It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s A Black Republican

There is nothing more vile than the way liberals of every color treat black republicans (or republicans of any group that they perceive as marginalized). Every racist slur in the book that would be hate speech if a conservative said them is suddenly justified and appropriate as long as the victim of their cruelty is republican. Of course, the people spouting these insults are often those that preach messages of black unity, perhaps too blinded by their allegiance to liberalism to see the hypocrisy of their ways.

The saddest thing is that I was once one of them- I never in my life have used malicious slurs or personally attacked anyone, but I didn’t understand black republicans. I had been taught, like everyone else, by Jon Stewart, by my professors, by popular television shows and by Buzzfeed that the Republican Party was the party of evil, greedy, selfish, racist, sexist old white men. And I had never thought to question that.

That was until I realized that many of my beliefs and arguments could be ripped to shreds by logic, reason and fact. As desperately as I tried, I couldn’t find evidence that could truly substantiate my opinions or discredit the right’s arguments.

I realized that while my parents were democrats, they had overwhelmingly conservative principles, and that those principles were responsible for their success, and my life of relative ease and privilege.

My dad grew up dirt poor on welfare, surrounded by degeneracy, crime and violence. His mother was 14 when she gave birth to him. He didn’t meet his father until he was well into his 30s. My dad is one of the hardest workers I know. Sometimes he would work three jobs at a time. When he got laid off from a great job, he never stopped trying. As much as he struggled, and as many challenges as he faced, he never gave up on himself or his family. He could have continued to live the life of dependency that he was introduced to in his childhood, but chose to be better than his circumstances, and currently earns a six figure salary as a result of that.

The GOP doesn’t hate black people or poor people or gays or women. The GOP hates big government, entitlements, and irresponsibility. Government assistance should be a last resort, not a lifestyle. If a baker doesn’t want to cater your wedding because it conflicts with their faith, the government shouldn’t be able to force them at gunpoint. Abortion isn’t a women’s issue, it’s an issue of morality and responsibility. I won’t deny that individual Republicans can be bigoted, but neither bigotry or stupidity are exclusive to a particular political movement.

To characterize the core republican values of personal responsibility and independence as “white” attributes is indisputably racist. There is nothing paradoxical or ironic or self deprecating about a black republican. There is, however, a great deal of intentional defamation and manipulation of the GOP, and a great deal of unintentional, though immature, ignorance about what it means to be a republican that certainly needs to be addressed if this country is ever going to prosper.