The answer is an obvious no. First, the tea-party movement is not as uniform as one may think. Certainly, some groups do communicate with one another and plan gatherings, but there is no single national movement, and most importantly to this debate, no Tea Party political party. So the claim that thousands, if not millions, of Americans are uniting to create a neo-nazi inspired crusade against black America is absurd and insulting.

I will concede however, that some Americans do possess racist beliefs. Whether it is a poster here, or a fiery town hall meeting there, racism is present in our society. We must remember these people are the fringe. So far right, or so far left that they hold no allegiances to political parties. With them, we have little to worry about. They will marginalize themselves and expose everything that is wrong with discrimination.

But there may be more to the racism debate in America. Does anyone remember the 2008 presidentia

l election? Yes. Does anyone remember the voter intimidation exercised by the New Black Panthers? No. Here’s why. If that story  broke two years ago, the liberal movement would have suffered a serious blowback. Organizations like

these, focused on hate and bigotry are the disease rotting away at America. We must do everything we can to push these radicals away from the mainstream and into a region where the public will immediately disregard their actions.

So in the long run, I do not expect to see race wars across the United States. After all, we recently elected our first African American president. As Americans we must remember to retain a bit of skepticism with everything we hear in an effort to prevent misinformation, one of the many reasons for discrimination and wrongdoing. As we expose these radicals it will become more evident to the American people that prejudice is not welcome in a democracy and every effort to isolate it will be encouraged.

Ralph Ellison?s masterpiece, first published in 1952, is the story of a well-educated and ideological young black man who has graduated motivated and wishes to carve out a path for himself in the world. After graduating from his high school with the honor of being the class?s valedictorian, the nameless protagonist is given the chance to speak in front of a group of wealthy white men. First, however, he must compete in a brief fighting tournament against other black men, during which he is beaten and bloodied. Following the intense melee, he successfully delivers his speech and is given a full scholarship to a black university. From this utterly degrading and horrific event, our hero?s journey begins.

The main theme of Invisible Man is the lack of individuality due to the racism found in American society. The protagonist is never judged on his individual merits but rather is characterized simply as a black man.

The wonderful work is a true gem because it is one of the finest pieces of anti-collectivist American literature. The protagonist is burdened because society refuses to acknowledge that he is an individual, a man who thinks freely and tries to separate himself from the meaningless inherent quality of skin pigmentation.

Ellison understood that in our complex modern society, it is important we abandon such collectivist constructs as racism, sexism, and ageism (among many others). It is important that we stress individuality and that just because a person is of a certain race or sex, they do not necessarily act in the manner of certain other individuals in our society who share the same inherent traits.

At the end of the day, I do not wish to be judged on the basis of such qualities as ethnicity and sex. I am not your stereotypical American male who just happens to have a dizzying, world-spanning ancestry. I am me.

Copyright 2008 Daniel Downs