busyHolder: US a "Nation of Cowards" on Race Discussions
Terry Frieden, CNN: "In a blunt assessment of race relations in the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday called the American people 'essentially a nation of cowards' in failing to openly discuss the issue of race. In his first major speech since being confirmed, the nation's first black attorney general told an overflow crowd celebrating Black History Month at the Justice Department the nation remains 'voluntarily socially segregated.'"
I think that: 1) Americans do not discuss racial issues enough, 2) there are some serious racial problems that need discussion and solution, 3) SOME Americans are cowardly about discussions of race while others are not, 4) and calling people "cowards" unfairly denies credit to courageous debators and activists while merely offending people who don't generally discuss racism. Just because one has a point doesn't necessarily mean that one has expressed it in an efficient and effective manner. If you want people to do something, calling them names is unlikely to make them do it.
Furthermore, just because someone is not an activist on a given issue doesn't necessarily mean they're cowardly about it; they may have their hands full with some other worthy cause(s) and/or they may not have encountered a situation in which that particular issue brought itself to their attention vividly. "Coward" implies a decision to flee from a discussion due to moral failing; not everyone has necessarily confronted such a decision point or had the resources to devote to pursuing it vigorously.
So I found the article interesting, and it had some valid points, but they could have been presented in a more constructive and effective way. When it comes to discussing racism, I've been consistently impressed with Teaching Tolerance.
If you want to start a discussion, there are two pretty reliable ways: 1) Make it attractive to people, usually by attaching it to an interest or benefit of theirs; frex, illuminate how racism relates to other problems America is facing. 2) Put it somewhere they can't simply weasel around it easily, as the civil rights movement did.
Since I am interested in promoting the kind of harmonious heterogenous society that racism undermines, I'll just pick up the ball and see where it goes. Given that we've got a President of mixed ethnic background (commonly identified as "America's first black President") who is building a governing team that includes people of widely assorted ethnic backgrounds, for the purpose of leading a country many of whose citizens prefer to self-segregate ... what do you think is going to happen? Will that delightfully mixed leadership come up with great ideas only to be stonewalled by a citizenship that stubbornly behaves like oil and water? Or will the good example at high levels inspire people farther down to mix more? What are some things we could be doing to facilitate healthy and productive discussions of race issues? Does the current government expand our options in that regard, compared to previous governments, and if so how can we take advantage of new opportunities?
Hmm...
February 20 2009, 23:44:59 UTC 12 years ago
This is true.
>>Anyone white who dares discuss race in any way at all is instantly labeled a racist, and as if that weren't bad enough, there's no defending against that.<<
In my experience, this is partially true. I've had some good conversations about race that didn't turn into verbal brawls. And there are ways to derail some scripts, if you know enough about the history of race relations and ethnic literature.
>>I mean, look at me. I don't even feel human, let alone white, and one of my aspects comes from a planet where skin color is extremely random and varied, and almost no one has a single solid skin color.<<
*chuckle* I so hear you.
I have an interest in sociodynamics, but if I'm not actively paying attention to it, I tend to be colorblind. Now if I just say that, it pisses people off, probably because a lot of people say it without it being true. But if they watch me a for a while, they can see it in action. Things like the ethnic mix has to be mostly nonwhite before I even notice, and that won't stop me from sitting down unless there's a separate sense of hostility. Or like the way I tend to let other people define their own identity, which can be both endearing and baffling to people who've been bounced out of various groups -- too light for this one, too dark for that. Or the fact that the first thing I do in an African restaurant is search the menu for goat, because most restaurants don't serve it and I like goat, nevermind that it's not something white people usually eat. Or that my judgment of historical accounts is based more on what people did than how they looked, which got me into plenty trouble in history classes. Culturally speaking, I am just not very attached to the modern mainstream; and by the time you add up all the other influences, the result is not monochromatic.
Re: Hmm...
February 21 2009, 00:45:08 UTC 12 years ago
Re: Hmm...
Anonymous
February 21 2009, 19:18:47 UTC 12 years ago
one and the same person,artist, or
writer?
Just a silly thought that occurred to
me as I reviewed the discussion, or
posts between the two of you.
No
February 21 2009, 19:30:01 UTC 12 years ago
The only LJ I have is this one. I also maintain several communities:
Gaiatribe: Ideas for a Thinking Planet
http://gaiatribe.geekuniversalis.com
Hypatia's Hoard of Reviews
http://reviewarchive.iblog.my
Re: No
Anonymous
February 21 2009, 19:54:08 UTC 12 years ago
your Pagan name. Once again ,
I apoligise for my aub standard
intelect. I really do possess
a gift for eating crow and making
an ass out of myself.
Not intentionally of course.
Once agin my sincere apologies!
What is your pagan name if you don't
mind my asking?
Re: Hmm...
February 21 2009, 19:49:27 UTC 12 years ago
Re: Hmm...
Anonymous
February 21 2009, 20:06:05 UTC 12 years ago
when shortened to "aubtel"
could serve as a Duenicallo
phrase of humor for being
dumb, stupid, or silly.
But than I'm certain you
have already created a
Duenicallo word, or phrase
for that.
Re: Hmm...
Anonymous
February 21 2009, 20:11:28 UTC 12 years ago
I'm "aublect" because intel...
.............igent about me.
And I'm certainly not as gifted,
or inteligent as the two of you.