“The Fine Print”, by Michael Schrader

ARCHIE BUNKER'S PLACE

(Written 17 June 1998. Published in the Neighborhood Journal. Posted 30 June 2009.)

A draft report released by Metroplan, the Metropolitan Planning Organization for Central Arkansas (whose jurisdiction includes Lonoke County), confirmed what folks in the cities along the Old Southwest Trail (US 67) have known for quite a while--they are growing. The cities that have grown are justifiably proud of their growth, and want to shout it from the highest rooftop. However, before the shouting begins, it should be noted that there is a very dark, very odious side to this growth.

If you look at the data, the new residents consist almost entirely of one ethnic group--white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. While most do not seem to find a problem with this, what this means is that we are creating communities without any kind of diversity. Diversity is what makes a community healthy; lack of diversity makes a community, well, boring. Who wants to be around people, day in, day out, who are exactly like us? I know I don't. It would be like eating the exact same thing for dinner every single day. When you go out to eat, do you order the exact thing that you could have had at home if you had not gone out to eat? I know I don't. Why would I want to spend money on something that I could have for "free"? Suppose that you ate sirloin steak, a baked potato, and salad every day. After the first few days, your mouth would salivate at the thought of eating a hot dog!

Diversity, not conformity, is what has made our country great. We are a nation of many different peoples, with many different cultures, but somehow we manage to coexist. There is a reason that the Constitutional Convention at times became such a heated affair. That's right, because it was attended by delegates from different locales with different ideas about how the government should work. The Constitution of the United States, the Supreme Law of the Land, is the result of that diversity, a single document forged from the many different ideals presented at that convention. "E Pluribus Unum". ("Out of many, one".)

You are probably asking yourself why I am bringing this up. Well, I will tell you. Just the other day, I heard someone use the "N" word. You know the word. The word that white folks can only say in front of other white folks in an all white town. A word which I find to be one of the most offensive words in the English language.

It's quite easy to be a bigot when you live in a place that owes much of its growth to Archie Bunkers who are fleeing the "diversity" of Little Rock. It's always easy to talk tough when the bully is not around. Let's see them go into the heart of Little Rock (you know, into the "hood") and say that. You wouldn't catch these tough-talkers dead in Little Rock. (Or should I say alive?)

As longtime readers of this column know, I live in Little Rock. Smack in the middle of it. In an integrated neighborhood, no less. Yes, I have black folks who walk down my street. What do I do when I see black folks walking down the street? Why, I wave and say "Howdy!", just like I do when I see white folks. You see, just because you are not white does not mean you are a savage. Amazingly, I live in a neighborhood with a very low crime rate. It's called respecting your neighbors, regardless of race.

As a Christian, I believe that we are all reflections of God. God is neither black or white or yellow or red; He is all colors, all things, so each and every person, regardless of skin tone, is a reflection of Him. So, if I consider myself to be somehow superior to any of His creations, then, in effect, I consider myself to be superior to Him, which, of course, I am not.

Racism and bigotry, then are insulting to God, by claiming that we, as mere mortals, are superior to Him, as reflected in His children who are not like us. Because I find it so personally offensive, I refuse to patronize establishments where bigotry is tolerated. Yes, even ones I have done business with before. Why? Because it is the right thing to do. And I encourage others to do the same.

If we do not, we will end up with a country of Archie Bunkers.

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