“That Conversation about Race” category archive

I have found that those who trumpet most loudly their own patriotism, those most likely to wrap their bodies in the stars and stripes (in violation of the Flag Code, by the way, but that is quite another issue) while waving the Stars and Bars–the flag of treason, for Pete’s sake–are also those most likely to reject the idea that “all men are created equal,” however imperfectly it might have been practiced at the time of the Founding.

Rather, they would will restore if they could can America’s original sin of chattel slavery.

I say this as one whose ancestors wore the grey.

I’m a Southern Boy who grew up under Jim Crow.

I know racism when I see it.

Mike DiMauro is taken aback by the outpouring of racism, bigotry, and hatred (in some quarters) in response to the release of Britney Griner. An excerpt from his column:

Instead, we’re left with the amusing irony that the plight of Brittney Griner, whose skin color, sexual orientation and politics repel so many Americans, completely captures the new American fancy of being ill-informed, mean and happy to trade basic human decency for political posturing.

Seriously. Reading the abject hatred tethered to Griner’s rescue — the saving of a human life — made me think of Sen. Howard Baker’s classic question to bagman Tony Ulasewicz during Watergate: “Who thought you up?”

Who thought these people up? Where do they come from? Have they always been here? All I know is they’re helping us lose our humanity one keystroke at a time.

Afterthought:

I quibble with his use of the term, “amusing irony.” Frightening, appalling, disgusting, maybe, but not amusing.

. . . and Brent Larkin, retired editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, argues that they will keep on keeping the same company that they currently keep. Here’s how he introduces his article:

Republicans who feign outrage over the antisemitism and white supremacism permeating their party are being laughingly disingenuous. The dirty little secret is that bigots will keep their seat at the party’s table for the most basic of all political reasons:

Many GOP candidates can’t win without them.

Follow the link for his reasoning.

Daniel Ruth suggests that, when it comes to testifying under oath in a court of law, Florida governor Ron DeSantis doesn’t seem to have the courage of his conniptions.

Grung_e_Gene argues that Elon Mush has dropped his mask. Methinks he makes a pretty good case.

(Not that it fit all that tightly in the first place.)

Here’s a bit of evidence supporting Grung’s theory.

At the Portland Press-Herald, Barbara S. Held argues that the proliferation of poisonous rhetoric is polluting our polity.

Methinks she has a point. You have only to pay attention.

A snippet (emphasis added); follow the link for the rest.

We must recognize that whether a person’s racist speech reflects ignorance or underlying race-based hate (or both), the proliferation of racist rhetoric helps to normalize it, thereby increasing the acceptance of racist falsehoods that intensify racist violence and oppression of minorities.

Her article is worth your while.