tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428824763182540039.post4029678936810809956..comments2024-01-17T09:33:57.158-08:00Comments on Brain Rage: Negro-Gate: Harry Reid Is No Trent LottJBWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13293642610215334516noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428824763182540039.post-90023506408873247142010-01-15T22:53:26.630-08:002010-01-15T22:53:26.630-08:00That's why I said that Reid's comments wer...That's why I said that Reid's comments were racist by the measure of today's PC society, IC. As you and I have previously discussed, under that definition I think everyone is racist to a point.<br /><br />Unlike many white people, I have no problem discussing race because I know I'm not a hater. Those who can't have an open and honest discussion are the ones we should be worrying about.JBWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13293642610215334516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428824763182540039.post-83146718672019732492010-01-15T16:39:46.281-08:002010-01-15T16:39:46.281-08:00I tend to think that everyone gets too hung up on ...I tend to think that everyone gets too hung up on using the "racist tag". Recognizing the traits of different people-whether they be physical or social- isn't racism. Hating, discriminating, and oppressing people because of those traits is. But to the point if expressing one's observations in a tactful matter. I am not sure that in today's day and age it is possible. No matter how thought out your words are, chances are someone will take exception.Intrepid Californiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07724792677602043068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428824763182540039.post-53813629585622310092010-01-12T20:18:13.756-08:002010-01-12T20:18:13.756-08:00I don't expect black folks to have a distinct ...I don't <i>expect</i> black folks to have a distinct accent when I speak with them, but I am not surprised when they do. I don't <i>think</i> that makes me a racist, but I could be wrong. <br /><br />I grew up in Texas and the majority of black friends (I won't say African Americans because they won't), and borderline family, that I have had speak with accents that could be labeled in some way or another. Like I said, I don't necessarily expect the same accent from everyone I meet, but I think its existence is a definite reality in the south.<br /><br />I heard comments made about Obama's lack of "negro dialect" all throughout the election... but most people referred to him as "well-spoken" instead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428824763182540039.post-47799782557020898672010-01-12T14:52:15.941-08:002010-01-12T14:52:15.941-08:00Thanks kelly, and I also agree with you that color...Thanks kelly, and I also agree with you that colorism and unfair assumptions as to a person's manner of speaking based on race are things we should be trying to move past as a society. I think that our collective air of political correctness and unwillingness to discuss such problems because of knee jerk reactionaries and racial opportunists hamper the efforts of those trying to legitimately advance this dialogue.<br /><br />And on a personal note, I've noticed that black people and other minorities I've known are far less reluctant to address and discuss racial inequalities and problems than white people, although given the fragile and sensitive atmosphere we've constructed around these subjects I can hardly blame them for that (although I totally blame them for the popularity of ugly Christmas sweaters and mayonnaise).JBWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13293642610215334516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428824763182540039.post-54044478658647472212010-01-12T14:01:14.927-08:002010-01-12T14:01:14.927-08:00I absolutely agree...Reid's choice of words we...I absolutely agree...Reid's choice of words were inappropriate and definitely not in the realm of the correct word choice. HOWEVER, perhaps, what the "teachable moment" should be not if Reid is racist, but why in 2010 (or then 2008) are the two points he brought up still a concern in America? <br />On CNN's "Black in America", Soledad O'Brien discussed the dark skin/light skin with Michael Eric Dyson, who said, "Besides the choices we made, Everett and I are also examples of an ugly trait that persists in black communities: the ruin of color consciousness. I am a light-skinned brother; Everett is a deep chocolate black man. I am not suggesting that the mere difference in shade has led to his brutal circumstances and my rise. I am arguing, however, that the persistence of colorism -- a sometimes subtle hierarchy of social standing historically dictated in part by darkness or lightness of one's skin, measuring the proximity to, or distance from, the vaunted white ideal -- affected how he was viewed as a developing youth, impacting the view of what gifts he might possess while shaping the presence or absence of social opportunities open to him." (Source CNN, Black in America, 2008). <br />My point of sharing this...Reid was not being racist, he was saying something quite difficult to say, something that we as a society should be embarrassed about, and something that is quite real. <br />Regarding the "dialect" segment of Reid's quote, again, the question should be why do white Americans expect African-Americans to have a certain dialect? Is it a socially constructed reality? Is it the media? <br />My annoyance with Reid is not that just what he said is so inappropriate in word choice, it's that he did not stand up to the fact that these realities exist in America and we should discuss them, so that we can attempt to change them.KAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01899278822462473474noreply@blogger.com