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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Shakespeare Festival v. Shakespeare Books ... Four have filed in Ashland mayor's race ... Film fest earns U.S. Bank grant ... Shakespeare Festival v. Shakespeare Books ... Four have filed in Ashland mayor's race ... Film fest earns U.S. Bank grant ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: An epidemic of denial Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jul. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Jul. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Another black man was murdered by white police officers early Tuesday, and his name was Alton Sterling. Just as Americans were trying to come to terms with this latest incident of police brutality, another man, Philando Castile, was shot dead by a traffic cop outside St. Paul, Minn. Both men were in their 30s. Both deaths were captured on social media. It’s not exactly news in America anymore when a person of color is assassinated by a law enforcement official. The only thing that’s changed is that we now have the technology to record these disgusting incidents for posterity. The tragedy of our new insight into such incidents is that the recordings do little to change the mindset of those in our society who are not people of color. Millions of white Americans are shocked, disgusted, appalled by the actions of police “officers” who use excessive force when confronting those who do not look like them. And while many of those white folks might be appalled by the behavior of law enforcement toward black males in particular, it remains a fact that people of color — their hearts pierced anew with every arbitrary slaughter that hits the news — are seldom surprised by such actions. Because despite the ridiculous, earnest and well-meaning conversations occurring around dinner tables in liberal white America, it should be clear to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that people of color in this country are still perceived as second-class citizens — not just by the occasional fringe racist, but by the culture itself, as projected by the apparatus of law enforcement at almost every level. Lack of consciousness about this fact — the tone-deaf retorts such as “all lives matter” to the epidemic racism that exists in every facet of waking life — is similar to the suggestion that we live in a post-racial America simply because we managed to elect our first black president back in 2008. These hollow explanations are symptomatic of a kind of lazy liberalism that is designed specifically to keep the mantle of white privilege firmly in place while we express our shock and sympathy with emoticons on Facebook for a few days, before turning our attention to our Crossfit classes and our organic smoothies. In the meantime, citizens of color are in a war that has lasted since the founding of the republic, and despite what your well-meaning Anglo Saxon buddies might argue to feel better about themselves, things have not gotten better. The posture may have changed, but the lashings continue, and unless you’re a white American who is actively working to turn the tide, I’ve got some bad news for you: Your apathy is a brandished whip. Now, if you’re willfully racist, know it and want to continue on that track, there’s not much that can be done to dissuade. Stay delusional, hide your eyes, and vote for Trump in November. But if you’re a so-called liberal, a person who professes to be color-blind and devoted to your fellow man regardless of color, creed or sexual orientation, and you’re not either already in the street or ready to take to it, then I’ve got news for you — at this stage in the game, you’re a hypocrite, and you’re deluding yourself. Let’s ask ourselves if Alton Sterling or Philander Castile or any of the hundreds like them are any different from the civil rights leaders of the 1960s who took a bullet from the gun of a white man because they dared to act in a way that made an authority figure with a certain mindset feel uncomfortable? If you’re a white American, sitting in your comfortable home, reading this article over a hearty breakfast, get up and look in the mirror. Unless you’re already marching in solidarity against the oppression of your fellow citizens, then the face you see in that mirror is a culpable one. It’s time to change the world, by any means necessary. Where — and with whom — do you stand? Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Daily Tidings columnist, arts reviewer and freelance writer. Email him at gillespie.jeffrey @gmail.com. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jul. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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