There are times when an expatriate says to himself, “maybe I’ve been away too long.” This is one of those times.
The Charleston massacre shocked me and horrified me, but unfortunately it didn’t surprise me … Billy Holiday’s classic, “Strange Fruit” is as valid today as the day it was written. Racism is part of America’s DNA and will be as long as a system/culture that divides humanity into winners and losers holds “losers” in contempt and, through marketing, celebrity worship and mainstream media makes most people feel deep down like losers. In such a system feeling superior to someone, anyone, somehow, is an irreplaceable, psychological crutch. And po’ whites need that crutch more than anyone.
So, Roof’s murdering a group of peaceable African-Americans gathered for Bible study doesn’t surprise me, but seeing a photo of such a white supremacist burning an American flag does surprise me.