Nape's Space

“Look, he’s just a fucking coon! They’re all just a bunch of fucking coons down there anyways.” The words had entered my ears but I could not believe that I had actually heard them. I stood there in utter shock. I could not believe that a stranger would say that to me in a public place, or to anyone in anyplace. The shock wore off and I thought about how I would respond. I knew what he was talking about because he was pointing at the Toronto Star picture on the urinal wall of a black man in New Orleans begging a U.S National Guardsman for help. But I just had to ask. “Excuse me, what’s a coon?” “Oh”, he replied. “Well I’m from Texas and that’s what we call them down there.” “Call, what?” I asked. “Well, black people.” There was no turning back, “so, are all Texan’s racist like you?” “Oh, were not racist, that’s just how it is down there”, he replied. The conversation continued, “So if you’re not racist, what are you? I know what that so-called ‘coon’ is. He’s a human being that has just been made a refugee in the richest country in the world.” Like all bigots, he took stood the high ground, as it is the easiest way to look down on the “other.” “Well it’s they’re own fault cause they were told to leave. It’s not our fault they are too stupid to leave.” It was obvious that he truly believed in what he was saying and that was the saddest part about it. Perhaps that is the greatest tragedy of all. Hurricane’s may devastate a city and displace people, but bigots are much more dangerous as they destroy entire peoples. I told the guy he made me sick and walked out of the urinal. I didn’t know what else to say.