Tube City Almanac

April 24, 2008

Waiting for God

Category: Mon Valley Miscellany || By

You probably know Ronald Reagan's pony joke.

I'm going to screw it up, but it goes something like this. A little boy comes downstairs on Christmas morning to find a giant pile of horse manure next to the tree.

When his parents come down a few minutes later, they find him happily digging through the manure.

"Jimmy, why are you digging in that horse manure?" his mom says, horrified.

"Because, with all of this horse manure, there must be a pony nearby," Jimmy says.

Why am I telling this story? Because I'm going to try and dig through the pile of racism in the Mon Valley and find the pony.

Go back and read the comments earlier this week from Aynthem and Lauren, who were rightfully horrified by the article that appeared in the Washington Post this week about Our Fair City.

I was more embarrassed than horrified. Maybe I've become used to hearing stupid racist stuff for years. And you probably are used to it, too. (Which is really depressing, when I think about it.)

After reading what Aynthem and Lauren wrote, I tried coming up with a nice, polite, reasonable response.

Well, screw that. Let's cut to the chase: Statistically speaking, the Mon Valley is very old. It has an disproportionate number of old white people whose racial attitudes are Neanderthal, and slightly younger people who grew up listening to the old bigots spout a lot of crap.

Some of the people in the older generation grew up when the mills were using African-American labor, imported from the South, to bust the unions. That's no excuse. I'm not forgiving them. But it's the root of some of the attitudes that persist to this day.

In a normal area, people with outdated racist attitudes would be one small part of a larger population. This is not a normal area. We lost an entire generation of people in the 1980s, and we haven't recovered yet.

So, the bad news is that people with antique racial attitudes often seem to drown out the voices of good intentioned people. The worse news is that the old racists are not going to change.

Here's the good news: They don't need to change. Time is catching up with them. As Dick Morris and Eileen McGann wrote in the New York Post this week:

Of the 50 states, only Florida has a higher over-65 proportion of its population. But there's a key difference: Florida's elderly moved there --- Pennsylvania's are the folks that are left after the young people moved away.

I don't know how else to say this, so I'll blurt it out.

The old farts are dying at a rapid pace. The median age of the residents of the Mon Valley --- and all of Pennsylvania --- is going to inevitably move back toward the national average within a generation or so, and their grandchildren have more enlightened attitudes.

Racism isn't genetic. While there are plenty of under-30 bigots in the Pittsburgh area, there are too many black and white kids going to school together, hanging out together, working together and dating for me to think that racism is endemic in the younger generation. (You didn't see interracial couples in the Mon Valley 20 years ago. No one bats an eye now.)

People who aren't small-minded have to keep speaking out against prejudice of all kinds. And includes arguing with dad, grandma or our friends whenever they say something incredibly bigoted about any group.

We need to make it clear that these attitudes aren't acceptable.

Not because we have a chance of changing their minds. But because we have to make sure that their outdated attitudes don't infect the next generation.

Although bigotry isn't genetic, it is a communicable disease.

Rest assured, time is always on the side of justice. God is going to judge the bigots, and in some cases, soon.

Until then, unfortunately, we're going to have to keep plowing through the racist horse crap.

The pile gets a little smaller every year, but it can't go away soon enough.






Your Comments are Welcome!

Excellent post, and well-stated. I completely agree.
mon valley girl - April 25, 2008




As for me, I am not prejudiced.

I hate all people equally.
terry - April 25, 2008




Very, very well said. I especially like the part “Not because we have a chance of changing their minds. But because we have to make sure that their outdated attitudes don’t infect the next generation.”
Bulldog - April 25, 2008




Jason,

As usual, you nailed it.

How else would you explain Senator Obama winning Mt. Lebo and Upper St. Clair and getting HAMMERED 254-47 in Haler Heights?

Racism, and prejudice off all kinds, is a two way (or many way) street. Have you seen “Crash”?

I fight this fight every day in McKeesport. I was elected to serve “ALL” the people and do my best to do that. THe racial criticisms hurled my way on Election Day and the time surrounding the election were uninformed and ignorant.

We must attack this problem with education. How many folks, for example, know that a black man saves their lives every day? It was a black gentleman who invented the traffic light that keeps us saf on the roads.

Not many know that.

I challenge the O’reillys, Hannitys, Limbaughs and COulters of the world to read about the struggles of African Americans in these United States.

Senator Obama’s message of hope and change and a new style of politics, where ALL good ideas are considered unfortunately fell on a lot of deaf ears in certain areas of our city.

We are making progress along these lines. My son is one of the token “white boys” on our 9th grade basketball team but is liked and respected (for who he is and for the level of his game) by his mostly black treammates.

He has never heard his father use the “N”-Word or speak badly of anyone due to their skin color or creed.

We are all God’s Children. We are all Human Beings.

We all deserve the respect of our fellow man.

THings have gotten slightly better in McKeesport and I hope that you are right about the future, as I believe that you are.

As recently as the 1960’s, there were restaurants in McKeesport where a black person wasn’t welcome.

TOday, racism isn’t as quite in the open but it still lurks in the shadows.

Time to broing light and change to the shadows.

That is part of my mission as, God willing, the future Mayor of McKeesport.

Peace in our time, and at home.

~Sluggo
Paul "Sluggo" Shelly (URL) - April 26, 2008




its basicly like this…what you go through in life makes you who you are. i had a group of black friends that were alot lower class then me lived in the projects in mckeesport and on the hill. they turned out to be no good they stole from me had someone close to me that was white held at gun point. my saying is maybe 99 out of 100 are bad but not all blacks are well in the mckeesport area thats maybe about right. but i knew these guys since the 5th grade and they were pieces of shit. when a guy who is black youve known since a kid turns his back on you and steals it makes you think alot different of blacks as a whole group of people. well it made me racist for a couple years but ive grown out of that stage in life. but ill always be extra on point if blacks are around. the saying is around blacks never relax is how i feel.
youngmanwitholdschoolviews - April 27, 2008




Well, Young Man, I’m sorry your friends turned out bad, but keep this in mind—it isn’t the color of a person’s skin that makes a difference, it’s the character of the person inside the skin. I will also say this— and if you think about it, you may recognize it—peer pressure is a powerful force. If someone is surrounded by bad influences, especially if young, it is awfully hard to stay above it. You can’t judge people that way. Remember this too. This same scene has been played out in the ‘Burg for over a century. The scapegoats change (the Italians, the Hungarians, the Croats, the Jews, the blacks), but the need to get past it still remains.
ebtnut - April 27, 2008




I was going to add something, ebt, but I can’t improve on that.

When I add up all of the white people who’ve done me dirt over the years, there are many more than the number of black people … I guess I should be more suspicious of white people ….
Webmaster - April 27, 2008




Jason, I REALLY appreciate your honest response regarding the racism issue; it put all of the negatives into perspective for me (and it aided in lifting me out of the “funk” that I was in over the election).

My sincere hope is that voters will judge the candidates not on their race but what they can contribute to the greater good of our society.

Peace.
Lauren - April 27, 2008




We are to a certain extent a product of our surroundings. There is good and bad in all races and creeds and in each and every pne of us to a certain extent.

Have we made progress? Yes. Do we have far to go? Yes.

Much of the progress we could have made was lost over the years after the assasinations of Dr. King and RFK.

I liken it to the Mon-Fayette being blocked by Mr. Cox and the NRA 40 years ago. We suffered a great loss and the Valley is still suffering the negative side effects.

If nothing else, Senator Obama’s candidacy has exposed our shortcomings concerning racial prejudice and brought them back to light.

Now that the problems are out there, and our City has been scrutinized nationally, perhpas folks will start to work on a solution.

I was fortunate as a child. Despite growing up in a farily racist neighborhood, where my own Polish immigrant inlaws derided blacks, my Father new better.

He had been to the military and taught to trust your buddy. Whitr or black. His best friend in the world was Detective Junior Grimball, a man still close to me, who happened to be black. My dad never had to have a “talk” with me about race. He led by example.

I hope I am setting such a good example for my son and my girls.

I believe that racism, like most social ils, starts in the home and that is where the problem needs addressed. We are not born racists or anything else for that matter.

We are ALL born human beings and in this country all have the same unaliaenable rights, guaranteed us, all of us, by our Constitution.

If instead of racism, we parents spoke and acted of tolerance in the home, McKeesport, Pennsylvania and these United States would be a better place.

Peace.

~Sluggo
Paul "Sluggo" Shelly (URL) - April 28, 2008




Jason — thanks for shining a light on an ugly part of the complex story that Dana Milbank missed. Then again, maybe “missed” is too strong. His article did spur this conversation.

It seems to me that your self-deprecating comment about your “mediocre journalism career” is premature. Blogs like yours help keep “THE PRESS” accountable.

“Waiting on God” may be an inevitable solution to racism (and misogyny) in the Mon Valley, but when I talk to teenagers in my integrated neighborhood, it’s clear that answer may come too late for them. I prefer the title of Pittsburgh author Albert French’s 1998 novel, “I Can’t Wait on God.” I hope we don’t let this opportunity for dialogue and action escape us.
Strisi - April 28, 2008




Strisi, there are at least three managing editors in the Pittsburgh area who would disagree with you about my journalism skills.

As for Dana Milbank, sometimes it takes an outsider to look at things through fresh eyes and spot the obvious. (It’s like “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”)

I’ve shown visitors around the area a few times, and looking at things from their perspective can be a real eye-opener. They’ll point out something, and I’ll say, “Huh, I never noticed.”
Webmaster - April 28, 2008




If anything, Dana’a article was one of the most stereotypical I have ever heard. So what if I payed $45,000 for it. I am making double payments on a well-maintained 3-bedroom originally owned by a dependable, sturdy, & gritty…..railroad switchman. Bet you thought I was going to say “steelworker”, Dana?

I saw an older black woman at one of the local grocery stores, looking around as if she could not find what she was looking for. An employee walked up and kindly asked if she needed any help. She replied, “I want someone of my own color to help me.” Hopefully the old bitterness will die off with the old timers.

I am thinking of starting a business. A co-worker was shocked. He said I was crazy and that there are not enough patrons out there now. I said that it can only go up from here. He replied, “It’s only going to get worse…much worse.” God, I hope not.

Young man, ebtnut is right. Peer pressure is tough. Once the system that keeps them locked in poverty is gone, then they will have all the opportunities (and responsibilities) that everyone else does. The all in this nation will scratch thier heads and wonder what all the bitterness was about.

P.S. Isn’t “Waiting for God” a BBC TV show?
The Dude from West MIfflin - April 29, 2008




You’re good, Dude. It was a BBC-TV show which is still running (I think) on WQED.

“Waiting for God” went off the BBC in 1994, but WQED is stuck in a kind of timewarp. Based on their lineup, you’d think the UK stopped making TV shows 20 years ago:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/waitingforgod/
Webmaster - April 29, 2008




Oh, and Dude, start that business (assuming you have a product or service worth selling, and a good business model :-)).

In the Internet age, it doesn’t matter so much where your “bricks and mortar” store is located, and besides, I tend to agree that we’re only going to go up.

Unless you’re talking about a pizza shop or something. Pizzas delivered by UPS tend to congeal in the bottom of the envelopes.
Webmaster - April 29, 2008




I don’t get why someone would let one or two encounters with a race effect their view of the entire race forever? Many women are raped, sexually abused and physically abused by men, but the majority don’t go around claiming to not like all men for the rest of their lives. At some point you’d think a rational person would realize that experience was based on ONE PERSON, not the ENTIRE community of people. If it had been a white person who robbed you, would you develop the same view on ALL whites?
shana - May 22, 2008




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