Morgan Freeman's comment about racism makes sense to me. When our speech relegates skin color to the same level of importance as hair color, then we are probably not profiling people. On the other hand, when we see injustice, and especially if the injustice is racially motivated, we HAVE to speak up.
I used to believe that racism was dead except in the minds of people who were paranoid about discrimination. Then my family drove through South Carolina on a trip to Disney World, and I saw the ugliest form of racism I have ever seen face-to-face, as a black Walmart employee was scolded in front of me, and in front of all the other (white) employees for speaking to a white man. I was so shocked I'm ashamed to say I was dumbstruck. The white woman had taken over the sale and had the gall to apologize to me for the black employee's behavior. Then I recovered somewhat, and I said it was HER behavior that offended me. Then I apologized to the original sales person, who was obviously afraid to acknowledge my apology. After our vacation, I wrote a lengthy email to Walmart about the incident. I do not recall seeing a response...
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