Sunday, November 13, 2005
Clarence Page Makes Another Good Point
Chicago Tribune | `Racial' is not always `racist': "Whatever the reason, if we Americans can't find some reasonable ways to talk about these relatively trivial matters without pointing accusatory fingers at each other, we don't stand much of a chance to talk about the really serious problems of race in America."
The first constructive thing that can happen is for African-Americans and blacks of other descents to allow a white person to discuss race without trying to shut off the conversation by yelling racist. It ends the conversation without any real thought being brought to the fore by both sides. It is an obvious and common avoidance to really open discourse about the similarities and differences in the races. This is experienced much less (or not at all) with people of Asian or Eastern European origin, for example. Maybe we should first explore what causes them to be so much more open to such discussion.
The first constructive thing that can happen is for African-Americans and blacks of other descents to allow a white person to discuss race without trying to shut off the conversation by yelling racist. It ends the conversation without any real thought being brought to the fore by both sides. It is an obvious and common avoidance to really open discourse about the similarities and differences in the races. This is experienced much less (or not at all) with people of Asian or Eastern European origin, for example. Maybe we should first explore what causes them to be so much more open to such discussion.
