The wisest reflection I’ve seen on Ft. Hood so far …

Paul Rauschenbusch gets it right in this important article on the white privilege of disassociation. All of us who looked in the mirror this morning and saw pale-colored skin should seek to understand what Paul is trying to tell us.
Key idea:

We who are White, Christian and Male (WCMs) should ask ourselves this basic question: When we heard about the Oklahoma bomber, Columbine, or the shooter at the Holocaust museum – all horrible crimes committed by WCMs did we think to ourselves – ‘oh, this will reflect badly on me?’
The answer is no. Why? Because still in this country, White, Male, Christians are considered normative and therefore the range of WCM behavior, from very good to very bad, simply represents the wide range of human behavior. I know I have nothing in common with Timothy McVeigh and so does the rest of American society. Unfortunately, people of other races and religions in America do not have the benefit of recognition that there are very good people and very bad people among them. Instead, the actions of one person of a minority group reflects upon the reputation and sense of security and worth of the entire group.
This has to stop.

The range of behavior among people of every race and every religion “simply represents the wide range of human behavior.”
Well said, Paul.