The charge of “racism” has been a liberal defense when losing an argument for years. Nothing new there.

And the Republican Marketing Department, the worst marketing organization in the history of marketing, always rolls over and hopes it will go away. Nothing new there, either.

But President Trump, a “Republican” (kind of), is doing something different and going on offense. He’s pointing out something I’ve been saying for years:

Blaming anything on racism is just lazy thinking.

At this point, racism is rare and hard to come by. We’ve simply just gotten too far away from it.

Around 50 years ago or so, kids started growing up without obvious, overt, institutional racism. The Civil Rights Act was 5-to-10 years old, Martin Luther King had made his imprint on the country, and it had been 100 years since we fought, as a country, and decided to end slavery – recognizing it for the evil that it is.

Growing up, people were just people. Neither my parents, nor the parents of any of my friends, even mentioned or discussed the races or skin color of anyone around us. There were just people, and there was no one telling us anyone was any different.

But what is alive and well, and often confused with racism, as it relates to our black population, is culturalism.

It’s not their race that causes anyone any problems. But some people are put off by some of the more popular and well-known contributions from black culture, and I’m one of them.

I recognize that no two people are the same, and it’s lazy thinking to believe that because two people are black, they necessarily share anything in common.

But when I look at some aspects of what is predominantly black culture, I’m not afraid to say I have some issues.

Start with hip hop, or rap. My kids and their friends listen to a lot of popular rap music, and even now, much of it is completely disrespectful to, and dismissive of, women. I’m surprised, at this point, with how enlightened society is trying to be, that the liberal, PC wing of our culture, excuses the constant use of “bitches” in rap music.

The subject matter of most of the songs I hear are about finding women, having sex, and buying as much jewelry as you can to show off your cash.

There’s nothing redeeming or worthwhile in those messages, and I attribute that to black culture. That doesn’t mean that music represents all black people, but it does tell me there’s a segment of the black population that has very low standards. And given the popularity, those low standards apply across all races.

The people making this music are either taking advantage of a willingly ignorant public or examples of how much our education system is failing a fairly large portion of our country. “Mumble rap” is just the latest phase, and it only serves to accentuate how illiterate some of these performers sound.

A common theme in rap, “ego rap,” that “I’m the greatest,” has also permeated sports – especially those dominated by black athletes. The primal scream in basketball or the celebrations that call attention to the individual and draw attention away from the team are both largely black contributions to our culture, and both come from largely the same place as rap: that it’s not just about being as great as you can be, but also being greater or better than someone else.

This has given us a generation of athletes, from professionals to kids, who get in the faces of their opponent, talk trash, celebrate with primal screams and angry faces, and treat a great play like not just a personal accomplishment for them, but a personal failing for the defender.

Sportsmanship is alive, but definitely on life support. It’s easy to say, “aw, they’re just having fun.” But this behavior quickly bleeds off the court and permeates our society, and soon, we have a lack of respect for each other.

Gone is Barry Sanders handing the ref the ball after a spectacular run, being humble, and acting like it’s no big deal. When Sanders did that, it just let people know how great he was. It wasn’t directed at how bad his opponents were. Sanders had integrity, and that was his effect on society.

Like rap and in-your-face behavior in sports, the constant harping on slavery, which we fought against and rejected, as a country, around 150 years ago, and trying to bring our country down with national anthem and Betsy Ross flag protests, are also products of black culture.

Again, not all blacks are on board with these things, but these ideas do originate within the black community.

Slavery ended long ago, and it’s in the best interests of the entire country, but especially black and poor communities, to move forward with hope and optimism, instead of looking back with pessimism and victimhood. To continue to harp on slavery reparations and calling everyone racist who doesn’t agree with you is keeping a large segment of black culture mired in bitterness and anger. And that keeps them down, as a group.

This country gives more people a better chance at personal happiness than anywhere else, and it is truly available to all people. Some have a greater or longer path than others to find it. But it exists for all.

Black culture, which has prolonged its suffering by latching on to liberal politics, has either chosen, or been lead, down the path of constant bitterness and unhappiness, and it’s a great shame. The constant liberal drumbeat of “blacks can’t make it because of the constant oppressive racism” only serves as an excuse and makes many in the black community angry and feeling as though they have no chance.

At this point in our country’s history, no one is noticing that you’re black, or white, or asian, or anything else. If you choose to hang on to these destructive aspects of the past, you’re throwing down an anchor that’s going to make it harder for you to find your own happiness and success.

Racism is largely gone, and like many of my age and the generations that have come since my own, I just don’t see color. It’s not relevant.

But I do see aspects of our culture that are clearly contributions from the black population, and I have to say, anything that refers to any women as “bitches,” promotes drug use, and focuses on having and flaunting money, or any movements that try and keep racism and the injustices of slavery alive, instead of moving us forward as a country, deserve any scorn and ridicule it gets.

I’m not a fan of talking about “blacks” at all. It just reinforces the incorrect notion that they’re somehow different from anyone else. But to the degree we do talk about them as a race, it’s time to do it with positivity and a roadmap to prosperity.

Blacks are just as capable of living their dreams as anyone else. There’s more and more proof of that every day. It’s time to erase the identity politics from our vocabulary and start speaking, with positivity, about how all people can pursue their goals and make them happen.

Economic circumstances aren’t categorized by race. There are white poor people. And yes, now there are white rappers, white assholes playing professional sports, and whites obsessed with slavery reparations. And yes, whites have made some poor contributions to society, as well. (The KKK seems an obvious example, here…)

But if we have to discuss skin color, let’s understand what we’re talking about. It’s not racism. Let’s call it what it really is: Culturalism.