Tar Baby

In a recent article in a community newspaper, a political candidate was referred to as a "tar baby". Is this 2007 or is it 1807? I like to think that we in Canada have far surpassed the time when people with dark skin could be insulted in this way, especially in a once respectable newspaper. The writer claimed he didn't know the meaning of the expression but that's impossible. It's an insult.

Back in the days when negroes had no voice and were treated shamefully as sub humans, there was a particular torture that was used on them if they "misbehaved". They were covered in hot tar and feathers. This is partly where the hated expression "tar baby" comes from.

I'm white skinned but I'll never identify myself with the monsters who committed crimes like this. They were crimes committed by bullies against defenseless people. My view is that slavery and prejudice was the result of ignorance and not something we can attribute to any race because it happened and is still happening in many cultures around the world.

Within my lifetime black skinned people went from having to sit in the back of the bus to running for the presidency of the United States. They didn't achieve this all by themselves but with the assistance of honorable white skinned people, too. I hope everyone remembers that when the occasional racist rears his ugly head.

The community newspaper mentioned is dropped in mailboxes once a week as a "freebee" but it's financially supported by it's advertisers. I'd be very surprised if many of their advertisers don't drop them. The editor, by not better policing his/her writers, may have been responsible for the demise of his/her newspaper.

Racism can't be tolerated in a multi-cultural society such as we live in. Over the years we've gained too much understanding and acceptance between races, religions, and nationalities to allow anyone to drag it back to the dark ages. None of us want to live like that ever again.