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Title: Gregory Rodriguez: The buffoons [of racism] aren’t the real problem
Source:
rocnow.com
URL Source: http://rocnow.com/article/opinion-syndicated-columns/20103090339
Published: Mar 10, 2010
Author: Gregory Rodriguez
Post Date: 2010-03-10 11:52:31 by Ferret
Keywords: None
Views: 1202
Comments: 63
News flash from the University of California San Diego: Party-animal frat boys sometimes engage in stupid, offensive and even racist stunts! For weeks now, outrage over a fraternity party that encouraged guests to mimic and mock ghetto culture has embroiled the La Jolla campus in old-school political theater. Then, in a separate incident, a noose was left in a university library (a student anonymously took responsibility and apologized). And finally, a pillowcase made to look like a KKK hood appeared atop a statue of Dr. Seuss. In a diverse society, such incidents — which draw cleavages between groups — should be taken seriously. But such antics really don’t signify our race problem today, and no one should think that indignation, marches, sit-ins and “days of action” against buffoonery constitute an effective struggle against racism. It might be satisfying to draw lines against the clowns, but it diminishes the difficulty of the real challenge before us. Racism exists; it’s still a significant inhibitor of social and economic progress. And given the country’s majority-minority future, we simply can’t afford not to be preparing more minorities for positions of authority and leadership. This isn’t the unsubtle, in-your-face racism of your imagination. The real bad guys aren’t the easy-to-caricature toothless hillbillies of television dramas or some overweight, tobacco-chewing Southern sheriff. straight out of a half-century-old Life magazine. They don’t leave nooses as calling cards. Somewhere along the line, the fight against genuinely entrenched racism — the kind that keeps millions from achieving their dreams — turned into a slapstick struggle against ill-behaved clowns such as Michael Richards, John Mayer and foolish frat boys. A few years ago, while I was in Mississippi, I met a prominent self-described white supremacist who didn’t need a Klan hood to do more than his part to oppress African-Americans. During the height of segregation, he didn’t torch crosses in the dark of night; instead, he wore a suit and tie and put the economic squeeze on fellow whites who didn’t toe his racist line. In my presence, he never once cursed blacks or used the “N-word.” You can be a highly effective racist without all the obvious trappings. So much of our contemporary discussion of racism is really about propriety, insensitivity, symbolism and insults. Lost in the media tumult over incidents such as those at UCSD is a sensible definition of racism. To my mind, it is, in essence, the assumption or belief that an individual is intellectually or morally inferior by virtue of his genetic makeup. . Particularly when held by authority figures — teachers, police or employers — it can limit the life choices and mobility of the people who must endure it. Sometimes racism is linked to hostility or antipathy, but not always. You can think and act on the idea that someone is inferior without hating him or her. For that matter, you can hate someone without feeling superior. Although the latter is harmful to society, it’s not as insidious and difficult to identify as true attitudes of racial superiority. Personally, I’d rather know that someone hates me outright for my background than suffer the treacly dishonesty of racial condescension. All of this is not to say we should let offensive comments or antics slide. My point is that the bigger struggle is against the assumptions that many people still carry about the human capacity and potential of whole groups of other people. These more pervasive forms of modern racism tend to be expressed more indirectly. Contemporary racism is less and less about outright discrimination and more in the implicit expectations that, say, lead educators to demand less from some groups of children or supervisors to funnel minorities into lesser roles. Don’t obsess over the party, the noose and the hood. Today, what we have to fight is less the old clanging symbols than the quiet racism that keeps people from seeking and reaching their highest potential. Rather than self-righteously standing up against clowns, we should all be asking ourselves whether we too assume that a person’s race automatically makes him less valuable than we are. ——— ABOUT THE WRITER Gregory Rodriguez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Readers may send him e-mail at grodriguezlatimescolumnists.com.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 39.
#1. To: Ferret (#0)
Ultimately all racism is irrational. Of course to the irrational they have fully rationalized it to themselves. However, that changes not one whit the reality. It is little more than cultural chauvinism and xenophobia. And it has changed little from the days of Uk the Caveman who beat out the brains of someone from a different tribe. "Ugh! You stranger, you dress funny, Uk kill!!" The problem with trying to analyze racism rationally is that ultimately it is doomed to failure if one is looking for rational reasons for racism. There are rationalizations, and justifications, but ultimately it is not based on a sound premise. Humans and humans are humans. And the rejection of "others" not of one's own tribe operates at a level below rational awareness. People may well try to justify the impulses and find "reasons" for the irrational impulses, but they still remain irrational. Never forget the irrational computation of the avowed racist: "If'n ya' don't hate Niggers then you's hates whites." Try analyzing that "logic" rationally. To say that we live in a "Mad Mad Mad World" is simply a statement of fact.
The mean average black IQ is 85. There is no hope for them, no matter when rationalizations you engage in.
Turtle, You obviously were out of country for Black history month. Now, please go to the nearest Paul Roberson Center at your local university and bring us back a list of the top five (5) Black civilizations that have graced this planet. Danka
5? I can't come up with one that I would want to be a part of. I need to take a course in diversity and tolerance. I'm sure they could teach me something... Maybe some zulu somewhere invented a new kind of hut or a novel use for cow dung, or something, and that led to a new civilization somewhere? Or some silly contrivance that they used to stick their penis in and that created a fad that led to a civilization. You know, like this? It looks like it caught on. Hell, I know I am grasping at straws here.
Jumping Jesus, did the brothers stick their Obama's in their wives hair curler?
There's no telling. But to the holier-than-thou, I ask "Would you want your daughter to marry one of them, and live over there?" Things will be just peachy, until she gets sick or breaks an arm and the witch doctor starts his incantations and shakes a bundle of smoking weeds in her face to drive out the evil spirits... You're not ray-ciss, are you? They are doing just fine, over there. They are not needed here. We have enough native idiocy in da hoods. Maybe good for a visit though. Nah.
what if there was an "IQ" that measures endurance, patience, acceptance. in the long run, it could be that techy white people are not gonna adjust so pretty good to what's coming.
I don't think anyone of any race here in the US would have those qualities in abundance. IMO as a rule we are too soft. But we would survive and rebuild. It happens every time. It just sucks that this keeps happening. We never learn from history. Whoever rebuilds need to come up with a way to keep all psychopaths out of power, forever.
...but i have to confess, if it werent for stuff like this, i would write humanity off.
The healthy mind & spirit prefers harmony to the dissonance and distortion which has become part of the daily diet of noise that we are subject to.
are you accusing me of being healthy in mind and spirit?
Pardon the presumption, gr.
here's my reasoning: how can anyone who's been swimming in the american cesspool for nearly 67 years be healthy?
"Free your mind. Your ass will follow." - Junior, Platoon
i got a not-so-wholesome feeling about you. why is that?
That's a strange remark. I have no idea why you feel the way you do.
i dont, either. it's just a feeling. maybe i will eventually come to love you like a brother, or my ex-wife.
Now that's scary. ;)
what it boils down to, is this: i dont like you.
OK.
i guess it could be that my feeling of distaste for you comes from the same place in the human psyche as belief in "chemtrails". that would be a giggle, wouldnt it? on the other hand, i never claimed i was sane.
#40. To: groundresonance (#39)
I don't believe in chemtrails. AFAIK, the gov't may be playing with reflective metal particles up there for one reason or another, but I'm not in with mass chemtrail story that wududiz is promoting.
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#4. To: Original_Intent (#1)
#9. To: Turtle (#4)
#15. To: Jethro Tull (#9)
Now, please go to the nearest Paul Roberson Center at your local university and bring us back a list of the top five (5) Black civilizations that have graced this planet.
#16. To: PSUSA (#15)
#17. To: Jethro Tull, all (#16)
(Edited)
#18. To: PSUSA (#17)
#19. To: groundresonance (#18)
#22. To: PSUSA (#19)
(Edited)
#25. To: groundresonance (#22)
...but i have to confess, if it werent for stuff like this, i would write humanity off.
#26. To: randge (#25)
The healthy mind & spirit prefers
#27. To: groundresonance (#26)
#28. To: randge (#27)
#30. To: groundresonance (#28)
#31. To: randge (#30)
#32. To: groundresonance (#31)
#35. To: randge (#32)
I have no idea why you feel the way you do.
#36. To: groundresonance (#35)
#37. To: randge (#36)
#38. To: groundresonance (#37)
#39. To: randge (#38)
Replies to Comment # 39.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 39.