Letters to the Editor
SouthWrite
Published Letters: 12 Editor's Choice: 3
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Words Matter
[Read the article: Joe Biden's Obama drama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From "mission accomplished" to "bring it on" to calling a Harvard educated Senator "articulate" and "bright," we need to realize an unassailable fact: words matter. Words can incite, words can insult, and words can reflect (as they do here) the pernicious way that racism permeates our culture. We live in an increasingly diverse society. More and more, positions of power and leadership are being vied for, as well as held by, people who have not traditionally been the holders of such power (women, racial and ethnic minorities, etc.). As a consequence, what once might have been deemed "socially acceptable" (marveling that a black, successful, middle-aged adult was "bright" and "articulate") simply no longer is so. A candidate's falling back on using language that speaks to antiquated stereotypes raises legitimate concerns, which are wholly proper to explore, about whether that candidate really has what it takes to be a true 21st century leader.
A candidate need not be a robot to succeed in politics. However, he or she does need to understand that they can - and will - be held accountable not only for what they do, but also what they say. If that is too much for them to handle, perhaps they aren't presidential material.
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Dickerson's Kids May Have To "Live Blackness" Too
[Read the article: Don't be black on my account]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Dickerson's children won't have the same experiences she did because it is 2007, not necessarily because they are half white. My great-grandmother could not put her money in a bank because she was black. My grandmother could not buy a dress during store hours because she was black. My mother had to take voting tests because she was black. I had to watch schools violently integrate and deal with busing in the 70s because I was black. Which of us "lived blackness"? We all did. What my child will have to explain or endure will be different from those experiences, but it will be no less "living blackness."
For Dickerson to call what her kids will experience mere "studying blackness" is to belittle their experiences, which are unique to their time and generation, and which, as the article indicates, they already are having to endure. Further, to say that they will not have to "live blackness" may be a rationalization for avoiding the reality that - regardless of what label Dickerson wants to ascribe her kids - they are children whose mother is black, and the kids will have to understand that, even if that holds no meaning in their home, it has implications in the outside world.
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King disappoints.
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As a middle aged woman of color, I continue to combat pernicious assumptions and low expectations, and I'm an Ivy League educated senior executive in a large company. While my position, age, friends and family make this easier to take, it doesn't make it easy, even at this point in my life and career. And, trust me, it isn’t “me ‘letting’ them” get to me any more than it was the Rutgers players “letting” Don Imus get to them. The idea that someone with power - and let's face it, having a nationally syndicated radio show which makes millions and having senators and CEOs come on your show IS power - would find the Rutgers women objects of racist, sexist ridicule and air that derision on a public stage, is dangerous and should not be countenanced in this day and age.
I disagree that nothing has changed. The fact that so many, after hearing Imus (either on air or afterwards), were troubled enough to complain, and did so vocally, with the threat of punitive action (not simply the advertisers, but their employees, board members and customers), says that there is such a thing as too far, and that sometimes saying "I'm sorry" simply isn't enough.
King, you missed the boat on this one.
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A Perfect Finale For A Complex Show
[Read the article: Finale wrap-up: "Veronica Mars"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The ending was perfect - messy, a little dark, and yet with a twinge of optimism - which was VM all over. Each character showed you why you loved them (or w/ Big Daddy Kane and co - why you loved to hate them) and why you'll miss them terribly when they are gone. All were loyal and true in their own ways, flawed, but interesting. The finale reminded you that the good guys don't always win, and their white hats are tinged with grey, but they do the best they can with what they have. Since we didn't have a "wrap it up in a bow" finale, we can all come up with our own versions of the characters' happy endings (Weevil will use his criminal talents for good and make millions, Veronica will rock the FBI, Logan will be by her side, kicking ass first and asking quesitons later, MAYOR Keith Mars will find a woman who truly deserves him, etc.). I'll miss the Neptune gang, but I'm glad I had them for the 3 seasons I did.
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Whose show is it - Beyonce's or the government's?
[Read the article: Should Beyoncé bow to Malaysia's dress code?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It sounds like there is more there than just throwing a jacket on top of an outfit. There is an issue about purportedly "sexually suggestive behavior." Beyonce has spent a good deal of time and money putting together a certain show. Is she supposed to create new costumes and change the choreography midstream in order to please the Malaysian government, or risk fines or other punishment? And who decides what moves are "suggestive" or not? Should Beyonce get government experts to evaluate whether one move is acceptable and another is not? I can see it now - you can move your hips side to side, but forward and back is no good, oh wait, too far to the left...
I've seen the show - her dress is sexy, but it isn't slutty (sexy does not equal whorish - Tina Turner has proved that time and time again). It’s no different than something you’d see on Dancing with the Stars.
It's too bad that the Malaysian government is trying to censor what is a fun, positive event. Bravo to Beyonce for not bowing to the pressure.