How to Answer a False Accusation of Racism

Yesterday, a student contacted me with a concern that is common among those taking courses in the social sciences and humanities. This particular student is enrolled in an online criminology class taught by a leftist professor. During a discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement, one of the more conservative students in her class used the phrase “all lives matter.” Predictably, the leftist professor objected. But he went even further by repeatedly accusing the student of racism. To make matters worse, the ad hominem attacks were made in front of all the students enrolled in the course. It was part of an online class “discussion.”

Although the student who contacted me was not the one attacked, she wanted to know how to confront the professor who was so clearly out of line. She was understandably reticent to express her own views after seeing a fellow student attacked in the middle of class discussion. Given the importance of the issue, I am printing my response to the student to help other students who are similarly attacked or intimidated in the classroom:

Dear Amber: The first thing to remember about responding to a false accuser is what not to do. Above all, you must resist the temptation to accuse the professor of harassment or of breaking the campus speech code. That is what leftists do and it is wrong. The best way to respond to bad speech is with better speech, not censorship.

Furthermore, you need to respond to accusations of racism with questions rather than assertions. Here are the three questions you need to ask. William Wilbanks, author of The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System, inspired the first two questions. Greg Koukl, author of the book Tactics, inspired the third:

1. What do you mean by racism?

First of all, you need to realize that academic leftists rarely understand the terms they are using when they attack conservatives. Racism is a specific belief that races can be ranked according to genetically inherited characteristics. For example, when a white supremacist takes a racist view of blacks he is really saying that they are genetically inferior. This genetic inferiority allegedly manifests itself in lower intelligence, which, in turn, translates into other undesirable characteristics such as sloth and a propensity toward crime.

If the professor cannot supply the correct definition of racism after he has used the term then he makes a complete fool of himself. If he can supply the correct definition, this leads to an even bigger problem, which we will explore with the second question.

2. How does racism apply to the situation at hand?

If the professor does happen to know the real definition of racism then he’s in quite a pickle here. You can ask the professor “How exactly does the assertion that ’all lives matter’ (read: all lives have equal value) translate into the notion that certain categories of people are genetically inferior to other categories of people?”

3. Have you ever considered the following? 

After showing that the professor doesn’t know the meaning of the words he is using and has no evidence to support his position his credibility is decimated. Now it is time to move in for the kill.

There are a lot of options here. For example, one could simply ask, “Have you ever considered that the statement ‘all lives matter’ is fundamentally anti-racist?” Asking, “Are you at all concerned that by opposing an anti-racist statement you align yourself with the true racists” would be a good follow-up question from which the prof

essor could never recover.

In academia today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the mentors from the protégés. Fortunately, exposing these incompetent professors is never more than a few well-placed questions away.

by : Mike Adam

He was born in Columbus, Mississippi on October 30, 1964. While a student at Clear Lake High School in Houston, TX, his team won the state 5A soccer championship. Adams graduated from C.L.H.S. in 1983 with a 1.8 GPA. He was ranked 734 among a class of 740, largely as a result of flunking English all four years of high school.

How did I Moved On that Fast?

I’m not sure if I am capable of writing a little something about this issue. I don’t know where to start. But as promised to one of my closest guy friend, I will sum up everything I did for the past 5 months for me to fully recover from an unexpected break-up situation.

To be honest, I saw the “thing” coming. I felt that the relationship was soon to end. But still, I wasn’t that prepared. I thought I will end up cheating with my partner or fall in love with someone else as the reason for the break-up. But, it wasn't turned out that way.

Of course in every relationship, both can make a mistake. Both can have their own point of view. Mine was: I loved too much. I got jealous. End of the story.

I was too vulnerable to pain. I asked too much for attention. To be loved. To be appreciated. To be accepted. Failing a relationship which I thought was good and forever was a total pain. More to say, my pride was deeply hurt.

So, how did someone like me, a not-so-strong girl overcome this phase?

• Hang out with Friends

Yes. Friends. My friends played a huge part on my moving-on situation. They've been there. Always there. They listened to my agonies, they gave me advised, and they stayed. They showed me that even when I failed with the wrong relationship, I will never be alone. Because they will always be there.

• Travel as much as you can

March 2014 – Burot experience with my friends in the office. Everything started here. For me to help myself get back on the shape, I travel. Every month, whenever there is an invitation for an outing, get together, movie dates, mall hopping or any activities, as long as I am available, I join. I went to different places and tried new adventures.

• Beer all the way!

They say that drinking beers won’t solve anything. When you’re sober, you’ll still get to remember everything. You can still feel the pain. But seriously, if there were no beers, I might never recover that fast. Haha. Drinking a bottle or two of beers, with the right people can really help.

• Socialize with everybody

It’s not everyday that we meet new people. Being friendly is in my nature. I talk to everybody. During my moving on days, I tend to talk to different people aside from my friends. New people who doesn't know my story yet. Gladly, last March, our office expanded and more people got hired. I befriend some of them, I knew people from every account and I stayed nice. It did help.

• Smile, have a crush, love again – there are many fishes in the ocean ;)

I think above everything else, what helped me the most is the idea that she’s not the only person in the world. I can still love and be loved. It’ll just take time. Also, someone did help me to move on (not that he knew any of this – he’s totally clueless). I focused my attention to him, gave anything that I can give, I was nice to him and so was he to me. As soon as I have totally moved on from my ex, my friendship with this guy has also ended.

• Accept what needs to be accepted

It was a month or three after the break-up before I fully accepted the fact that we can never get back together. That the relationship has truly ended. It was hard to accept something like this but I HAD TO. I accepted the fact that I made a mistake but also opened my mind that not everything was my fault. I had to accept, though it hurt that she has found a new love. She fell out of love with me because she fell in love with someone else. I had to accept that some relationship won’t last.

• Pray for the courage – talk to HIM

I may not look like a spiritual person but I do know how to pray. Actually, I didn't pray, I talked to God. I asked him to guide me, to help me get through this easily. I asked for the courage to leave everything behind for me to start the new chapter of my life. And from then, I believed that God has a better plan for me. He did put me on a better place. 

Great Success Stories

It never ceases to amaze me how much time people waste searching endlessly for magic shortcuts to entrepreneurial success and fulfillment when the only real path is staring them right in the face: real entrepreneurs who start real businesses that employ real people who provide real products and services to real customers.

Yes, I know that’s hard. It's a lot of work. What can I say, that’s life. Besides, look on the bright side: You get to do what you want and you get to do it your way. There’s just one catch. You’ve got to start somewhere. Ideas and opportunities don’t just materialize out of thin air.

The only way I know to get started is by learning a marketable skill and getting to work. In my experience, that’s where the ideas, opportunities, partners, and finances always seem to come from. Sure, it also takes an enormous amount of hard work, but that just comes with the territory.

If you want to do entrepreneurship right, here are eight stories you’ve probably never heard about companies you’ve most definitely heard of.

• The Pierre Omidyar

In 1995, a computer programmer started auctioning off stuff on his personal website. AuctionWeb, as it was then known, was really just a personal project, but, when the amount of web traffic made it necessary to upgrade to a business Internet account, Omidyar had to start charging people fees. He actually hired his first employee to handle all the payment checks. The site is now known as eBay.  

• The John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio

Back in the 70s, a couple of Brooklyn friends started a beer distributor out of the back of an old VW bus. Two decades later, after seeing how well Snapple was doing they decided to try their hand at soft drinks and launched AriZona Green Tea. Today, AriZona teas are #1 in America and distributed worldwide. The friends still own the company.   

• The Matt Maloney and Mike Evans

When a couple of Chicago software developers working on lookup searches for Apartments.com got sick of calling restaurants in search of takeout food for dinner, the light bulb went off: Why isn’t there a one-stop shop for food delivery? That’s when the pair decided to start GrubHub, which went public last April and is now valued at more than $3 billion.  

• The Joe Coulombe

After operating a small chain of convenience stores in southern California, Joe Coulombe had an idea: that upwardly mobile college grads might want something better than 7-11. So he opened a tropical-themed market in Pasadena, stocked it with good wine and booze, hired good people, and paid them well. He added more locations near universities, then healthy foods, and that’s how Trader Joe’s got started.

• The Howard Schultz

A trip to Milan gave a young marketer working for a Seattle coffee bean roaster an idea for upscale espresso cafes like they have all over Italy. His employer had no interest in owning coffee shops but agreed to finance Schultz’s endeavor. They even sold him their brand name, Starbucks.

• The Phil Robertson

There was a guy who so loved duck hunting that he chose that over playing pro football for the NFL. He invented a duck call, started a company called Duck Commander, eventually put his son Willy in charge, and that spawned a media and merchandising empire for a family of rednecks known as Duck Dynasty.  

• The Konosuke Matsushita

In Japan in 1917, a 23-year-old apprentice at the Osaka Electric Light Company with no formal education came up with an improved light socket. His boss wasn’t interested so young Matsushita started making samples in his basement. He later expanded with battery-powered bicycle lamps and other electronic products. Matsushita Electric, as it was known until 2008 when the company officially changed its name to Panasonic, is now worth $66 billion.

• The Steve Wozniak and Steve Job

While they had been friends since high school, the two college dropouts gained considerable exposure to the computer world while working on game software together on the night shift at Atari. The third Apple founder, Ron Wayne, was also an Atari alumnus.

As I always say, the world is full of infinite possibilities and countless opportunities, but your life and career are finite, meaning you have limited time to find what you’re searching for and make your mark on the world. This is your time. It’s limited so don’t waste it. Find something you like to do and just do it. That’s how real entrepreneurs always start.

Tips Meraih Kesuksesan

Sukses bagi saya adalah mindset. Sukses adalah saya; saya adalah sukses. Sukses bukan tujuan, bukan pula perjalanan. Success is about being dan becoming. Berani dan overconfident kedengarannya? Mungkin, yang jelas ribuan bahkan jutaan manusia “SUKSES” di dunia alias manusia bermental juara mempunyai mindset seperti ini. Apakah Anda perlu menjadi juara tenis tingkat Wimbledon atau juara golf profesional di PGA Pebble Beach untuk disebut “SUKSES”? Apakah Anda perlu mengendarai Corvette dan Lexus SUV hybrid? Jelas tidak. Seorang bermental juara alias bermindset “orang sukses” bisa jadi hanyalah seorang salesman saja. Ambillah contoh Bill Porter, seorang salesman door-to-door dari Portland, Oregon yang terlahir dengan cerebral palsy. Ia berjalan kaki setidaknya 10 mil perhari selama 40 tahun dengan tertatih-tatih setiap hari tanpa mengeluh. Hebatnya, karena tubuhnya bagian kiri tidak bekerja sebagaimana orang normal, ia sebenarnya sangat sulit untuk berjalan tegak dan berbicara dengan jelas (Baca buku berjudul “Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter” oleh Shelly Brady). Dengan penghasilan pas-pasan dari seorang salesman rumah ke rumah, jelas di mata oang awam ia tidaklah termasuk kategori “sukses secara finansial.” Namun, bagi saya, Bill Porter adalah salah satu orang paling sukses di dunia yang amat sangat saya kagumi. Salah satu cita-cita saya adalah bertemu muka dengan beliau suatu hari.

Nah, lantas apa resep 10 tip sukses ala Jennie?

• Satu

Bersyukurlah atas hari ini. “Just to be alive is a grand thing,” kata Agatha Christie, salah satu novelis detektif terkemuka. Jauhkanlah perasaan depresi dan sedih tanpa juntrungan. Jalani setiap hari dengan hati penuh syukur. Ingatlah akan Bill Porter. Kalau dia bisa jadi seorang salesman berhasil, apapun yang Anda inginkan sebenarnya pasti bisa tercapai.

• Dua

Belajarlah seakan-akan Anda akan hidup selamanya, hiduplah seakan-akan Anda akan mati besok. Mohandas Gandhi pernah berkata demikian, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.” Belajar terus, upgrade diri terus dengan berbagai cara baik yang memerlukan effort maupun effortlessly.

• Tiga

Setiap ketrampilan pasti ada penggunanya. Ini saya dapat dari salah satu sahabat saya seorang wanita blonda dari San Diego. Sahabat saya Crystal ini pernah membesarkah hati saya, “There are all kinds of writers, there are all kinds of readers.” Ketika saya down karena merasa incompetent bertarung dengan penulis-penulis lokal di sini, Crystal mengingatkan bahwa setiap jenis penulis pasti ada pembacanya (niche). Find your niche, so you find your place in the world.

• Empat

Bukalah jalan sendiri, orisinil. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

• Lima

Belajar mencintai apa yang Anda punyai, bukan berangan-angan akan apa yang Anda tidak miliki. Use whatever you have at hand, impian hanya akan menjadi nyata kalau Anda menggunakan instrumen yang kasat mata saat ini juga.

• Enam

Lihat apa yang kelihatan dan lihat apa yang belum kelihatan. Gunakan visi dan misi untuk mengenal apa yang Anda tuju. Seringkali, apa yang belum kelihatan adalah blue print untuk sukses Anda. Begitu kelihatan, ia akan menjadi semacam de ja vu.

• Tujuh

Telan kepahitan hidup dan bersiap-siaplah dalam menyongsong hari baru. Setiap hari adalah hari baru. Bangunlah tiap pagi dengan hati yang curious akan apa yang akan Anda alami hari itu. Be excited, be courageous to start the day.

• Delapan

Semakin banyak Anda memberi, semakin banyak Anda akan menerima. The more you give, the more you get in return. Dalam marketing, ini mungkin disebut sebagai taktik public relations ataupublicity. Namun, dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, ini juga berlaku tanpa diselipi dengan iming-iming tertentu. Saya sendiri sudah membuktikannya. Semakin banyak kita memberi (dalam arti luas, tidak terbatas uang dan materi), semakin besar penghargaan dan berkat yang kita terima.

• Sembilan

Jadilah mentor diri sendiri. What would Oprah do? Itu yang saya pakai sebagai ukuran. Saya tidak memilih Nabi atau pembesar negara, namun seorang wanita berkulit berwarna yang telah membalikkan nasibnya sendiri menjadi salah satu orang berpengaruh di dunia.

• Sepuluh 

Saya eksis dengan maupun tanpa tubuh saya. Setidak-tidaknya sekali sehari, saya mengingatkan diri sendiri bahwa hidup ini bukanlah untuk selamanya. Maka berbuatlah terbaik pada saat ini juga. Jangan tunggu-tunggu lagi. “Just do it,” kata Cher di Farewell Concertnya beberapa tahun yang lampau. I do my best every chance I have. Berbuatlah terbaik di setiapkesempatan, karena itu mungkin yang terakhir.

Ingatlah sukses bukanlah tujuan, bukan pula perjalanan. Sukses adalah mindset. Bukan hanya cogito er go sum (saya berpikir maka saya ada), namun sum ego prosperitas (sukses adalah saya).

Sumber:
Sepuluh Tip Sukses Right Here, Right Now by Jennie S. Bev.
Jennie S. Bev is a prolific author and co-author of 17 books and
over 850 articles published in the United States, Canada, UK,
France, Germany, Singapore and Indonesia.