Ethnically Speaking by Larry Meeks

Dear Larry: When I was in junior high school, there was an incident that involved me and a black girl who was in a couple of my classes. (I am white.) I was called to the principal's office, and because I did not like the girl, I was accused of racism.

I explained that I disliked her because of her attitude and how she was disrespecting me. To make my point, I compared her to a white female classmate whom I didn't like for similar reasons. The principal said, "That's different," and explained that I should be more sensitive toward my black classmate.

A friend of mine worked as a caretaker at an assisted living home. For a couple of years while working there, he was praised and awarded by all members of the staff and the residents. Then one day, he was called into the manager's office.

He was told someone was upset and offended by him. The manager never mentioned whether the accuser was male or female or a co-worker or resident.

He asked what he had done and who his accuser was so he could apologize to the accuser to redeem himself. The manager refused to give him any information.

My friend was distraught about not knowing anything, so he found out that according to labor and industry laws, if there are allegations against an employee, the employer has to disclose every piece of information in detail to the worker. He confronted his boss about getting the information, but the boss kept getting defensive and refused.

For the next couple of months, his hours were cut back.

The company claimed it was because of financial setbacks. His boss started making his job more and more difficult. Despite the hardship he was enduring, he knew that he could not afford to quit. He hung in there and never gave in. Then one day, he was terminated because of "poor performance."

He suspected that he was being discriminated against and that he was wrongfully terminated. He sought legal advice. But according to what was told to him, feeling discrimination and proving discrimination are two different things. In other words, to suspect it is one thing; to prove it is a challenge. He decided not to pursue it any further because of his financial situation.

Larry, I don't understand this double standard. Why does society tend to be very defensive toward one group and to falsely accuse another? We are being treated like common criminals.

Attorney General Eric Holder claims we are a nation of cowards, but I believe we are, more accurately, a nation of hypocrites. — Patrick

Dear Patrick: I am sorry to say your type of letter is becoming the norm rather than the exception.

With every social change, there comes a point when the pendulum of change goes too far and needs to reside in the middle.

The pendulum will not swing back until more citizens speak up and say, "Enough already."

To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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