Racism is something that exists in our country in a muted way. It’s not a comfortable subject for people to talk about. It brings up a past that America is still trying to forget or come to terms with, and calls for a very meticulous introspection of one’s own attitudes, ideologies and what exists swirling around the gutters of your psyche. It’s a subject that isn’t talked about enough judging by the sore state of our nations race relations.

When it comes to understanding racism, Frank Meeink is an expert of sorts. Meeink is a reformed neo-Nazi. He did time for violent crimes, got out and started thinking. I was fortunate enough to talk to him recently and have him speak to me further about something I heard him talk about at the Memorial Union on March 30 — what composes hate.

“To go out and just hate something for no reason — basically that’s what you do, you’re looking at someone because of the color of their skin and hating them — there’s no reasoning there. It’s one of the most evil things on earth, to judge something like that,” Meeink said, and I have to agree with him.

You can’t reason with racism, because there is no reasoning behind it. Hate is behind racism.

For many people, hate is something difficult to understand. Have you ever hated anyone? For many the answer to that question will be no, and for other souls brave enough to admit it, the answer will be yes. Few, though, have a grasp on what makes hate tick.

It’s more than just getting really mad. Anger fades, but hate tends to stick around, to endure. Hate is something that is personal, intertwined somehow with our being.

Meeink put it poignantly: “There’s something wrong with the person that’s the hater. Something along the line has hurt their ego and made them fear this person or these people, that’s why they start to judge.

“What do you do to your enemy? You don’t sit there and say, ‘They’re tougher than we are, they’re better.’ No, you say, ‘They’re dumber than we are, we’re superior to them, that’s why we’re better than they are.’

“It’s all by hurting someone’s ego and fear that drives racism; that’s the key components to racism.”

That’s what racism is, in words as simple as they are true.

Why is that we as a nation refuse to speak about our race relations? I’m not talking about sound bites from the media, I’m talking about conversations in families, between friends and, most importantly, between races. An overall familiarization of what racism is needs to happen nationwide if we want to progress as a nation.

I can’t remember my family ever explaining to me the racial environment of this country. Maybe it’s a good thing to allow children the chance to figure it out for themselves; rather than someone emotional invested in the politics of it try to explain it to their kids.

If we don’t start to address the issue, racism will continue to fester like a rancid wound. The vast urban sprawl we have laid out for ourselves will continue to decay: from the recession, from broken homes, from another generation ignoring difficult issues.

Will my generation finally address racism in this country, and start to pound nails in its coffin through knowledge?

It’s possible. Frank Meeink is living proof that it’s possible. As soon as people throw off dogma and start to think, minds open up. What was once unthinkable becomes the everyday.

Asalaam Alikum, pronounced “asa lama lakum,” is an Arabic greeting that means, “Peace be with you.” “Como estas?” means “How are you?” in Spanish. Next time I see a person from the country of India, I’m going to ask what their greeting is, and how to say it. I’m going to reach out. I’m going to progress.