Michael Contreras Proves Stuff Like Racially-Based Hate Crimes Get Tricky In A Post-Racial Utopia

The guy pictured at left is Michael Contreras. He's among the three Staten Island men who were arrested on allegations of going on a racially-motivated violent spree after it was announced that Barack Obama had won the election. Forget, for a moment, that he appears to be walking in slow-motion through a crowd in order to croon some sweet, sweet R&B ballad into your ear. He's not that kind of guy. He is, in fact, pretty heinous.  The story on the charges against the three men involved came out in the New York Times on January 7th, but, just today, someone brought an article from The Atlantic to our attention and, well. Damn. We'll refrain from participating in any nonsense reminiscent of the one-drop rule with the understanding that, as far as we're concerned, people are free to self-identify as they see fit, regardless of racist implications. Plus, as someone who is often met with cries of "but you don't look Latina," we understand that race and ethnic make up go beyond appearances.  What boggles our mind is that, regardless of whether  Mr. Contreras chooses to identify himself as black or mixed-race, he's still a minority. It's a fate he seals every time he signs his last name and, whether he acknowledges or ignores it, loves or hates it, it's written across his features. It's a little far-fetched, to us, to think that Contreras has both never been on the receiving end of hatred or ignorance, nor has ever witnessed members of his family deal with racism. He looks the part, after all. Which is something that is, apparently, good enough for him:

Armed with a police-style baton and a metal pipe, they attacked a black teenager, pushed another black man, harassed a Hispanic man and, in a finishing flourish, ran over a white man who they thought was black, leaving him in a coma, the authorities said.

You catch that? Among their victims were a Hispanic man (Race not mentioned. We're going to roll our eyes and surmise he had a medium-to-dark tan and dark hair.) and a white man they "thought was black." So allow us to play an armchair psychologist for a hot second and wonder if this is an instance of someone attempting "elevate" himself by attacking those he perceives as being on this level or slightly below when it comes to a racial hierarchy in America. And allow us to wonder, further, if self-loathing is not something unique to minorities in the United States, but something that lies at the root of all hate-based crimes, no matter who commits them. 

Three Are Charged in Attacks on Election Night [NYT]

That town needs a better class of bigot [The Altantic]