Reality of racism

Anyone that hasn't been living under a rock knows that racial comments are not right. Decent people simply do not make racial comments. Well, some people are racists and would beg to differ, but they are held in check by public behavior rules and political correctness. So I guess it would be more accurate to say decent people do not make racial comments in public -- unless provoked. \nRecently, my friend "Katie" told me about her friend "Matt" who got into a fight resulting from an inappropriate advance on his girlfriend outside a party one weekend. And although Matt is a minority himself, after a few seconds of standard verbal attacks, Matt began hurling racial insults at the other guy. \nKatie was shocked because she had never heard Matt insult any particular racial group or even jokingly mention a stereotype, let alone a full-out racial slur assault on another person. \nAfter the incident Matt told Katie something along the lines of: "You know I really don't think those things, I even have (insert ethnicity here) friends. That guy just really pissed me off." \nThis is a scenario I've seen quite a few times in my life: supposedly accepting, tolerant people let out a bigoted opinion after being made angry or upset. And then they attempt to correct their boo-boo by frantically telling everyone around them that they don't really believe the things they said to the other person. They were just angry. \nIf anything, that just proves you meant what you said even more. When people talk on a normal everyday basis, they tend to conform to social norms. Social norms nowadays tend to dictate racial stereotypes as inappropriate.\nThus, you are not likely to hear any racial comments or insults come out of anybody's mouth. \nAccording to www.wikepedia.com, extreme anger can result in a "loss of discipline." \nJust like the discipline it takes not to let your true bigoted opinions show in public. \nSo if you make a cruel comment, not necessarily even a racial one, to someone in anger, it's just what you've been thinking all along. Self-restraint just kept you from saying it. \n"I've even got friends who are (insert ethnicity here)." \nThat's quite possibly my favorite justification. As if having friends of the ethnicity that you just insulted somehow negates the fact that you just exposed yourself as a hypocrite. \nWhat would those (insert ethnicity here) friends think if they heard that outburst? I doubt they would still count you as a true friend. \nAs saddening as these types of experiences are, I have to say I am glad for them because they prove just how much we as a society need to improve on issues of race relations and discrimination. \nSociety needs to educate people about diversity and tolerance to the extent that there is no difference between someone's public and private opinions on other ethnic groups.\nIt is not enough to simply be politically correct in public 99 percent of the time and then whip out the derogatory comments whenever someone of another ethnic or religious group makes you mad.