Color Blind, by Michael Davis – Straight No Chaser #135

October 2, 2009 Michael Davis 8 Comments

I was around 8 years old when I talked to my first white person. She was the girlfriend of my cousin and we were all snow bound at my aunts house after a family get together. Pat made me tea and toast. It was the first time I had EVER had tea and the ONLY time I have had tea and toast.

Tea and toast is the PERFECT combination. I still remember just how good it was decades after having it for the first time and only time.

Why have I only had it once? I suspect it has to do with me not wanting to spoil the perfect memory of that cold winter day when the pretty white girl (she was a FOX) who hung out with me and made me that grown up treat.

Her name was Pat and she was and still is a FOX.

Pat’s still a fox and is now married to my cousin and I love her dearly. She’s family now and has been for decades. When I met her she was the pretty white girl, very quickly she became just Pat. Well, notJUST Pat, she’s part of my family and I love her to death.

She’s part of my family and that makes me glad.

My cousin is a no joke big time WORLD-renowned artist. He’s my mentor and the man I credit for keeping me out of jail. In truth he was the man in my life. But when I was a kid I wished for Pat to leave him and be with me.

Yep, I was sure that at 8 years old I would be able to keep her happy.

I have quite a few non-black people in my family and have for many years. I don’t see them as white or mixed, I see them as family.

Just family.

I was at a Universal Studios party the other day. I met a very pretty black girl and started talking to her. Hey-I talk to EVERYONE at an industry party that’s the point. The girl I was talking to introduced me to a white girl who worked with her. The white girl looked a GREAT DEAL like a cousin of mine. I said, “You look a lot like my cousin.” Both the black girl and the white girl thought I was making a joke because that would mean I have a white cousin.

I do have white cousins.

I realized at that moment what’s the problem in this country. We say we want equality but frown when someone different moves on to the block. I’m still getting looks on my block. We have a Black President who is called a liar and get’s no apology from the person who did so and there is NO out rage from the party of the offender.

I have many non-black people in my family. I love them all but that won’t stop the police from stopping me (IN FRONT OF MY HOME) and asking me how I could afford the car I’m driving.

The other day a democrat senator took a page from the GOP handbook and said that the GOP health care plan was ‘Don’t get sick.’ If you do get sick the plan calls for you to ‘Die quickly.’

That’s what I’m talking about.

I have a blended family and I’m proud. Pat became Pat very quickly. She stopped being the ‘pretty white girl’ and just became Pat…OK, pretty Pat, soon after I met her. I’ve been color blind ever since. I don’t know if most of my friends are black or white, I just know they are my friends.

That’s all I know. That’s all anybody should know. Until we truly become color blind then we are doomed to keep playing these silly dangerous games.

One last thing, when that ass wipe shouted at Obama “You lie.” Obama should have shouted back, “No, I won.”