America still has so much work to do regarding race and racism and “post-racial” is only making that work harder to do. That’s why “post-racial” and its cohorts must be stopped posthaste.
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/no-such-place-as-post-racial-america/?ref=opinion#
The author presents a long diatribe in which his chief complaint is the term "post-racial" which he describes as an intellectual loch ness monster - a term I quite like, by the way.
I don't know if I disagree. But let me add to the list of intellectual Nessie's (IN) the phrase "America has much work to do." What work will the entity described as "America" do? Who is responsible to make that work happen, describe that work, and define its successful outcome? Indeed, who could do such work on behalf of that collection of individuals generally known as "Americans"? A less sensible phrase may never have been spoken - unless of course, we consider the Kennedy pablum about asking "what you can do for your country."
I would add to the list of INs the term "racism". Why? Because the terms no longer means what it means. Here's the Wiki definition: "Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination." Let me ask you, dear reader, how many people you know who believe there are inherently different traits in human racial groups as regards qualities other than their physical genetic template (body shape, color or type of hair)? Do you know someone who believes there is a group of people so remarkable inferior that using the coercive force of the state against them is acceptable?
If you are like me, I know only one or two people who would articulate such a view. But more importantly - who cares? In my observation, belief in the inferiority of an ethnic group hurts only the believer, and not those whom the believer views perjoratively. Being a racist makes a person, in my view, unlikable and not someone with whom I would like to associate, but other than that, it's just a burden that person has chosen to bear and it is none of my business. Just like it's none of my business who they would like to sleep with, who they have enjoyed consensual sexual activity with, or how many times they fell short of the mark raising their children. There are a lot of reasons why I may not like or associate with a person, their racist beliefs would be one.
Unless ... the racist desires to use the power of the state to violate the creator given rights of those viewed perjoratively.
If you think people that are purple are subhuman, I don't care, but if you try to get the state to force people that are purple to go live in a certain confined area, or to keep the Purples out of public places, or to infringe on their voting rights - or even worse, you act to injure them - OK, now there's grounds for a fight. And I don't say that lightly because my entire working life has been as one who serves to defend my fellow citizen - police officer or military officer for 25 years.
Sadly, though, this distinction (between those with bad feelings about others and those who act to hurt others or use the state to coerce others) is no longer made, and that is largely because those who wish to make a fuss about "racism" are the ones trying to use the government to deprive the rights of a group of people. Usually, they wish to gain the sympathy of one group, by promising to help that group at the expense of another group, and with plenty of justification for why that's OK. Not to mention a dose of rationalization for why I should be ashamed of myself for opposing their attempt to use the government to get by force what they can't get by persuation and cooperation.
So while the author continues to use INs like "America has a lot of work to do", I hope what is really meant is that each of us has to work every day to respect the Constitutionally afforded rights of our fellow citizens while taking responsibility for ourselves and our chosen obligations to our families and those other causes we freely serve.
And I hope he doesn't mean "we have to use the coercive force of the government to get people to behave in a way that pleases me."
Post script: Most folks use the term "racist" nowadays when what they mean is "bigot" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigot_(disambiguation))
The KKK is racist, they would love to use force to subjugate others based on race and/or religion. My friend who associates negative characteristics to some ethnic groups is a bigot.
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/no-such-place-as-post-racial-america/?ref=opinion#
The author presents a long diatribe in which his chief complaint is the term "post-racial" which he describes as an intellectual loch ness monster - a term I quite like, by the way.
I don't know if I disagree. But let me add to the list of intellectual Nessie's (IN) the phrase "America has much work to do." What work will the entity described as "America" do? Who is responsible to make that work happen, describe that work, and define its successful outcome? Indeed, who could do such work on behalf of that collection of individuals generally known as "Americans"? A less sensible phrase may never have been spoken - unless of course, we consider the Kennedy pablum about asking "what you can do for your country."
I would add to the list of INs the term "racism". Why? Because the terms no longer means what it means. Here's the Wiki definition: "Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination." Let me ask you, dear reader, how many people you know who believe there are inherently different traits in human racial groups as regards qualities other than their physical genetic template (body shape, color or type of hair)? Do you know someone who believes there is a group of people so remarkable inferior that using the coercive force of the state against them is acceptable?
If you are like me, I know only one or two people who would articulate such a view. But more importantly - who cares? In my observation, belief in the inferiority of an ethnic group hurts only the believer, and not those whom the believer views perjoratively. Being a racist makes a person, in my view, unlikable and not someone with whom I would like to associate, but other than that, it's just a burden that person has chosen to bear and it is none of my business. Just like it's none of my business who they would like to sleep with, who they have enjoyed consensual sexual activity with, or how many times they fell short of the mark raising their children. There are a lot of reasons why I may not like or associate with a person, their racist beliefs would be one.
Unless ... the racist desires to use the power of the state to violate the creator given rights of those viewed perjoratively.
If you think people that are purple are subhuman, I don't care, but if you try to get the state to force people that are purple to go live in a certain confined area, or to keep the Purples out of public places, or to infringe on their voting rights - or even worse, you act to injure them - OK, now there's grounds for a fight. And I don't say that lightly because my entire working life has been as one who serves to defend my fellow citizen - police officer or military officer for 25 years.
Sadly, though, this distinction (between those with bad feelings about others and those who act to hurt others or use the state to coerce others) is no longer made, and that is largely because those who wish to make a fuss about "racism" are the ones trying to use the government to deprive the rights of a group of people. Usually, they wish to gain the sympathy of one group, by promising to help that group at the expense of another group, and with plenty of justification for why that's OK. Not to mention a dose of rationalization for why I should be ashamed of myself for opposing their attempt to use the government to get by force what they can't get by persuation and cooperation.
So while the author continues to use INs like "America has a lot of work to do", I hope what is really meant is that each of us has to work every day to respect the Constitutionally afforded rights of our fellow citizens while taking responsibility for ourselves and our chosen obligations to our families and those other causes we freely serve.
And I hope he doesn't mean "we have to use the coercive force of the government to get people to behave in a way that pleases me."
Post script: Most folks use the term "racist" nowadays when what they mean is "bigot" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigot_(disambiguation))
The KKK is racist, they would love to use force to subjugate others based on race and/or religion. My friend who associates negative characteristics to some ethnic groups is a bigot.
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