Is It 1957 or 2007?

There was a construction worker outside near my home a month ago talking very loudly to a guy inside the house they were working on.  My children and I were leaving our house for the day when I hear the worker make a joke with the N-word in it.  My first instinct was to shield my children's ears from a bad word.  Then I thought, this goes way beyond a bad word.  I put them in the car and made my presence known to the guy.

"I'm glad I'm not black." I said sarcastically.

He said,"Oh, didn't see you there."  (Obviously blind and ignorant)

"You need to watch your language."  I berated.

He brushed me off with a sorry and I starting fuming.

"Well it's not so much the language but the attitude that's behind it!" 

I was shaking as I got back in the car.  I'm not one prone to yell at strangers but it needed to be done. There have been racial incidents in our area in the past five years and I didn't want this idiot to think our community put up with it.  Well, nothing like what a Newsweek article recently published about a small town in Louisiana.  It was quoted that the community there still lives in the past and are going through a very tough time because of that. It mentioned parts of a high school were still traditionally segregated. Gimme a break! What's a good hearted white person to do when surrounded by ignorant white people?  Don't put up with it!  Tell those around you that hating or making fun of other people is not okay. Don't just laugh along with them to not make waves.  I feel better for taking a stand on what should be an archaic issue.