Dialog On Race
It seems we are about to embark on a long overdue “dialog on race”. That’s what everyone in the media, both traditional and online, are saying — that Barack Obama’s speech on race has opened a window of opportunity. All we need to do it step through that window and a golden age of understanding will ensue.
I don’t believe that about the golden age. In fact I don’t believe we will actually step through the window. Bill Clinton tried that over ten years ago and nothing happened.
I believe that, fundamentally, we don’t want to talk about it. Some of us like to rant about it, for sure, but if the rest of us actually talked about it calmly and rationally we would steal their spotlight. And really, it would be uncomfortable. Americans really aren’t used to being uncomfortable. We will go to any lengths — even selling our own liberty — to avoid it.
Nonetheless….
When Bill Clinton raised this topic I went out on a limb. I opened myself to the inevitable vitriol and wrote about race (and gender and ethnicity and class) from a middle-aged white guy’s perspective.
Since those essays remain pretty much unread and are still pertinent, here are links to them in the archive:
White Man
Individual and Group
So here it is. The “Dialog on Race” redux. I’ll go first.
-apl