To the editor:
Growing up, my mom would always tell me: “God don’t like ugly”.  Well, if that’s true, he must hate politics.  Over the past few months, I’ve heard some of the most repulsive comments imaginable from friends, family, and colleagues.  After all these months, the negativity is starting to weigh me down.
Disgusting commentary by Fox News, CNN, and left and right wing bloggers makes the pathetic casual conversation with people in the grocery store or work seem like an Ivy League Poli Sci course.  I was talking with a close friend and we both realized we have black friends making fun of the Clintons and accusing the Bush’s of conspiring against us; similar to Kanye West’s reaction to Katrina.  Some of our strongly white feminist friends sat silent while the media tore apart Michele Obama, confused when they went after Hillary Clinton, and are now up in arms at the media’s treatment of Sarah Palin.  Why the double standard?  I’ve heard men call women the B word, more times the past 3 months than any other time in my life.  Usually I would cash that type of disrespectful check with someone’s teeth, but why should it have to come to that.  What happened to common decency and chivalry?  And lets not get started on the amount of people I’ve heard wishing both Obama and McCain would die.  I grew up on the eastside of Detroit.  Death isn’t funny. 
I realized a while ago, these jokes stem from the fact, most of us have stereotypes and misconceptions about people who are different.  But as I was recently told, stereotypes are for people who are to lazy to learn about others.  They are dangerous and only serve to further divide mankind. 
Through all of this drama I’ve learned many lessons.  You should think about what you are going to say before you open your mouth. On three recent occasions, I’ve had an educated person tell me I know more about Muslims and Islam than they do because I am black. This type of thinking must stop.  Lastly, no one should assume to know something about people they have never met based on a sound bite, sleep deprived speech, commercial, or their appearance.  Give people a chance before you make a judgment on their character.
Steve Townsend
PhD Candidate
UNCF/Merck Fellow
Department of Chemistry
Vanderbilt University
