I got another one of those voice mails this morning, the kind I wrote about in “Proud. Black. Southern. (But I Still Don’t Eat Watermelon in Front of White People.)” I will be signing books tomorrow, Sept. 12, at this freedom, gospel event at Futrell Park in Myrtle Beach tomorrow, which is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The caller — he didn’t leave a name or name — called President Barack Obama, his family and me an assortment of names.  At the end of the message — I printed it at the end of this post because of the language– he got more personal and left a few threats as well. I ignore most such messages — which don’t come often and are not representative of most of my readers, black, white, Latino or Asian – because they are mostly crass and silly. I erase them when they come through voicemail, chunk them when they come through snail mail and delete the emails. Most of them. But I’m keeping this one for two reasons: I’ve been urged to report any threats that seem potentially real to have such things on file. I will do that. But I’m mostly keeping and noting it here because I think it is representative of a growing dangerous theme that is emerging in this age of Obama, which was supposed to usher in a post-racial world. By the way, what is a post-racial world? I’ve never understood that term and why anyone thinks it’s even possible or desirable.

The tone of the conversation is beginning to turn from simply silly and annoying and uncivil to nasty and potentially dangerous. It’s not something being done by the majority in the area in which I live, not the majority of Americans at those Tea Party events, or the majority overall. It’s a tiny minority I hope doesn’t come off it’s hinges any time soon. That’s why I think it’s important for the rest of us to recognize and acknowledge that reality and remember it while we have necessary, heated debates about politics, race, health care and everything else. One of the reasons I wrote “Proud. Black. Southern.” was to try to elevate and deepen the conversation about race, which really means the conversation about how we relate to one another, how we speak to one another, hear each other. When I get voice mails such as these, it gives me pause because it makes me angry, and my initial response is always, “Bring it on. Please try to bitch slap me.” But I’ll try to not let that primal urge blind me to the bigger picture, which always includes this truth: “Ours is in the doing; the rest is not up to us.” We can control our anger, can control how we treat others, can control how much we contribute to bettering society. We can’t stop the voices in messages like that voicemail. But we can continue to lead from where we are. We can lead a life that brings more light into the world.

I tried to transcribe the voicemail as best as possible. Here it is:
“You keep trying to say what Obama is trying to teach our kids? Obama can’t even learn nothing his self, and any stupid ass like you oughta go somewhere and go live with your brothers overseas. Anybody that let their own brother live over there for 15 dollars a year is a dumb ass. Anybody whose mother is in the country illegaly is a dumb ass. [unitelligable] … He was born on a ship; that’s not in America. And this insurance deal that he’s trying to push? We don’t need it, we don’t need him or him playing the little black boy for the Democratic party. Their using him like  they always have. But you ain’t … but you and him, his dumb ass wife and his retarded children aren’t bright enough to see that.  But ya’ll ain’t never been that bright, you can tell by looking at you; You need to get out of the paper before somebody actually grabs you personally and fucking shuts you up. You need to shut up. You don’t know what you are writing about and you are not wanted in this paper. The locals don’t like you and Americans don’t like you. So before somebody bitch slaps your ass, I’d move.”

1. Mark Says:
   September 13th, 2009 at 11:50 am

   Issac,

   I’m not black. I’m not a southerner. I’m not a fan of Barack Obama’s policies. And I have no idea who left that voice mail. But as you’re the first to point out: You’re my people, too. I’m sorry you had to listen to that message.

   Albert Einstein said, “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”

   Thank you for continuing to remind us that it’s the difficult discussions — the refusal to surrender to our human stupidity — by which we are healed. I know you will heal. I hope your caller does, too.

   Mark