"N.A.A.W.P.?!"

I grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly Italian-American; there were some Polish-Americans, but, we were overwhelmingly of Italian heritage. Nearly every kid I knew in school ended their names in vowels. I knew a lot more Dominicks, Angelos and Vinnies than I knew Chads or Hunters. White bread was crusty and came in a long loaf in my neighborhood; nobody ate a sandwich on mushy bread. There was always the smell of “red sauce” coming from somebody’s house on the block; it still makes me hungry when I think about it too long. Occasionally, you could hear Italian spoken from one neighbor to another or broken English from the older residents, like my grandmother, Nona. We didn’t know we were a “minority”, we just thought we ate better than anybody else in America did.

I heard the words “Wop”, “Dago” and “Grease-Ball” later in life, from people who only said it to me “one time”; I was a little touchy about it. My Dad believed a man was to be judged by the life he led, not by ethnic or racial standards; of course, it was always better to be Italian though.

I first heard the term “WASP” in high school, pertaining to the “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant” majority of America at that time. I never really thought much about being in a “minority” while I was a kid. I guess kids don’t measure each other that way unless they are taught that at home.

My Dad loved to “mess with people”. He had a friend from work, a “black friend”, who was stopping by our house to borrow some tools from Dad; his name was Jimmy Walker, and I met him once where my Dad worked. Mr. Walker was a really nice man and enjoyed a good joke. I remember my Dad saying to him, “Jimmy, lets have some fun. Take a walk with me outside the house, and act like you are thinking about buying it.” Jimmy quickly laughed and agreed to do it. I walked outside with them, and it was amazing to see the heads popping out of windows and doors in panic and curiosity at their “prospective neighbor”. When we went back into the house both men laughed hysterically. I liked my Dad very much!

I just read an article from the BBC News stating that births by non-Whites are now surpassing births of White people. If this trend continues, the White majority in America will soon forfeit its position. Perhaps this will mean “press 2 for English” will soon be on most message machines. If this comes to fruition, I wonder if “White folks” can organize political action committees like other minority groups (not the KKK). Will Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton appear at rallies for White people? Those people could now possibly be classified as an oppressed minority population. Perhaps, White people could now get preferred treatment when they take a test for a civil service job, like some other minorities do. I wonder if we will see groups like “LaRaza” formed to combat anti-White sentiment from the majority population. I can see it now; signs saying “MORE WHITE BREAD”, “UP WITH MAC’N”CHEESE” and “I LOVE SWEATER VESTS”; yes ,there will be riot police everywhere!

I know these examples sound ridiculous, as they should. White folks won’t be rioting, as no American should be rioting for any type of preferred rights because of ethnicity or race. If our government and our society would only operate within the precepts of our Constitution, everything else would work itself out; you know, “equal treatment under the law”, the main message of our Constitution.

We need to forget about how many of each race or ethnic group we have in America, and concentrate on who are qualified to move America in the right direction, regardless of background. It’s what is inside people that matters, although it is better to be “Italian”!