In the forefront of every American mind during this period in our country is the renewed battle for civil rights. Somehow despite law and rights being equal, it is still a terrible travesty to be black. This is at least how it is sold to our citizens by a President whom has done nothing but divide America. Before Obama was elected, it seemed racial tensions were low and people were simply able to treat others as just other people; the lines of race seemed to matter little. This is my largest issue with the entire debate on race and equal rights. It is idiotic to assume to know anything about anyone based on purely their skin color. However, to look at someone and judge them based on appearance is human nature. Perhaps this is an area we are confusing. People are being judged by how they look based on clothes, tattoos, shoes and other accessories. However, instead of blaming their failure based upon appearance, they blame it on a system of racial bias.

Growing up in Ohio, I would say I have managed to avoid having to see the ugly confrontations brought on by race. My school was almost entirely white and given our geographical location, one would assume were a bunch of ignorant rednecks. That simply is not true and is yet another example of the eagerness to judge people based on one fact. But being outside of the racial explosions gives one a unique perspective on what is happening. In fact I would say this period in our history is no more a racially charged time than it is of open class warfare.

Now, to understand class warfare, we must realize it is not a new thing. The bourgeoisie has been on top for centuries. The super-rich have had that money in their families since the time of Europe’s rise to center stage. These elitist one-percenters are the ones that many American’s view as capable of funding community programs and nationwide aid for the poor. Now, if you are one of the most powerful people in the world or America, would you really want to give up any of your wealth simply to fund your nations programs? The answer (although I am sure some gave “holier than thou” answers) is a firm no.

It is easy to attribute this article to the realms of conspiracy or to simply blow it off and say it is an over analysis of a truly racially rooted issue. However, think about it in terms of the rich and the poor. Many minority groups and a large portion of Caucasian Americans are poor. The poverty rate in our country and the amount of homeless people is astounding given our countries great wealth. But when taking into account how much wealth the super-rich and just the rich have it is easy to see the disparity between classes. This is the issue that more Americans should pay attention to. It is more in favor of the rich for the poorer classes to constantly be in a fight. This splits the population allowing for the smaller upper class to maintain control. This is not a new technique and can be seen in ancient philosophies taught in many of our nation’s liberal arts schools.

Race, at one point, was a crux in our national system; this cannot be denied or ignored. However, our current issues are not based in race. If you look at the gun violence rate and how African Americans are being killed, you are going to see a ton of black on black violence. This is because typically crime stays within your community. This leads to an increased police presence and as such leads to more arrests. Perhaps we should not be screaming “FUCK THE POLICE” and instead teach our children to comply with an officers orders as long as they follow the legal process. Teaching our children to not resist an officer and relying on a fair court and legal system to clear our name. The issues we are facing are in some police departments, but not in the majority of them. It is time to get past the race problem and realize we have a people problem. People who wish to break the laws are those who do as they will to others without fearing repercussion. These are the people we need to get off the street regardless of their race, sex or chosen gender. America needs to come together and realize a person’s skin simply cannot denote who they are at heart. Quit allowing the populace to become divided on such meaningless rhetoric. The only true battle every American faces is class warfare.