Journal Entry: “How Hate Took Hold of Me” by T. Parrish

This article made a deep impression on me as it showed that, in some cases, racism is not a fault of an individual, but the fault of the society that embed racist views in its members mindset. Besides, I strongly agree with the author’s conclusion that though it is possible to implement various policies that would facilitate eradicating racism, these policies cannot alter people’s attitudes towards the representatives of other races. That is explained by the fact that from the very childhood, people were taught to judge others depending on their skin color.

1. The title shows that the article is dedicated to an incident that occurred because the author hated someone. I expect the author to tell why he hated someone while understanding that this hate has no rational explanation.
2. “Poisonous well” refers to the belief in the supremacy of the white race. Dylan Roof is a white supremacist who committed a shooting at a Charleston church in 2015.
3. The author is writing a personal narrative; he shares his personal experience with the audience.
4. He is a victim of being taught to hate black people and accuse them of all possible calamities.
5. Parrish (2015) discusses his theory that hatred for black people that was “injected” to him in childhood could not be eradicated even in adulthood because he is still guided by the belief in the black race’s inferiority.
6. He belonged to a Southern Baptist church that emphasizes the importance of personal and independent conversion. Baton Rouge, located in the southeast of the US, is the capital of the state of Louisiana.
7. Timothy Parrish became a racist because he was raised up in a society that disrespects black people. He was made to believe that blacks threaten the culture and values of white people.
8. Timothy’s parents were polite to black people; they did allow the son to insult blacks.
9. As a teenager, the author participated in fights with black, not white, youth because “he had swallowed the line that African Americans were coming to take everything that was ours” (Parrish, 2015, p. 36). He knew that it was morally wrong to offend black people; however, he did this as he was brainwashed and wanted to fit into the society where hatred for blacks is the norm.
10. His family and the entire community were afraid of blacks as they believed that they come to destroy the culture, values, and lives of white people.
11. The reason for segregation is to protect white people from harm caused by black people.
12. The similar driving forces that many white, young teenagers shared growing up in the deep south in the 60s are “ideology, delusion, rage, and racist speech” (Parrish, 2015, p. 36).
13. He is a racist, not a psychotic, because psychotic are people who could commit mass murder as Dylan Roof did.
14. The hate took hold of the author in terms that even being an adult, his thoughts are still being guided by the conviction in the white race’s superiority.
15. The author feels sorry that people “hesitate to call racism by its name” and that he is unable to change his racist mindset (Parrish, 2015, p. 37).
16. I feel sorry for this author because his upbringing in the racist society maimed his way of thinking and deprived him of the ability to treat African Americans equally to white people.

Reference

Parrish, T. (2015). How hate took hold of me. Daily News, 36-37.