A bold prediction: the battle lines in at least one campus controversy will be drawn on the basis of race. In other words at least one issue will be seen as a confrontation between blacks and whites.
Most, I think, would agree that I have not gone out on a limb with this one. In turn the best way to do this is to recognize that the relationship between bigots and the rest of us is filled with gray areas.
To illustrate this point I would like to offer the story of John Hogan. John Hogan has worked for A-1 Air Compressor for the last 12 years. I have gotten to know him over the past two summers while I have worked at A-1. When he was 19 he fought in the Korean War and at A-1 he has earned the nickname Colonel Hogan.
Col. Hogan is an Irishman from the South Side of Chicago and despises just about everyone else. His hatred however is focused on the blacks he grew up next to on the South Side and the Asians he fought against and with in Korea (he is not picky, he hates anyone Asian).
My exposure to this hatred generally came at lunch when everyone shared stories and discussed politics. Our political discussions usually revealed Col. Hogan's passionate hatred against blacks. While we were discussing the trial of Reginald Denny, the truck driver who was beaten in the Los Angeles riots, the point was raised that "the white man" was to blame for the riots and subsequently for the beating of Denny.
Col. Hogan's responded, "Damn right we are to blame! We made the mistake of not killing all of them [blacks] when they were babies."
The Colonel's feelings toward Asians are often revealed when he has to deal with the Asian owners of dry cleaners (A-1 sells a lot of air compressors to dry cleaners). A typical comment: "He argued about the price so I said, 'Hey, I was paid to kill people like you.'"
I began to hold Col. Hogan and his beliefs in contempt. It would seem very straight forward: Col. Hogan is an awful person. That is what I thought until I happened to knock over an air compressor valued at $1,000 while I was driving the fork lift.
Most of the guys in the shop were quick to laugh or comment sarcastically, "Way to go Stick (my nickname)." However, Col. Hogan stepped in and helped me lift the compressor back to its normal upright position.
He then began to assure me that the damage was not that bad and recalled several stories of various amounts of damage he had done to air compressors over the years (including dropping several on a major expressway).
In fact he couldn't have been nicer. He repaired the damage he could and noted that the rest of it would surely be fixed when we shipped the compressor. He said exactly what an embarrassed and scared college kid needed to hear.
On that day I learned a lesson from Col. Hogan. He showed me that human beings are complex creatures. It can be very dangerous to draw our lines too quickly. We may have more in common with our enemies than we realize. But we had better realize or they will forever remain our enemies.
