Five years ago, my wife and I bought a house is a very nice neighborhood in a major city. Over those years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the men from the neighborhood very well. I’ve even joined the men’s club at the local church. Mostly we just drink and watch sports together.

Here’s the thing: Every guy I’ve met hates black people. It seems to come up in conversation a lot. We’ll be sitting there, chatting about our days, and then they will start with a story about how the blacks at work are lazy, or the black neighborhood would be better off burned to the ground, or how they hope no blacks transfer into the local schools.

I never provoke any of these comments. I just nod my head and agree with them. I really do agree with them though. I will admit I am a little racist, based on my personal experiences. But I’m not used to other people being so comfortable verbalizing things like that. I was always taught to keep those thoughts in your mind.

To be honest, it’s comforting knowing I’m not the only one who thinks these things.