Letters to the Editor
Valkyrie607
Published Letters: 110 Editor's Choice: 3
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Clarity, and Opportunity
[Read the article: Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds warn of "social unraveling" if Obama loses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Clarity
Oh, it is lacking!
Humbly, I offer impressions of the swirling fray of opinions.
First, I read Glenn's article. After Obama's victory in Iowa, it makes perfect sense for liberal activists to try to grapple with some of the consequences of Obama's candidacy. My interpretation of Glenn's message was, as most people here have noted, it's best to turn on the lights to see the cockroaches. This is indeed a racist country. And if Obama continues winning, the racism will become louder and more strident. If we progressives want to support our candidate, and if that candidate is Obama, we had best get our shit together and acknowledge that we are going to have to call out these "conservatives" on their coded, and not-so-coded, racist attacks on Obama.
So. Shall we get our shit together? Trolls like Shooter and Proximity Warning are easily dismissed. Thrasher is not so easily dismissed, because there are certain things embedded in his discourse which are simply, lamentably, undeniable. That is, racism is embedded in American institutions and culture. Most whites are racist, but won't acknowledge it. Blacks may be bigoted and prejudiced, but their prejudice holds much less power since they have never been in a position to control institutions and structures of society, as whites have. The historical friction between Jewish and black communities is certainly real, although the stuff about gay folks' racism against blacks is nonsense.
However, while I recognize the truth to that statement--that most whites are racist, but won't acknowledge it--I am completely unconvinced that Glenn Greenwald is not only racist, but consciously racist, and disguising his racism as paternalistic concern for black people.
Thrasher's arguments are diminished by his claims to speak for the black community (see the "Glenn has no street cred" posts). They are also diminished by his bigotry towards gay people (Glenn and Pam Spaulding) and towards Jews.
I do have to say a word in tribute to Aychararch, who rightly pointed out the condescension inherent in some white liberals' attitudes--such as Joe Biden's "clean & articulate comment." It serves to underscore the degree to which prejudice can be buried deep in the unconscious.
Personally, I find Obama's candidacy inspiring. I don't agree with him on all the issues. But if he becomes the candidate, I will certainly vote for him. And I will fight like hell against racist smears against him. I will write letters to the editor, I will call radio shows, I will call people out, I will protest in the streets--whatever it takes to ensure that Obama's race is not used against him by slimy right-wing operators. I would love to have some allies in this.
Thrasher? You support Obama--right? But Thrasher, it seems, doesn't want me--I'm white. My father, brother, uncles, grandfather--all gentle, honorable men who have been smeared by Thrasher on the basis of their race. (See his post of January 5, 2008 08:54 PM). Thrasher, if you're really trying to gear up support for your man, you're going about it in completely the wrong way. That, plus your insistence that others here have so many hidden agendas, plus your refusal to talk about your very passionate arguments in terms of your personal experience, leaves me with no choice but to wonder whether you aren't concealing your true motives as well.
Opportunity
On the whole, Thrasher's presence here presents all of us with an opportunity to be crystal-clear about our passion for our vision of an America which IS ready for a black president. Whether we think America is ready now or will be later, we progressives must be strong and united in defense of that vision, and that means confronting racist smears against Barack Obama, and, as we saw in the commentary from Malkin, Goldberg, et. al, against the black community in general. It's also an opportunity for us, as white folks who are against racism, to acknowledge the pervasive force of racism in our culture and in our thinking, and to deal with the white privilege that benefits all with white skin, whether we want it or not.
If Obama becomes the candidate, we will be forced to confront these issues on an entirely different scale. As progressives, we are against racism, so we must confront it wherever we see it, and we must be willing to speak out, loudly, when we see it in our local and national media. Particularly on the local level, as many of the same reporting is there, but it is easier to get our voices heard.
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Re: Anonymous
[Read the article: Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds warn of "social unraveling" if Obama loses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Please clarify.
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Re: Thrasher
[Read the article: Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds warn of "social unraveling" if Obama loses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]1. I said I was white. Duh.
2. Please don't make assumptions about my relationships with black people. You happen to be totally wrong.
3. Do you support Obama?
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Alliance, anybody?
[Read the article: Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds warn of "social unraveling" if Obama loses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's painful when you wish to help someone, but are informed that your best efforts are hurting.
So, Thrasher, please tell. What can white liberals do that won't put a ceiling on Obama's campaign?
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Me, a liberal?
[Read the article: Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds warn of "social unraveling" if Obama loses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, in my ideal world, government would divided by bioregion, and world travel would be by boat, and we would have enormously sophisticated computer networks, and cities would generate most of their own power and food...
There's no word for that. I have to work with what I have, so I don't object when people call me liberal. As for what I call myself--a radical. An idealist. "Possibilitarian," as my friend from Pakistan put it.
Violet Liuzzo was a white woman who was murdered--by the Klan?--for her activism in the civil rights era. I'd never heard of her before, thanks for pointing her out. What was your point, though?
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Also...
[Read the article: Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds warn of "social unraveling" if Obama loses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I second Mr. Spud's request. I, also, am genuinely interested.
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Re: Fetboy
[Read the article: A salve for women's sex drive]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A drug to make the clitoris MORE sensitive???
EEEK
Please, no.