Rick, one of the authors at Cafe Americain, recently posted an entry I found both funny and sad. Rick quotes a New York Times article that talks about attempts by Japanese Americans in Beaumont, TX to change the name of a local road and remove the racial slur that inhabits it. The name of the road is Jap Road. To those protesting the sign it is clear why this needs changed. Others who live there are not so sure. Take this excerpt from Rick’s entry for example:

“We’re not here to bash the Japanese,” Wayne Wright, a retired petrochemical worker who is spearheading a movement to preserve the name, said in an interview before the meeting. “How can I be considered a bigot and a racist when I got a Puerto Rican son-in-law?”

It has come up in conversations lately that racism doesn’t exist anymore in America. I just try to laugh that one off. Many times people are accused of “playing the race card” for even mentioning discrimination or bigotry. Rick used the term “race-baiter” and I like that one a lot. I think he would agree with me when I say that some people should crawl out of their holes for some fresh air. If you’re crawling out then head on over and check out Rick’s Cafe Americain.