Racism and the racino vote

So, Dennis Bailey, point guy for CasinosNO!, says racism had nothing to do with the voters rejecting the Washington County racino. Well, Dennis, I wouldn’t bet on being right.

Statistically, it’s pretty much impossible for racism not to have played a part. But let’s save analytical data for later. Dennis supported his contention anecdotally; I’ve got some anecdotes, too.

About a month ago when the Cleveland Indians played ball with the Boston Red Sox, some folks argued that the Indians should change their mascot. Chief Wahoo didn’t strike these people as a fitting tribute to Louis Sockalexis, the real Cleveland Indian widely considered the model for the red-faced, feather-headed symbol of the team.

But wait, how about that series! So exciting! You know what really impressed me – that Japanese guy that they had pitching! Who knew some Asian kid could play like that? Maybe they ought to consider renaming the Red Sox the “Yellow Guys” and trade in the two stockings mowed into the field at Fenway Park for an unflattering picture of a Pacific Island Mongoloid. Rude? Yeah, but you get my point.

And unfortunately our racism doesn’t always manifest itself as misplaced tribute. No, our racism generally shows itself as the dark and ugly hatred that it is.

How horrified are you about what happened at the Cumberland track meet this past weekend? You know, that Lewiston senior who also happens to be a Somali kid apparently got dirt thrown in his eyes by some middle-aged white guy, right in the middle of his race. Instead of placing first as expected, he barely finished at all. I wonder if the attorney general will check with CasinosNO! before he classifies that as racism.

I’m not picking on Dennis; in fact, he’s pretty typical. Here are those statistics I promised: A 2006 CNN poll shows that “most Americans consider racism a lingering problem,” and while only 1 in 8 Americans think of themselves as racist, nearly half – regardless of color – know somebody who is. According to another report, that naivete is prevalent. University of Connecticut professor Jack Dovidio, who has spent 30 years studying this stuff, estimates that “up to 80 percent of white Americans have racist feelings they may not even recognize.”

But when it came down to last week’s vote, 1 in 8 racially motivated individuals was plenty. See, the CasinosNO! folks defeated the racino by a margin of 4 percent; 1 in 8 is a margin of 12.5 percent. When the Indians say that the election results could have been racially motivated, that doesn’t mean all the voters, they mean enough to change the outcome.

Anyway, the election’s over and all bets are off. So really, who cares?

Except that Washington County still has half its kids getting subsidized lunch and the highest percentage of folks in Maine getting heating assistance and food stamps. The average income is $15,000 lower than the national average; that’s $7,000 lower than the Maine average.

In light of last Tuesday’s vote, the sunrise county has a pretty bleak horizon. And while the rest of Maine gambles with lottery tickets, Washington County is still trying to win any way it can.

All in all it’s pretty depressing. And though denying racism and ignoring poverty won’t help, I’m a huge fan of hunkering down and finding that small thing we can do.

So, no matter how you voted on the racino, you can take a minute today and help Down East. See, while our state leaders and referenda voters have accomplished nothing to help Maine’s poorest county become more self-sufficient, the Down East Community Hospital is doing something. The hospital has entered a contest to win an MRI for their region. Simply log onto www.winanmri.com and vote for Down East Community Hospital’s exceptionally creative video entry.

Maybe one day we’ll find the magic bullet that exposes racism, creates jobs and returns vitality to Washington County, but in the meantime, thank goodness for the folks at Down East Community Hospital who are finding alternative ways to gamble and win.

Pat LaMarche of Yarmouth is the author of “Left Out In America: The State of Homelessness in the United States.” She can be contacted at PatLaMarche@hotmail.com.