Semantics, really.

This may surprise some of you, but I don't hate police officers. Okay, I don't hate all police officers. I acknowledge that many, many humans who carry guns and wear shiny badges let the power go to their heads, but that doesn't make me hate law enforcement organizations as a whole. To assume that every last one of them is a flaming jackass would be prejudice which, oddly enough, is actually the main topic of this post.
See, the word prejudice and it's more popular counterpart, racism, are probably the most misunderstood words in the English language. You can thank America's spotty history of slavery, exploitation and discrimination for that. For those of you who didn't spend half of your lives studying the written word, let me explain both of them to you. Racism is the belief that one's race is superior to all other races. Not necessarily that all other races are bad, just that they're inferior. Prejudice is believing that a particular group all shares a similar characteristic. Now that we've cleared that up, let me tell you a little story of just how grossly out of touch with Webster the media, the government and our general population all are.
Once upon a time, college Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. went on vacation. Upon his return home a neighbor who we'll call Nosey McShitstarter (which has nothing to do with the fact that this story takes place in Boston, you presumptuous jack off) placed a call to the police that two men were spotted trying to force open the door of Gates, Jr's home. It later turned out that the door to Gates, Jr.'s home was jammed, but that's beside the point. As per both procedure and common sense, an officer was dispatched to investigate. When said officer arrived on the scene and knocked on the home's front door, he was met with something that not even the world's most avid sadist would call a friendly greeting. The professor, now let me repeat that, the fucking college professor threw an absolute shit fit, citing the investigation as being due to the fact that he was black. Among Gates Jr.'s comments were "This is what happens to black men in America" and, when asked by the officer if he could speak to Gates, Jr. outside, "I'll speak with your mama outside." I'm not making this shit up!
Now, where I come from, if you start screaming in a police officer's face, you're not going to be sleeping in your own bed. Hell, in Cincinnati you're lucky if you even remember the circumstances of your surrender to unconsciousness upon waking. Instead, you say hello to your new best friend, Mr. Concussion, and avert your eyes as you realize that you're sleeping next to wear your other new friend (see also: cell mate) is pissing.
Gates, Jr. was arrested on disorderly conduct charges, which were dropped. Not only is he now seeking recompense from the city of Boston, but the officers who made the arrest are facing disciplinary action.
Now, think back on what I first covered, the definitions of racism and prejudice. Now think on the incident I outlined afterward. Put your thinking caps on, put two and two together, and tell me who's guilty of what in this scenario. Let me give you a hint. If you decided that the aforementioned officers were guilty of racism, you obviously missed the unspoken part of my instructions, namely removing your head from your ass. This guy doesn't deserve a settlement, he deserves a lobotomy. This is exactly the kind of reverse racism that's making it impossible for a sense of unity and true equality to ever take hold and stick in this country. The members of so-called "oppressed minorities" who blame every inconvenience on the color of their skin are perpetuating the vicious cycle, and those who lend credence to their protests are guilty of throwing gas on the metaphorical fire. To Henry Louis Gates, Jr., you're making a very, very uncomfortable bed, and we're the ones who have to sleep in it. Way to suck. To the media who covered this story and decided to up their ratings at the expense of honesty, integrity and justice, you are the worst kind of opportunistic vultures existent in journalism today. To the officers who answered the call that night, keep your heads held high. Some of us have enough capacity for rational thought to learn the facts before passing judgment.
Oh, and props for not giving anyone a concussion.