Working definition of discrimination

Having to get everything right while other people are deliberately doing things that are wrong, and even when you do everything right it doesn't help.

Do I think that I have been discriminated against based on my race?  Not often.

Do I think that white people are still the advantaged race in the United States?  Without a doubt; so much so that there continues to be such rigid, unofficial segregation that the races have separate cultures and misunderstandings abound.

Do I think that I have been discriminated against based on my gender? Yes.  Viciously, for years.

Do I think that my race has sometimes been used as an excuse for the misogyny inflicted on me?  Yes.

Do I think that race is being used to excuse ruining Amy Cooper's life?  Yes, and it is terrifying how what has happened to me for a decade has set a precedent for how she's being treated.


Maybe there is some justification for a bill that addresses race-based false reporting, and I don't realize it because I would never make a false report for any reason, no matter who someone was or how much I hated the person.  I am also wary of hate crime laws.  A crime is a crime; the effect of it on the target is more important than its motivation.  Hate me if you want.  Don't kill me if you want.  You have the right to what you feel, even if I think that what you feel is unreasonable.

If there is a need for that type of law, Amy Cooper should not be blamed for it.  There should not be a media pile-up of additional, negative stories about her.  She's been exploited.  Control over her life has been taken from her and she will never have all of it back.


Christian Cooper is at least equally to blame for the incident in Central Park.  It was a minor, unnecessary incident which ended without real harm to anyone.  I understand, from my own life experience, that having a harmful percentage of the world against you can make you paranoid and bitter.  However, it is clear that he and his sister Melody do not think that they have a categorical dislike of white women, while their actions say otherwise.  President Obama has proven that being the President for consecutive terms did not make him infallibly impartial or responsible.

Everyone who has demonized Amy Cooper has done something really wrong.  Also, the ruining of her life almost immediately followed the Democratic Party's stunning betrayal of survivors of sexual misconduct in the pursuit of political gain.  It's not a coincidence; it's acceleration.