My great-grandmother was a Nazi.

[jtuck004]

27. Bigoted and hateful is not only the realm of the old

Take a look around - those young cops slamming the black faces into the asphalt aren't even 30, and the ones beating unarmed protestors back are about the same. Mortgage agents, barely college age, made it a routine business to sell black families with identical income and scores more expensive and higher interest loans during the past few years of our financial crisis. Yet I bet they would sit around the bar and not think twice about having a drink with someone of a different color. They are no less racist because they don't hurl epithets at people.

Cross the border near my home and we can drive bythe farms and towns of the skinheads and their swastikas. Then drive into the city and l bet you won't see a black face for every 3 or 4 hundred white ones. There's a reason they write books calling these places "Whiteopias", and why they seem to be expanding.

I do think I see, marginally at least, more openess and tolerance, if not respect. But I think we are a long way from letting go of our hate. And it may be a matter of "squeaky wheels". The old ones are easier to spot since they have the guts to simply tell it to your face. I find lots of younger ones, realizing that it is not socially acceptable, seem to be more cowardly, keeping their racism and bigotry close to their chest, using code words and lies to create the same barriers when they get power or money.

Since it is very likely to take until 2020 or longer to get back to anything close to "full" employment, it will be interesting to see how well people contain their misplaced anger at the lack of opportunity, see if they actually blame those who are creating barriers or their neighbor who is just a little different.