Satyrical+Solution

Pay Up
When Tennie Pierce, an ex-member of the Los Angeles Fire Department filed for a lawsuit saying he was "subjected to racial discrimination"(Union Tribune) when a comical prank was played on him. Fellow members of the LAFD laced Pierce's pasta with dog food as a joke because the 6'5" Pierce commonly referred to himself as the "Big Dog". Tennie Pierce interpreted this prank as a racially motivated act of violence and hatred. Therefore it is proposed that each time a racial; slur, prank or joke is conducted, the "transgressor" will be penalized and the "victim" shall recieve a settlement. Countering the current penal system and the use of a lawsuit, the crimes will be on a national and take place before a national judicial system.

The solution to irrational racially motivated decisions is to penalize the intiator and reward the victim. The answer is simple, if a white man says a racial joke or makes a negative racial comment to a black man, he shall put on trial for his "crime". People have tried to solve this racial problem with fist fights, but what use is that? Wounds will heal, why not hit the offender where it hurts the most, the bank account. And if that person won't get the message the first time, the second offense will result in a fine and minimal jail time and the third offense, depending on the seriousness, could land the transgressor in jail for life. The situation is similar to parents trying to put their children in timeout time and time again, there is a certain point where grounding is a necessary action, as is with racial relations. This solution has the deepest ties and effects on the people involved because it deals with the one thing that concerns our society the most these days, money! With money involved, this solution will surely motivate the people to more closely watch what they say and how they act.

By incorporating money as a factor of the solution people will become more directly tied to their actions. No longer will a racially motivated crime pass with just an apology and the due process of law. Now, you are directly attached to the person victimized by giving them a portion of your hard earned money. The use of money will also help people to realize the intensity of their actions. After taking a look at the next week's bank statement and realizing you're short $5,000 dollars I don't think your mouth will be processing any more racial slurs or jokes. For example, Chad Johnson, a reciever in the NFL who is notorious for excessive touchdown celebrations. After being asked to stop by coaches and team officials he continued doing these dances and skits. When he failed to obey the league, the Commissioner of the NFL Paul Taglibue recommended a fine, and Chad was fined a large sum of money for his celebrations. Since that instance he has celebrated excessively only once, after scoring a game winning touchdown that clinched his team the playoffs.

As a criminal spending time in jail for having violated the Racial Ethics Code for offenses against blacks through racial slurs or pranks, a prisoner will endure much harsh treatment from other "colored" inmates for disrespecting their people. People in jail for committing crimes against the Racial Ethics Code must take special classes twice a week every week they are in jail. This class will attempt to restructure the racist mind of the criminal and prepare the person for their re-entry to the very unwhite world they live in. Those in jail for life for committing such crimes will be held in a special portion of the jail reserved for people unable to live with people of another race. This portion of the jail is gaurded by blacks only and is the only part of the jail where physical treatment is allowed. The gaurds are allowed to do whatever it takes to re-pay the white man for all the negativity he put in the black race by using racial slurs or pranks on more than two occasions.

The proposal of using money as pension for a previous "crime" committed has a great upside in its direct tie to the offender and their bank account but lacks the deep emotional tie of an apology. The money can heal financial issues and settle any discrepency on the surface, but the lack of feelings that go into writing a check can never be compared to the deep sincerity of an apology. If a person is sincere in their claim that they were racially hated upon and that the hatred affected them deeply, how can money fix that? The bottom line is it can't. A person in that situation needs something more then a hefty check in the mail. Those direct condolences outweigh the price of jail time and reach deeper then any check will ever reach. Of course, becuase of the increased number of convicts to serve time for committing racially motivated crimes the issue of building more jails and rehabilitation institutions for safety will arise. This will require a doubling in taxes for the citizens of the nation and an increase of law enforcement persons to protect these facilities. The tax payers dollar will also go toward state funded RA (Racist Anonymous) meetings taking place at community centers across the nation.

In conclusion, it is proposed that each time a white male conducts a racial; slur, prank or joke that he will be fined and/or jailed and the recipient of that racial attack will recieve money as a payment of apology. The use of money will impact every individual, being that today money is the single most dominant factor of our society in every aspect. On the other hand, money lacks the sentimental value of an sincere apology and may never heal the wounds under the skin.

Morley P5