First, I am going to appear to be very social-minded here but trust me, I am not. Second, I am white, German background from back woods Pennsylvania. Third, one of my heroes of all time is Martin Luther King.
Let me explain these contradictions.
First, Jesus was not a socialist, anyone who thinks that errs. But he stood for treating others right, it is called LOVE. I subscribe to that. I fail at times. I miss it at times. But I try, real hard.
Second, my family had some real biases. I began to see them as wrong when I was about ten in 1954. I had an encounter with a black gentleman and a white redneck bus driver in Roanoke VA. Ten year old boys being what they are, I ran to the back of the bus to sit in that big seat that ran the whole way across the back. Someone started yelling at me. The black gentleman looked at me and simply said, "Sonny, he is mad because you are back here." I wasn't smart enough to know that sitting next to that black gentleman was against the law! I went up front with my aunt. But I couldn't figure out why it was wrong. A few years later I began to understand and what I learned has turned me to be one who will not allow this kind of injustice where I can change it.
Third, I couldn't figure out why black children couldn't go to school with whites. I remember asking one of my teachers why they would want to have two schools when it was cheaper to have one.
Finally, today I reject reverse discrimination, quotas, and any kind of separation because there is nothing in scripture that supports it. There are scriptures that talk of unity. And they talk of how good it is when brethren dwell in unity. Anything short of that is anathema to me.
So I reject a lot of things. Take a look at this.
Below is a list of sixteen executives. What do they have in common? They are with NBC. And they are ALL WHITE. Fourteen are male, two are female. None have Hispanic names.
- JEFF ZUCKER President and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal
- LYNN CALPETER Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, NBC Universal
- STEVE CAPUS President, NBC News
- BETH COMSTOCK President, Integrated Media, NBC Universal
- RICHARD COTTON Executive Vice President and General Counsel, NBC Universal
- DICK EBERSOL Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
- JOHN ECK President and Chief Information Officer, Media Works, NBC Universal
- JEFF GASPIN President, NBC Universal Cable and Digital Content
- MARC GRABOFF President, NBC Universal Television, West Coast
- MARK HOFFMAN President, CNBC
- JAY IRELAND President, NBC Universal Television Stations and Network Operations
- RON MEYER President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios
- CORY SHIELDS Executive Vice President, Communications, NBC Universal
- PETER SMITH President, NBC Universal International
- BOB WRIGHT Vice Chairman and Executive Officer, GE Chairman, NBC Universal
- MARC CHINI Executive Vice President, Human Resources, NBC Universal
Let's look at the demographics.....
If this were really representative of America there would be 8 women, not 2.
If this were really representative of America there would be 1-2 hispanics not NONE.
If this were really representative of America there would be 1-2 Afro-Americans not NONE.
If this were really representative of America there would be 1 American Indian not NONE. Note that I reject the term Native American because there is evidence that there was a people here before the "Indians" and they were slaughtered by the "Indians." Until this is resolved the name should be withheld. It helps chiseling it off monuments.
What is wrong with this picture. Here is NBC - a company who's editorial stance supports all of the touchy-feely things like quotas, reverse discrimination and the like. Let me show you. Which two of these should NBC fire and replace with Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton? Surely it doesn't matter which of these me is kicked out. Which should they fire to replace with two Illegal Mexican immigrants? It would be easy to prove empirically that NBC engages in gender and race discrimination.
So let's fix it. Come on. Which six males will they fire and be replaced by Susan Ginsburg, Rosie Odonnell, the three Dixie Chicks and Ellen Degeress?
Surely this makes sense.
If NBC really believes it's editorial stance on this they would put their money where their mouth is..... Let's start at the top.
Let's replace JEFF ZUCKER President and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. Any college dropout should be able to handle his job.
Let's replace STEVE CAPUS President, NBC News with Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks.
Let's replace RICHARD COTTON Executive Vice President and General Counsel, NBC Universal with Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks.
Let's replace DICK EBERSOL Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics with Ellen Degeress.
Let's replace RON MEYER President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios with Al Sharpton.
Let's replace CORY SHIELDS Executive Vice President, Communications, NBC Universal with Jessie Jackson.
Let's replace MARK HOFFMAN President, CNBC with
Get the picture? My idea is insanity but no more insane than what we have. And BTW, we could do the same thing with CBS, ABC and most of the companies in Hollywood.
But what about others who try to divide? What about the Congressional Black Caucus? Should we have a Congressional White Caucus? What about the Jewish Anti-defamation League? Should we have a Christian Anti-defamation League? What about the NAACP? Should we have an NAAWP? Would those be acceptable?
A man in Pennsylvania named Thaddeus Stephens created a school for poor white orphans some time in the late 1800's. By the 1960's this was contested and the school admitted afro-Americans. And it was right for that to change even if it was late. But why do we to this day we have scholarships that are only for afro-American or Hispanic students?
I think we need to rethink the insanity. It is time to open opportunity rather than close it. It is time to expand the pie rather than devising insane ways to divide it. It is time to let the cream rise no matter what color it is. Anything less is stupidity.
And I go back to Martin Luther King who said it better than anyone since the Apostle Peter broke the Jew/Gentile line by saying, "I perceive that God is no respecter of persons."
"When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
We will all be free when everyone is free to be what they can be.
