Trayvon Martin are in pain and looking for justice for their child?

Or why Samantha Pawlucy's parents would be upset?

Just like you or I would be.

Still, there's a fine line between ignorant and racist behavior, and the presidential campaign seems to have pushed a lot of people over the line.

New on the GOP campaign trail was a T-shirt by one supporter: "Put the white back in the White House." Some entrepreneur out there is cleaning up.

And then there are people like Bill Skuby, the white owner of a men's clothing store in Spring Lake, a sleepy Shore town in Monmouth County. Smack-dab in the middle of his window display, Skuby has posted a photo of President Obama sitting spread-eagle, clad in nothing but a feathered headdress and loincloth, complete with a bone through his nose and holding what looks to be a spear.

The caption underneath the photo reads: "Obamacare - Coming soon to a clinic near you."

Did I mention that the "C" in "Obamacare" is done up in the shape of a hammer and sickle?

Just in case you're keeping score at home, we've got our president cast as a voodoo witch doctor who conjures up communist spells.

The Obama-as-witch-doctor depiction is nothing new. It's always been a tea party favorite.

"A lot of people feel the way I feel but are just afraid to say it," Skuby told New Jersey.com. "It always comes down to the race card."

Then he played one himself. He said he couldn't be racist, because his step-grandchild is biracial.

Just like the president.