Tue 8 Apr 2008
Racially Correct
Posted by Andrew Blanco under History, Society
We are trapped in a box.
Political correctness is a phase, a logical consequence of the transition towards the goal of social equality. The first major step toward this goal was the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
For the first time in American history, citizens were prohibited to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Affirmative action and other controversial issues would soon follow.
Having only experienced the Civil Rights Movement through the pages of history books in public school, this time period has always felt so distant to me. However, I’m amazed at the fact that it still hasn’t been fifty years since this act was passed. Considering how recent this history is, I often wonder about the quality of the progress we have made in regards to race relations. While the overt segregation of the past has been legally banned, the stark difference between richer “white” neighborhoods vs. poorer “black” neighborhoods too often takes on the appearance of segregation.
If anyone thought uprooting prejudice was going to be a quick process they were sadly mistaken. The current trend of political correctness is a linguistic defense against the anxiety provoked by this naturally awkward transition, this colliding of cultures. It is unrealistic to ignore the centuries of slavery and oppression Africans experienced at the hands of Whites.
While the majority of people alive today were not masters or slaves, there remains an inheritance of awkward silence on both sides. This silence is being avoided through the incessant monotone of politically correct speech. Unfortunately, it seems that true reconciliation between the races will not occur until there is an honest and open dialogue…and maybe even financial reparations.
Image Used in this Post
Segregation image courtesy of Flickr user Photocapy.
About the Author
Andrew Blanco
A jack of all trades with Spanish roots who hails from the land of New Jersey. Andrew blogs in his sleep when he's not busy saving the world.55 Responses to “ Racially Correct ”
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April 11th, 2008 at 3:41 pm[...] - the prima donna Yankee fan base is up in arms (and thanks to the babeling of Andrew Blanco, they demand reparations NOW). Cries in the night to rebuild, and calls for Brian Cashman’s head are running rampant [...]
April 8th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
No doubt political correctness has adversely effected this issue - as it does all issues. Problems do not get solved when you are not allowed to discuss them. Instead we proudly live the American Way with our heads firmly planted in the sand.
But seriously, you cannot really support the idea of reparations. If so, I want payment for being your friend.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Where do I begin?
Let’s start with awkwardness. I am a straight white male. I am “the man” and have never felt any awkwardness around black people. I even grew up in a small town that virtually none and did not meet a black person until I was 16. Cool guy, we got along great. During my time in the military I got to know several African Americans (Forgot we were being politically correct.) and my commanding officer was a black guy. On second thought I have never been politically correct so why start now. I never felt awkward by the color of our skin being different. I attribute this to totally ignoring everyone and everything that told me I should feel guilty about my ancestors. I realized at an early age I stand on my own as a man. I never bought into the brainwashing that I should feel some sort of responsibility for the sins of my fathers. there are 2 things that I attribute to my not being a racist.
1. All men are created equal. When i studied the document in school i asked what it meant by that line. It made sense. I added it to my moral rolledex.
2. I can trace my ancestry straight to Robert E. Lee. My ancestors were slave owners and it is known that slave owners had sex with slaves. This produced babies. If the baby came out with fair enough skin it would be taken from the slave and the slave owner would raise it. So if you follow that line of thought there is a very good chance that I myself am a black man.
Next.
Political correctness does nothing but further discrimination.
Next.
Reparations, please sir the very idea is laughable. To say that some one deserves payment due to something that happened that long ago. Well then how about we pay reparations to anyone that has ever had an ancestor that was a slave. That would involve everyone on the planet. Every culture in history had slaves of some sort that were treated just as poorly or worse. Americans did not invent slavery we learned it from every other culture that ever was. Less you forget people were not stolen from Africa they were sold to the white man by their own people who were keeping them as what…that’s right kids slaves. They enslaved each other on a regular basis.
Andrew while I believe you have the best of intentions and my intent is not to insult you, I would suggest doing a little more reading on the subject and for crying out loud quit getting suckered into guilt by the propaganda machine that is the bleeding heart liberal.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Andrew, I can’t fully decide if you are being serious or if you are trying to produce some sort of subtle irony. Jim I think you pretty much wrapped up this discussion.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:55 am
I’m being 100% serious.
I feel no guilt on an individual level, but having worked in the inner city, and living next store to a bunch of inner cities - I am continually caught thinking about how to solve the racial divide.
Jim counseling gang members in Orange, NJ was enough of a wake up call for me.
I believe in reparations on the level of communities.
Individual reparations in the form of a stimulus package will never work and is more of an insult than anything else. However there are many communities in dire need of economic help. Not to mention that there is institutional racism that effects decision making at the local municipal levels as well as the federal levels.
I was dead serious when I wrote this article. I’m sorry if I confused anyone with my intentions.
April 9th, 2008 at 8:01 am
In regards to the issue of slavery. How they got here is less of an issue than the maintenence of slavery once they got here.
Everyone is implicated in the horrors of slavery, not just Americans. But we maintained the trauma within our borders. That was a conscious decision on our part. If we want a transition to social equality, financial help to these communities is necessary.
Unless you don’t believe in gangs and the effect they are having on the current generation of inner city youth.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Helping Americans all Americans that live in the inner cities not just the black people is a wonderful thing. It is when you call it out by race that you actually are helping to keep social equality from happening.
Granted inner cities are largely populated by blacks but not exclusively. This is economics not racism. Before you can effectively pour money into a community and have it mean anything you have to get aggressive with the gangs and taken them out. Again I don’t see this as a race issue at all. That would be a result of not seeing race. When you stop seeing race is when you start seeing racial equality. I see people not not their skin color. We have been and are still conditioned to see race. So quit worrying about race and reparations and concentrate on people as people not as black and white.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
The reason this is a race issue is because the inner cities are overwhelmingly black. Racism on the part of our fore-fathers have left our generation with third-world cities.
While you are right that racism ends when we see the same humanity in all humans, you are wrong when you assume that this perception ALONE will lead to social equality on a national or global level.
IF racism in the past is the cause of the disorder in inner cities, than a conversation regarding this causal relationship needs to be an active part of any economic solution that helps these areas.
Jim, just because you have transcended race doesn’t mean that racism doesn’t CONTINUE to effect millions of people in our nation.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
“Racism on the part of our fore-fathers have left our generation with third-world cities.”
Seriously, this is a heinously sensationalized claim. I want you to prove how this has lead to third-world cities. Not to mention the fact that many of our cities are some of the most economically viable assets that we have. Please explain yourself, I am all ears.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
OK that’s it. My apologies to everyone that I am about to offend.
You want to know the real problem. I can some up in one word. NIGGER. That’s right I said it.
That word is the problem. As long as it’s use is OK as long as your black then black people will not be taken seriously and will always be the punchline in any racist joke.
I am not advocating the use of the word by any one. Any one that uses the word regardless of the color of their skin is showing one thing. Their one ignorance.
If you want to act that incredibly ignorant then you have done nothing to join the rest of society.
Don’t ask me to placate you or your race because some ignorant ancestors of mine owned some ancestors of yours. You are entitled to nothing more than any other American regardless of skin color.
Your whole argument is racist Andrew. You are using the color of their skin and things done in the past to make allowances for special treatment. That sir is indeed racism. Any time you make any allowance based on race you are making a racist argument.
I don’t believe you are a racist only misled.
Again I want to apologize for losing my cool here and I apologize if anyone feels offended or insulted.
Andrew my intent is not to insult you but to get you to see outside what you deal with. To put it another way there are areas that just as bad off as the inner cities you speak of and they are inhabited by other than black people. I my self am a broke white man that has sent out over 150 resumes in the last couple months with only one interview to show for it. You don’t see me making a case for out of work white guys needing some extra government cash. As long as you give hand outs people will nothing to improve their situation. As long as you tell them they have a right to handouts because of past atrocities they will do nothing to improve their situation. The inhabitants of inner cities have done more to put them selves in that situation than our fore fathers ever could.
April 9th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Jim thank you for your honesty. It is definitely appreciated.
Greg, yeah that was about as vague a generalization as I could come up with.
To clarify: the practice of slavery by our ancestors eventually gave way to segregated neighborhoods, which climaxed into the race riots of the late 60’s. The worst inner cities (Detroit, Newark, LA) can be traced to riots that resulted from segregated urban neighborhoods. I call these third world cities because that is how they appear compared to the best parts of our richest cities.
In my opinion it was all inevitable. As I stated in the post, we are reaping the results of the transition from slavery and oppression. And it certainly is not an easy process.
Here are some good links on this subject:
http://bostonreview.net/BR33.1/sharkey.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_neighborhood#The_Great_Migration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Newark_riots
As far as the issue of reparations, I agree with you Jim that all poor communities, irregardless of race, need to be given extra attention. I guess I am so focused on the African American communities because that is what I observe in my area. I have seen poverty just as severe in West Virginia, and those communities are almost all white.
Poverty across the board needs to be addressed.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Thank you.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Jim you are continually hitting the nail on the head in this regard.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Thanks Greg. I just call them like I see them. and one thing Andrew only because it’s a pet peeve but “irregardless” is not a word. The word is regardless.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Jim, please point out to me where I stated that ONLY African American communities need extra government financial help? I’m positive I never said that. And I never talked about giving equal help to poor white communities because that wasn’t the topic of the post.
Please do me the favor of not jumping to conclusions. Next time you think I mean something I never said, just ask me like this: “So do you believe ONLY African-American communities should get financial help from the government?”
*Regardless*, this topic obviously struck a nerve. But next time that happens, don’t throw a temper tantrum and call me racist, or sexist, or ageist, or any -ist…until you thoroughly exam my viewpoint from all sides.
And Greg, for being so up in arms about my “fore-fathers” comment, I’m suprised you never wrote back after I explained it.
So besides thank you’s and spelling corrections, does anyone have anything meaningful to say about what I wrote in Comment #10?
April 10th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Andrew, you make it seem as though all of our ancestors participate in slavery, when in fact slavery was only taking place in Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. It was a long abandoned and despised practice in the Northern and Central colonies. So I don’t see how the slavery in the deep South correlates, let alone leads to the problems experienced in Detroit Michigan.
The fact of the matter is while some fore-fathers indeed had slaves, many were appalled by the practice. Even Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, who owned slaves, wished to see it end. Unfortunately they knew the revolution would have never been successful and the Union would have been disbanded if the revolutionaries tried to abolish slavery in the Constitution.
The practice they engaged in is known as opting for the lesser of two evils. They did what they had to in order to be successful in the long run. Ask any historian and they will tell you, however unfortunate it may be, if the fore-fathers outlawed slavery we as a nation would never have been unified enough to win our freedom from Britain.
Bring this to today, and throw all of that out the window and the fact still remains; there is not one living person today who is responsible for slavery, and no person should feel guilty or the need to apologize for it.
By your logic Andrew, every living German might as well kill themselves since they are clearly responsible for the personal killing and oppression of the Jews.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
And Andrew, to respond further to your explanation - you do nothing to expound upon how the US practice of slavery led to poor segregated neighborhoods. Pardon my ignorance but please enlighten me.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Ok now we’re talking.
In regards to my logic: More money needs to be funneled into revitalization programs for inner cities and other poor areas. That is reparations for me.
It needs to happen in the form of loans or gifts to local government budgets, not in the form of welfare checks or other monthly checks for individuals. We need to do this NOT because our generation owes African-Americans anything. We definitely do not. We need to do it because it will benefit the Nation as a whole.
Funneling more money into these areas, and doing the right research into city planning, will speed the process of growth. [This is touchy because as it is in my county, Essex, NJ, all the surrounding towns already pay ridiculous taxes just for the redevelopment of Newark - and its hard to see any progress.]
I focus specifically on African-Americans only because their economic plight in these areas is intimately connected with the transition out of slavery. Its not that slavery itself caused these problems, but more the intermediate period of segregation.
The links in comment # 10 go into detail about how segregated neighborhoods in the North became a breeding ground for riots that eventually scared off successful businesses. This was the case with the large amount of Jewish businesses that closed after the Newark riots. Newark was left with a gaping economic hole where there used to be thriving business.
So I guess segregation is the real culprit here. Maybe if we had just given ex-slaves complete freedom right off the bat we could have avoided a lot of these issues.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:08 am
You are the one that called for reparations and then said that it should be at a community level for inner cites since they are mostly black. I would only guess that such reparations would come from the government. You made this a race issue from the get go. I am saying that all men are created equal and if you going to fund something don’t use race as your reasoning. It really only goes to further racial tensions. Just like the use of a certain word which I only used to make point or I would have repeated the word several times.
While segregation may have led to some of the problems that face todays society there are now different issues that contribute to the way things are in in poor areas. I just find that to point at at slavery and segregation as the main reasons for why things are this way now is short sighted. I have lived in these areas and have seen it first hand as a white man. What keeps these areas the way they are has nothing to do with either slavery or segregation. It has very much to do with people a problem that has been growing for many years and that is a false sense of entitlement. many of the people that i have known that came out of these poor areas say that what keeps these areas poor is the attitudes of the people living there. Not all the people and I would never be so ignorant as to say all. the problem may have started with segregation but that is not why it continues. Again I am all for cleaning up poor areas regardless of the color of the skin of the inhabitants but before yo can do anything that will have a large lasting impact this is the one time you have to forget history and think about the present and the future. This is one case where history is nothing more than a cheap excuse and is used because it easier to blame some one else for your problems instead of doinf something about it. I have been in some bad situations in my life but I do not blame anyone but myself for where i have been and I got myself out of those situations with my own hard work and determination. I hold no one to any standard that I do not hold myself to.
Now as for throwing temper tantrums. There you crossed a line sir. I have gone out of my way to make an attempt at not making this personal. Each time I have come right out and said that I never intended to insult you and I am sure I apologized for any offense I may have caused. If you only knew how different my comments would have looked had I actually been mad then good sir you would retract the temper tantrum comment as it does come across as a direct attack meant to attempt to to inflict insult. If not my apologies for my misinterpretation. However if it was meant as an insult then sir really, I have heard so much worse from so much better.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:59 am
I do believe I said the I don’t think you are a racist. You have repeatedly used slavery and segregation and used race for your argument. The idea of reparations for slavery is in and of it self a racist argument. Anytime you single out another based on skin color your making racist statements. The problem you are having is associating the word racism with hate. Not all racism is based in hate. You do many racist things that do not stem from hate. Does it make you a racist? Not necessarily. A racist gesture is far from a racist attitude. It is when you take those those gestures and build an ideal out them that is favor or is against any particular race that some one is indeed a racist. I never actually claimed you were a racist only that you were making racist remarks using the above criteria. Now take a deep breath and relax a bit. No try to figure out if you really want to continue down this road. Up until now I have been looking at this seriously. If you want to keep on the attack then I will look at this for entertainment value and just yank your chain until you ready pull your hair out.
My apologies to all. However when I get hit with a personal attack I don’t get upset. I start having fun.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:51 am
So, what does everyone think about certain states apologizing for slavery? As far as I am aware, so far New Jersey (my home state) and Florida have publicly gone on the record to apologize for slavery.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:30 am
If that’s what they want to do I am fine with it. However The only time I have a problem is when I am told I should feel guilty about it. or that money should be handed out because of it.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I can’t elaborate on this topic beyond what I wrote in comment # 17. Thats where I stand.
Jim: In regards to this accusation towards me: “You are the one that called for reparations and then said that it should be at a community level for inner cites SINCE they are mostly black.”
I never said that. But if you can find proof of me saying this in this string of comments I will gladly send you a check for $50.
Ready…last time…reparations need to go to poor african american communities NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR SKIN COLOR. But because of their historical disadvantage which resulted from segregation. If you want to delve into why those in poverty might not be motivated to get out than I’ll gladly write a post on the psychology of poverty. But thats a different topic.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
And Greg, it’s a politically correct insult to apologize for slavery.
The best apology is reparations to the local budgets of inner cities.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
But reparations will not fix the problem. Until paradigms change, throwing money at problems, especially government money raised through taxes, is folly.
I am sorry Andrew, but I will never even come close to agreeing with you on this issue. At this point there is no argument, since the viewpoints differ so greatly.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
So be it. Agree to disagree.
As far as the paradigm change, that is an integral piece of the puzzle.
I think in a century this won’t even be an issue - time heals all wounds and the generations that lived through segregation or had parents who did will be all gone.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
it seems that true reconciliation between the races will not occur until there is an honest and open dialogue…and maybe even financial reparations.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
You said it in the last part of the post. reparations based on race. Easiest $50 I have ever made.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Andrew, you can’t back out of your bet. You better put your money where your mouth is and not sully Babeled’s good name.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Damn! You should get $50 bucks mailed to your house, but technically I only have to pay you if that proof was found in the string of comments. Lol.
I can definitely see how that could be interpreted as a racist remark. Good call Jim.
I think the problem is that this topic required a post the size of my analysis of Radical Islam - that way I could thoroughly explain all my thoughts and statements. And avoid a 27 comment argument. Though somehow I think it was worth it.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Should get $50 bucks, you mean will get $50 bucks.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
But…
I stick by what I wrote.
The fact is that there is a deep thread of resentment in African American communities. [The whole "controversy" over the remarks by Obama's pastor demonstrate this].
That resentment revolves around being left behind, left to fend for themselves, left to compete in an intense capitalistic society - all on the heels of almost half-century of segregation which resulted in decimated neighborhoods and a lack of successful businesses.
I actually believe reparations would help to soothe that resentment. And that resentment does nothing but fuel the perception that black is different than white.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
If you want your 50 bucks I’ll send it.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
my brains hurt . . .
While I absolutely agree with Jim on all his comments, and I mean all, (well done Jim). Andrew, I feel like you are trying to spew the propaganda that you have been learning for the last few years and trying to make me feel guilty about the social injustice and inequalities that were made up by some asshole with a PhD. The more we, as society, make reparations for black people, the more society ‘NOTICES’ the segregation issue, and nothing really gets solved.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
If you feel guilty thats your own problem.
This isn’t about guilt, but more about helping communities get back on their feet.
It just happens to be that segregation is the root cause of poverty in many inner cities. Do you deny this as historical fact?
Nobody has proposed this solution to me. So it can’t be propoganda - Every other reparation solution I’ve ever heard involves handing out individual pay checks - which I think is ridiculous.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Greg, I’m curious…would the establishment of Israel in 1948 be considered a form of reparations?
April 11th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
“It just happens to be that segregation is the root cause of poverty in many inner cities. Do you deny this as historical fact?”
It’s an interesting theory to discuss but I don’t see at has fact. The are many other issues involved. If this was true and all inner city problems come form segregation from the end of slavery explain East LA and other Hispanic inner city communities or poor Asian communities or poor inner city white communities. If you can give me fact beyond reasonable doubt that supports why all these inner city communities are like this because of segregation I will do the one thing you want most. I will shut up.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Israels creation is definitely a form of reparations and it’s why there is still fighting over there today. So by using reparations they have created decades of violence. This supports your argument nicely.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Excellent point about Israel Jim. Reparations don’t do jack, all they do is add fuel to an already existing fire.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Jim I never said all inner cities. I was still discussing strictly African American inner cities. And the whole gang issue which ties into this discussion is definitely rooted in segregation.
Would our current occupation of Iraq also be considered reparations? Not the battle, but the current occupation.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
So again you are saying this is a race issue and that reparations is for black inner cities and again you owe me $50. Still you have yet to prove your point beyond a reasonable doubt which is what it means to state a fact vs spouting poorly thought out theory.
Our occupation in Iraq is not even close to being reparations and now you are just baiting me. Our occupation if Iraq is Nation Building. We are going in and setting up the way we want it so that Iraq becomes more like a another US state then it’s own country.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Andrew the answer to your question is yes. Israel was no doubt a gift of reparations to the surviving Jews of the Holocaust (its historically proven this was the case). The U.S. and the rest of the civilized world (basically Western Europe) facilitated the Jews getting Israel. The West could have chosen the Palestinians as their ally and assisted them in occupying Israel, but they didn’t. I prefer to think that is because the Jews earned the Wests respect and trust through their military endeavors.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Without question our little foray in Iraq is nation building at its finest. I just wish we would finally call a spade a spade and admit that we are the Imperial States of America, and that Manifest Destiny now extends to the entire world.
Just as the Monroe Doctrine was an extension of manifest destiny, so to is Globalization. People pay less attention to it however because this is an economic issue.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I’m so tired of repeating myself.
Jim states: “If you can give me fact beyond reasonable doubt that supports why ALL these inner city communities are like this because of segregation I will do the one thing you want most.”
If this is my failed theory, well of course its failed. Its not my theory.
If you are with Greg in not agreeing with the value of reparations thats fine. We can agree to disagree. Opinions are opinions.
What I have stated about the plight of inner city African American communities in relation to segregation is true historical fact according to the research I have done.
If you want to prove my historical research wrong find the research that proves me wrong.
Comment #10 has the research I found.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
While on the topic of Manifest Destiny, what think you of the tax-free casino reparations for Native Americans?
April 11th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Andrew if you want people to understand your research don’t just post naked links. You need to expound upon what they say. Since you are so passionate about the issue you need to tell us what your research finds. I’m sorry if someone justs posts a naked link with no explanation or meaning I am not going to go there. This is the Internet, and this is how the Internet works.
Not to mention that your argument waivers. You say you are not talking about race and only black communities, and then you come back and say that you are only talking about black communities.
May I make a suggestion - why don’t you write a new post with a carefully articulated and explained post that may help us better understand your view. I have to be honest, I am completely confused as your words go back and forth. You certainly are not going to change opinions with a new post, but it might help us better understand your insanity.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Fair enough. I’ll be post when its ready.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Very good sir, your tenacity will serve you well.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Andrew I must say I admire your determination and regardless of our long disagreement on this subject you have my respect. If you didn’t I would not have bothered to push you so hard to prove your point.
I would be interested n seeing a more in depth break down of your interpretation of this material. But as it stands right now you still owe me $50 bucks.
I know I am a pain in the ass.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Andrew - you gotta pay Jim, end of story.
This entertaining little read has led me to the conclusion that Andrew the White is the latest flip-flopper, and an even worse one than Mitt Romney.
Andrew - show me where throwing government funding into poor neighborhoods (call it reparations or blood money or happy-ending money, whatever) will allow the residents to resurface from their impoverished state. Your logic is flawed, while your heart is in the right place.
April 12th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Thanks Jim. This has honestly been an awesome conversation.
My post will hopefully clarify my position, which I don’t think has wavered at all.
Jay, Greg, Greg, and Jim, you are probably right about the uselessness of throwing money at neighborhoods for revitalization. But what the hell, I’m gonna research it anyway. And like I said, I don’t really care whether anyone agrees with me on that or not. It’s my opinion til I prove myself wrong.
The real reason I kept drilling at this post is because I feel like we’ve been arguing over semantics in regards to race and my motivation for writing this post.
My next post on this will hopefully make it clear that this issue is BOTH about race, and not about race. The two are not mutually exclusive.
If anything, I fell into the trap I was criticizing in the post - it’s immensely hard to discuss race relations without arguing over semantics, and getting lost in words.
Thanks for humoring me with 50 comments - lol, it’s pretty awesome it went this long
April 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Any time sir. One of the glories of being me is that I like to push people on their rhetoric to see just how devoted they and to see if they can make me change my mind. You have held up well under the pressure. I know what a pain in the ass I am as I excel at driving people crazy. I think it is important for anyone that throws any opinion out there(including myself) to be challenged to see if they can explain it in such a way that leaves the audience walking away knowing the person is sticking to their guns.
Had you wavered you would have lost respect from your audience. It shows character sir. I am looking forward to the next article, who knows you may even convert a whore.
April 12th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Andrew, I am glad you have come to realize the moral of the story. When mulling over and expounding upon such controversial issues as race, you are going to be held accountable to every little word you write or say. When controversy abounds your audience will look to expose your logic in anyway possible - which really is a great exercise and it is the very reason there has been such good debate on this post.
April 12th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Amen brotha man.
April 13th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
On the topic of word usage…
It looks like Barack Obama is in hot water for the following comment about poor communities:
“You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing has replaced them. Each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not. When I go around and talk to these people, there is frustration and there is anger and there is bitterness. And so these people don’t vote on economic issues, because they don’t expect anybody is going to help them, they don’t believe they can count on Washington.” (Star Ledger, 4/12/08)
McCain and Clinton are accusing him of being condescending, and therefor prejudiced and unfit to lead the Nation. What think you all of this?