[PEN-L:8348] Re: racism

["Charles Brown" <CharlesB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>> Rod Hay <rodhay@xxxxxxxxxxx> 06/25/99 03:13PM >>>

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If the charge is justified then level it. But you had better have evidence.
Henry was throwing around charges against Brad, Max and others with no
evidence, except his distorted view of what he thought they were saying.
Brad at least had the sense to ignore it, which I didn't.

So-called "people of colour" can not read minds any better than others. The
crime must be in the actions not in the supposed intentions, or attitude.

((((((((((((((((((

Charles: The evidence has already been given to you. So, the better way to say it is " you better start comprehending the evidence you already have."

In the particular instance you are talking about, Henry pointed out that Brad and Max's comedy post was mocking a fomality of Chinese culture which translated into English as something different in a cultural sense. Then Max started spelling "Mao" as "Wao". A fundamental anti-racist sense tells one not to mock other cultures, exactly because something can get lost in the translation, but this is especially true concerning members of a European nation making fun of non-Europeans.

What are you doing putting "so-called" in front of "people of colour", as if you have some better analysis and theory of racism than I do ? The reading is of posts, not of minds.

Charles Brown



----Original Message Follows----
From: "Charles Brown" <CharlesB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Charles: There is a sad irony in the new "left"-racist arguments. The charge
of racism did not become a very serious charge until the 1960's and 1970's
in the U.S..  This was an important accomplishment of the left movement.

The irony comes in with the post-Reagan ,liberal-" lefts" who turn the new
gravity of the charge of racism into a basis for suppressing most charges of
racism. In effect they say, "I am so respectful of the importance of the
problem of racism that I think to say someone or action is racist is a very
serious charge, so you , Black person or other person of color, are
irresponsible in making the charge so much." In practice, including a lot on
these "left" lists, the main thing that happens is criticism of misuse of
the serious charge of racism, and almost no criticism of racism.

This is a sort of the 80's/90's"left"-racist snafu.

The white "left"-racists have decided that they understand the theory of
racism and the facts of racism better than leftists of color.

Charles Brown