American Racism Revisited

I grew up seeing racism all around me. It wasn't directed toward me, but it made me feel uncomfortable nonetheless. The "off color" jokes were everywhere. The ease with which normally polite people could spout hateful epithets was shocking. It was like watching people play catch with a hand grenade without knowing that it could explode. 

Occasionally, I spoke up and protested the use of such language. That's when the deeply ingrained hatred rose up, showed its ugly face and bared its menacing teeth. "You're just a ****** lover!" Thanks for that assessment, Goober, but your thoughtless opinion means nothing to me.