“That Conversation about Race” category archive
Precedential Lingo 0
In line of the theme of dehumanization that I mentioned yesterday, David Pakman finds that Donald Trump’s language has precedent. And it’s not pretty.
Hostages 0
Mike Littvin infers that the inhumanity is intentional.
The unforgivable grabbing of more than 2,300 children from their parents at the border — some of these parents here to seek asylum — and housing them in what amounts to cages is meant to force bleeding-heart Democrats to the table to give Trump his ridiculous $25 billion border wall.
Follow the link for the entire article.
All that Was Old Is New Again 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear has seen it all before.
Dialectic 0
Josh Marshall muses on the internal contradictions of Trumpery.
The Bible Tells Me So . . . , Reprise 0
Mike discusses the Trump Administration’s program to rip children from their mothers and its defending the practice as sanctioned by the Bible. Warning: Language.
A Tip o’ the (MAGA) Hat 0
Elie Mystal takes exception to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that states cannot ban partisan clothing at polling places. As a side note, the item in question was a “Gadsden Flag” tee shirt; despite the Gadsden Flag’s roots in the Revolutionary War, it has become an ensign of the new Secesh.
A snippet (follow the link for the rest):
(snip)
. . . I’ve been to Mississippi and I know what black people have to go through in order to exercise their franchise.
Virginia offers Gadsden Flag license plates. I recall discussing them with someone once.
We agreed that they performed a service, in that that notified others that persons driving vehicles so adorned were likely–oh, never mind.
The Bull Curve 0
David and Eric Turkheimer of the University of Virginia, discuss the history and usage of IQ tests and what elements may account for variances among economic, racial, and ethnic groups. The professor states emphatically that differences among racial groups in testing are not innate, but are the result of history, class, and societal influences. The conversation digs deeply into the topic and is well worth a listen.
Twits on Twitter, Base Desires Dept. 0
In a thoughtful article that slices through the fog of point-counterpoint claims about Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet and the subsequent cancellation of her television show, Bret Stephen’s concludes
Follow the link to learn why he reached that conclusion.
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
Trumpling the luxury hotel pool.
You realize, natch, that the Trumplers believe that Trump’s some-would-call-it-an-“administration” has given them a license to Trumple and that they believe themselves to be reel Amurricans.
By the Numbers, Reprise 0
It’s the racism.
This is the United States. In white America, there’s always an undercurrent of racism.
(snip)
The findings suggest that political efforts to cut welfare programs are driven less by conservative principles than by racial anxiety, the authors conclude. That also hurts white Americans who make up the largest share of Medicaid and food-stamp recipients. President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans have proposed deep cuts to both programs.
Follow the link for more numbers.
The Bully’s Pulpit 0
David unpacks the fuss over Roseanne.
In a related piece, Melissa Burkley explains why referring to black people as apes is racist, in case you don’t get it already.
In Their Own Words 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., lets Trump supporters have their say.
Arms and the Boy 0
Solomon Jones looks at the spate of school shootings and reflects on the white privilege to bear arms. A snippet:
Until America is willing to confront these obvious truths, we won’t be able to solve the scourge of school shootings. Because acknowledging that white males in non-urban environments are most likely to commit school shootings would require America to abandon its most treasured stereotypes. . . .
In a country that has long portrayed city-dwelling people of color as the main purveyors of violence, that kind of acknowledgement would require a fundamental reshaping of who we are. America would have to profile white suburban males with the same fervor it does urban males of color. Police officers would have to claim they fear for their lives in the presence of white rural men and boys. The veil of suspicion that drapes over the lives of males of color would have to be extended to white males, as well.
Do please read the rest.