Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Changing The World One Bumper At A Time

The other day while driving, I saw a car (I think it was a Prius) with a bumper sticker on it that said "Eracism."

And it was amazing, because suddenly I could feel my whole attitude changing. See, I had been this virulent, hateful racist oppressing people and discriminating at every turn and delighting in it. I used to tell people, "I'm a racist. And I'm proud of it. I just happen to think that it's the right way to be."

But when I saw that bumper sticker, it's as if the scales fell off my eyes and I could see again. Suddenly, my foolishness came fully into focus, and I realized "By golly, that dude in the Prius is not only environmentally friendly, he's right! Racism isn't good and praiseworthy, like I thought it was. It's bad, and should be erased!"

Anything less witty might not have done the trick. In my seething, reflexive hatred, I probably would have been impervious to "Please quit being a racist," or "Racism is an awful thing," or something clumsy like that. But the simple, witty elegance of "Eracism" profoundly changed me. If only more people were willing, like Prius-guy, to take such a bold and lonely stand against such popular and beloved practices as racism. Oh, what a different world we'd live in.

And you know something else? Mean people really do suck. I understand that now after driving behind a 20-something girl who lives in my neighborhood. Who knew that changing the world was this easy and sterile?

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