Call a racist spade, a racist spade

WHEELIN’ & DILLON

My grandfather revealed to me last weekend he is an unabashed racist. I’ve been able to look past all of the confrontational, borderline-crazy things he says on a regular basis because he is my grandfather, but I’m done trying to talk around it or make excuses. You should be too with family members and friends such like him.

The conversation began when I told him about this girl I’ve been seeing for a few weeks. She happens to be a race other than white. Which one? Doesn’t matter.

He told me despite loving me and being proud of me in all of my endeavors, I would not be able to bring her over to his house if I wanted to. Though I didn’t bring up the prospect, he said he would never accept any child me, my brother or any of our first cousins had as his grandchild if he or she is not white.

This is a common experience in families. Sensible people having to deal with, love and accept members of their family solely because they happen to have a blood connection despite horrible things they say and do. To a degree, I understand this.

Whenever there are arguments in my family where certain extremes can be forgiven, we’re usually able to hug it out and continue with our lives, accepting that there are always going to be differences between each of us.

This kind of racist crock such as with my grandfather is the situation where people should draw the line. Many people have enough sense to know when something is 100 percent wrong. It is our duty as decent human beings to call terrible acts and statements for what they are so that the essential integrity of the basics of right and wrong can remain intact.

I did what I felt like the only thing I could do and told my grandfather that was a horrible thing to say and he really should be ashamed of himself. I tried reminding him that Jesus would never condone the things he said, since my grandfather is a self-proclaimed Christian. I asked him how he expected to get into Heaven saying the things he said. This is all anyone can really do in an extreme case like his.

He seemed to be on a loop, telling me he loved me “but…” then explaining his backward view on the topic.

I will not say I no longer have any real love for my grandfather because I do. He has struggled with serious issues in his life but those facts do not excuse his hate.

I put it to him simply, as should anyone else with this same problem: You wouldn’t accept someone, even your own grandchild, just because of the color of their skin? Then it’s nothing at all for one person to not accept another, even their own grandfather, based on the content of their heart.