Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz Central as well as on Carlos Santana’s recent DVD release “Montreux Blues Summit”. His point of view adds plenty to our discussion, so I welcome Andrew and his column The Topsoil to Allaboutrace.com. As Andrew says, “You gotta turn the topsoil to plant a crop!”

At about 3am the other weekend, I got a surprise call from an old road roommate. He was in my area doing a handful of pickup gigs and yes…we musicians do keep real screwy hours. I was glad that he called because I rarely get to see him since he moved to Nashville. The cost of living is a little more reasonable down South. He decided that he would rather live like a King in the stix than live on a string out here. I have visited him at his palatial estate, with its quarter mile driveway, swimming pool, orchard, etc… It’s a tough life but someone has to live it. He has adjusted well and made a lot of good friends, some of whom I have met. They are proud unabashed rednecks, as southern and blue collar as they come. To illustrate this, I cite an example of him telling me about being awakened the other morning by his neighbor sighting in his muzzle loader in the backyard for the upcoming deer season.

So you ask, what does this have to do with our discussion?

Did I mention my friend is Black and grew up in south east D.C.? Not only is he Black, but for a day he was the most envied Black musician in the world for he was the stage drummer at the Million Man March. His happiness and adjustment to his new surroundings is proof that for the most part, you can take your stereotype images of racist rednecks and white folk in general and toss them out the window… well, for the most part. So, the two of us are suckin’ down beers, tellin’ lies, laughing at old stories, when we start talking about Southern culture. My friend brings up the Stars and Bars and tells me how “Black folk up North just don’t understand, it’s heritage not hate”. We traded a whole bunch of politically incorrect jokes, talked about music and old friends until the beer was gone and the sunrise chased us away.

As fate would have it, I get an email a couple of days later from an enraged friend who I have had the Stars and Bars debate with on more than one occasion. Seems that she had discovered this obscene group and their hate site:

An embarrassment to my race. And in one fell swoop, they nearly flushed any argument I or anyone ever had about Southern heritage down the toilet. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we must take the ramblings of these criminally stupid idiots seriously.

The broad brush with which these jackasses paint all persons of a particular race illuminates their ignorance. It is nothing short of an embarrassment not only to persons of Southern heritage but to all Caucasians who are having this garbage forwarded in their name.

I believe strongly in free speech. I also believe in the right to disseminate ideas in an unfettered manner …regardless of how banal. We must realize though that there is a line between humor and hate, satire and advocacy. This crosses that line by a mile.

Perhaps someone should inform these cyber savvy trailer park trolls that although this gets them laughs at the local pool hall, the images of a black man hanging could qualify as conspiracy to incite, a hate crime as well as a domestic terror threat. These are serious offenses, either of which could land them in jail.

I am certain that anyone sympathetic to the cause of these racist morons would immediately dismiss my opinion as nothing more than the ramblings of just another “Yankee, left wing, liberal, pinko, n***** lover.” If this is your uninformed perception of who and what I am, you are sadly mistaken. Many of my roots are planted in this same dirt and I am as hard core Right wing as they come. What that means is that I am an American. I believe in the Constitution and EVERY person’s right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. I believe you have a right to your racist opinions but you don’t have the right to intimidate others. That infringes on the rights of others and that is as un-American as it gets.

It’s senseless to have blind hatred without cause, or purpose, or without ever even having any direct experiences with the target of your angst. On the other hand, I have had enough negative encounters with blacks to fuel the whole movement. When I was in elementary school, I had my bike stolen by the only black kids who lived within 3 miles. My mother had to bring me money at least once every other week because the bussed kids stole bag lunches from the coat room. I was being pushed by one of the bussed kids so I punched him out. The principal, who was black, which was rare, suspended me and had the gall to tell my parents that it would be “detrimental” to the black students’ “family image” to get punished too. In junior high school, a group of 8-10 black kids beat me up as I was walking home from the store. After college, 3 of my first 4 job interviews told me to hang it up because the only jobs available were open to fulfill E.O.E. requirements… shall I continue?

So why in the heck would I still maintain a good number of close relationships with people of races other than my own?

The difference is that I am a rational intelligent individual who realizes the futility in hating someone for no good reason. Lucky for me that I have a brain because during times when white people wouldn’t give me a chance, black folks did, and they took me to places in my career that others can only dream of.

For me personally, my contempt is focused on those who have either harmed me directly, or toward those ignorant individuals who choose to emulate and re-enforce negative stereotypes. Whether it is done for social acceptance or out of just plain stupidity, blaming your shortcomings on people you have never met is wrong. What is even worse is doing this while hiding behind a sheet or by hijacking a symbol of heritage and using it to create the false impression of a great legion dedicated to this moronic calling.

Please be aware also that I am as politically incorrect as they come. I love ethnic humor, but there is a line that should not be crossed. I grew up in an era when ethnic humor was acceptable. It was a way to identify and iron out our differences. Most of the time, people made fun of their own racial or ethnic group, revealing its humorous idiosyncrasies. Flaming hateful accusations at others was a rarity and was shunned because it is just not funny nor is it productive.

A couple of years ago, I got a week off after a busy period of performing with one of the old time, original blues artists/groups. I decided to take a vacation to go see an old friend and do some hunting by the Pee Dee river in South Carolina. This area was as backwoods, dirt road, redneck as it could ever possibly get. The first day I was there, my buddy took me to a friends’ hunting cabin where they were having a fish fry. This would give me a chance to meet a dozen or so of “the boys” and I was kind of a guest of honor “bein’ a Yankee and all”.

We were chowing down on some tasty fish that they had caught that morning in the 2 acre pond that surrounded the cabin. We were discussing where we would be taking the A.T.V.s to go tracking when they told me, “Oh, and if yer stoppin’ on the road, make sure you ain’t stoppin’ in front of nobodys’ mailbox”. A little puzzled I turned to my friend and asked why.” ‘Cause the black folks that live around here, most of them ain’t workin’ and they might think you’re trying to steal their welfare check… they’ll shoot at you if you stop there.” Still groggy from traveling and thinking in terms of urban vernacular, I made the mistake of asking, “You mean some N***** is gonna pop a cap in me just for standing in front of his damn mail box?”

You could have heard a pin drop. They all shot me disapproving glances and shook their heads.

The Patriarch of the group (yes those things still mean something to Southern gentlemen) turned to me and spoke. “Well now Son, I don’t think it’s right to speak ill of someone just because they are poor and are trying to defend their money.” “If there was work they’d work, but the tobacco laws done changed and there ain’t much for ‘em…I suppose they can’t help that.”

I apologized and explained that I was just using the vocabulary of a stupid Yankee and that I meant no harm. After that graceless little screw up, the rest of that weekend continued splendidly. I had a good time and even earned us “Yankees’” a little respect with my marksmanship.

A couple of days after I came home, there was a present in my mailbox. It seems that these old blue blood land owners pulled a couple of strings and got me a present; a flag that flew above South Carolina State House. It is one of my most cherished prize possessions.

Stereotypes do exist. Certain cultural behaviors are often germane to certain groups. Some are harmless, others are not. The point of the matter is, not everyone of a given race displays these traits, positive or negative, and therefore cannot be held to account for actions they do not engage in. Because of the decency these gentlemen displayed in defending the honor of blacks that they did not know, and the shame they made me feel for a simple slip of the tongue, I will never let anyone tell me that the Stars and Bars are a symbol of hate. I see now that this symbol’s misuse to elicit images of hate, and any claims of superiority based only on the color of a person’s skin, is an abomination, an embarrassment, and an insult to everything that is American.

I hope people of all races reject groups like the one I’ve identified above, regardless of the target. Hatred is a powerful thing and can invoke powerful responses. It should not be dispensed in a cavalier fashion. Doing so exhibits an ignorance of every moral principal for which our founding fathers stood, our fathers fought wars, and the civil rights leaders marched. I reject blind racial hatred wholly.