Racism? Really?

I noticed a couple of stories today regarding supposed racism against blacks, and I'm finding myself becoming ever more cynical in my old age.

Here's the first one: "For Joshua Watkins, and Ronald Harrison, racism on the University of Kentucky campus extends beyond isolated incidents — it is an ongoing problem at the school, they say. Watkins returned to his UK residence hall room last year and found "Die" and a racial epithet scrawled across his door. Three weeks into this semester, Harrison noticed a racial slur written on the wall of the bathroom in his residence hall. And last week, an effigy of President-Elect Barack Obama hung by a noose from a tree on UK's campus."

Here's the second one: "Officials at Gray-New Gloucester High School are investigating two incidents of racism that occured Wednesday in response to the election of Barack Obama as President. Early in the day one student reportedly stood up in class and made a racist remark about Obama - saying he shouldn't be President. That sparked a conversation later in the hallway between him and one of the school's black students, Zach White. Later on - White walked into the boys bathroom to find grafitti on the wall saying the same things about Obama."

One could argue that the second one demonstrates inappropriate behaviour, but the important point is whether it constitutes racism. One can disapprove of Obama's election without being motivated by racial prejudice. There is no sign in the article itself that this has anything to do with racism.

But if this WAS racist, the next question is: did it even happen? I have become a lot more skeptical recently because blacks seem to have the tendency to make things up in order to get sympathy. This skepticism is today applied to both these stories, which could both be untrue.

Of course, they may both be true, also. Time will tell, I suppose.