Waiting to hear from a friend after getting off work, I decided to stop into one of my favorite local coffee shops, Mestizo, to pick up a cup of joe. After putting in my customary two cream and two sugar, a woman in her mid-forties asked me if I knew of any place close by that had computers for her to use. Honestly not knowing, I told her no. Looking disappointed, I asked what she needed it for; “checking my email,” she replied. Me, being a good Samaritan, had no particular problem with her using my computer for a few minutes.
This made her drop her jaw in amazement and bewilderment.
“You are going to help me out?” She asked, befuddled. “Sure, why not?” I replied.
As I was planning on writing about something on this blog anyway, I had my computer faithfully by my side and whipped it out without hesitation and logged in for her. It was about this time that she said something that made me pause:
“But you are white.”
Me, somewhat stunned, did not quite know how to respond – she filled in the rest:
“I can’t believe a white man would help out a black woman. What is making you do this? Is it Obama? I never would have expected this in Utah.”
Still not quite knowing what to say I simply replied that I had no reason not to let her use my computer, just so long as she didn’t screw anything up on it (as far as I can tell she didn’t).
Naturally this got me thinking about race in America. I am saddened that we live in a world where this woman was genuinely surprised that a white man would help her out, and I am equally hopeful that we live in one where a white man has no problem helping a black woman out.
Perhaps this is why I am a liberal – There is no need for us to live in the world that is in that woman’s mind, but I do see the need to fight for a world where a random act of kindness does not take on added meaning. This mindset carries over to other evil liberal agendas such as equality, environmental protection, health care, civil rights, a woman’s right to choose, and education just to name a few, where I choose to stand up for the rights of the individual, not the “traditional” way things should be done.
