FEAR OR RACISM??

AS I HOP INA CAB TO GO HOME, THE DRIVER ASKS ME "YOU CALL FOR TAXI?" WITH A SPANISH ACCENT. I THEN RESPOND AND ANSWER HIM IN SPANISH. I ALSO TAKE THE LIBERTY OF TELLING HIM WHERE IM GOIN, JUST TO REASSURE HIM THAT I WAS THE ONE THAT CALLED. YOU SEE, I HAD JUST LEFT THE PROJECTS. HE THEN TELLS ME, HOW HE THOUGHT IT WAS THIS OTHER "MORENO" (SPANISH SLANG FOR DARK-SKINNED PERSON) HE HAD SEEN AT THE CORNER. I CHUCKLED. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME HOW RELIEVED HE WAS WHEN HE HEARD ME SPEAK SPANISH. HE ASKED ME OF MY NATIONALITY, I TOLD EM HONDURAN. HE SAID, "GARIFUNA?"(GOOGLE IT), I SAID YES. I ASKED HIM, YOU KNOW ANY PERSONALLY? HE ANSWERED IN SPANISH AND SAID "YES, I HAVE MANY HONDURAN GARIFUNA FRIENDS". I SAID COOL. HE THEN TOLD ME, HE TELLS ALL HIS GARIFUNA FRIENDS TO SPEAK SPANISH WHEN THEY TAKE A CAB, I ASKED WHY. HE SAID, SO THE DRIVER WILL KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT AFRICAN-AMERICAN. NOW AT THIS POINT, IM THINKIN TO MYSELF, I KNOW WHY THESE CAB DRIVERS ARE SCARED TO PICK-UP YOUNG BLACK MEN, BUT I WANNA PICK HIS BRAIN, HEAR IT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH. SO I ENGAGE IN JUST ENOUGH CONVERSATION TO KEEP HIM GOIN, SEEKIN AFFIRMATION TO THIS UNSPOKEN TRUTH. HE THEN ELABORATES AND TELLS ME, EVERYTIME A CAB DRIVER IS ROBBED OR MURDERED, ITS USUALLY A BLACK PERSON WHO DID IT. HE THEN SAID, HONDURANS R HARD WORKERS, JAMAICANS R HARD WORKERS, DOMINICANS R HARD WORKERS, BUT AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE NOT. THEY WILL KILL YOU OVER $100."I GOT KIDS, A FAMILY AT HOME, ALL THAT IS WORTH $80 TO U?". "THEY'RE UP TO NO GOOD, THEY DONT WORK, THEY ROB, KILL, AND THEY DONT BATHE". THAT OF COURSE IS A STEREOTYPE AND GENERALIZATION. ALL THE WHILE IM LISTENIN, NOT UPSET, BECAUSE GOD WINKS AT IGNORANCE, AND I REFUSE TO EVER LET IT GET THE BEST OF ME. JESUS SAID "FORGIVE THEM LORD, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO". I SAID THE SAME PRAYER TO MYSELF AT THAT MOMENT. I PRAYED FOR AN OPEN EAR, AN OPEN HEART, AND A CALM SPIRIT. I THEN TOLD HIM, YEA I HAVE HARD TIME STOPPIN CABS AT TIMES, BUT I CANT BLAME THEM, THEY DONT KNO THE GOOD ONES FROM THE BAD ONES. STILL SUCKS THO, CUZ I WALK AROUND BEARIN A REP DAT ISNT MINE. A BAD ONE AT DAT! HE THEN TOLD ME THERE ARE BAD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, ROBBERS KILLERS, BUT HERE IN THE U.S ITS MORE DISTINGUISHED AMONGST THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS. I POSED THIS QWESTION ON MY TWITTER, AND GOT SOME GOOD RESPONSES, BUT WAT I MOSTLY GOT WAS "IGNORANCE, AND DAS RACIST". BUT I SAT IN AND HEARD THIS GUY'S PERSPECTIVE. NOT JUSTIFYING HIS BELIEF, MORESO RATIONALIZING. UNDERSTANDING ITS ORIGIN. WE FEAR WAT WE DONT UNDERSTAND, BUT HOW MANY OF US GO THE EXTRA MILE AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT? NOT MUCH, WE JUS AVOID IT. RIGHT? IF YOU HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH SOMEONE OR SOMEWHERE, WOULDNT U KEEP AWAY FROM IT? ISNT THAT THING TAGGED AS NEGATIVE FOR THE REST OF UR LIFE? ITS NOT RIGHT DAT THESE CAB DRIVERS CAN DRIVE RIGHT PAST US AND ACT AS IF THEY DIDNT SEE US FLAGGIN EM DOWN. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY THINK WE'RE GONNA INFLICT HARM ON THEM. I CAN TELL YOU A BUNCH OF INCIDENCES, BUT IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THIS. WAS DIS BRUTHA BEIN RACIST? OR WAS HE JUST SPEAKING OUT OF FEAR? CAN U BLAME HIM? IF NOT HIM, THEN WHO? **HERE'S AN LIL VIDEO I GOT FROM THE CONVO..ITS IN SPANISH SO IF YOU DONT SPEAK IT, FIND U A TRANSLATOR LOL..I WASNT GON POST IT, BUT HIS IDENTITY REMAINS ANONYMOUS SO I FIGURED THERE WOULD BE NO HARM DONE TO HIS CHARACTER..